design:retail - June 2019 - 26

INNOVATION

DESIGN:RETAIL

JUNE 2019

PERSPECTIVES

Augmented
Experience

from the digital world directly onto the products in
the physical world. Think about it as a personalized
overlay that is providing information about each
product, that's specific to you. It's kind of like the
store associate walking around the store with you,
answering each and every one of your questions.
Remember though, these consumers also have the
ability to compare prices, so make sure you're staying competitive.

ENTREPRENEUR AAQIB USMAN,
FOUNDER OF MIDWEST IMMERSIVE,
HAS A PASSION FOR EMERGING
TECHNOLOGIES. HERE, HE LOOKS AT
HOW AUGMENTED REALITY IS HELPING
TO CREATE RETAIL EXPERIENCES.
design:retail: "Experience" is a big word in retail
right now. How is augmented reality (AR) helping
retailers create experiences in-store?
Aaqib Usman: Augmented reality is helping customers do more with a lot less. What do I mean by
that? Well, now when you go to Macy's, instead of
having to try on the physical makeup and feeling
uneasy about asking about multiple lipstick colors
(similar to being hesitant before asking for more
than one sample at Baskin-Robbins), you'll be able
to "try on" as many colors as your heart desires-
even ones they don't have in-store at that moment.
To take it a step further, AR makes it possible to
even try things that are permanent, like hair color,
which can be extremely difficult to try on without
actually applying it anyways. AR helps you do that
by overlaying that color onto your hair directly. The
same thing applies to shoes. Retailers can allow you
to virtually try on shoes before you purchase them,
whether they're available in store or not.
Let's take one more example: cars. There's an incredible amount of customization options available
when you're looking to purchase a car. But at most
car dealers, there's usually only one model available on display. Using AR, a consumer can virtually
check out how every possible customization option
would appear on the car itself.

AAQIB USMAN
FOUNDER
MIDWEST IMMERSIVE

d:r: Is AR the future of customer engagement?
Usman: Absolutely! What we're starting to see is
only the beginning of a shift. Retail is certainly
experiencing lots of disruption and that's only
going to continue. The online experience has not
only provided a new way to shop, but completely
changed the way people shop. Previously, consumers would physically go into stores for all stages of
the buying process: awareness, consideration and
purchasing. But now, the awareness and consideration stages take place online, and one of the
purchasing decisions they're making is if it's going
to be at your store.
With AR, we have the ability to merge these digital and physical worlds by overlaying information

d:r: How big do you foresee the AR industry getting
in the coming years?
Usman: Augmented reality is just getting started.
In the coming years, it's going to become ubiquitous. The market for AR is set to exceed $50 billion
by 2024, according to the Augmented Reality
Market Trends, Competitive Market Share & Outlook to 2024 report by Market Study Report. It's
time to bring brick and mortar into the digital age,
and AR will do that.
➞ B I O AAQIB USMAN is a serial entrepreneur and the founder of
Midwest Immersive, a cutting-edge interactive multimedia studio specializing in augmented reality, groundbreaking projection mapping techniques
and advanced audio-visual software. His passion for these emerging technologies, coupled with the art of storytelling, gave Usman the foresight
to see the potential of how combining the two can create brand experiences never seen before. National and global brands, like adidas, Cadbury,
Invisalign, Nike, Lurie Children's Hospital, Make-A-Wish Foundation
and 1871, partner with Midwest Immersive to "bridge the physical and
digital together."
AR technology
in use at
adidas.

d:r: Why has AR caught on so quickly in the past
few years?
Usman: Advancements in technology have made
AR so much more powerful, useful and practical
today than ever before. The concept for AR has
been around since 1957 (run a Google search for
"Sensorama"), but now, thanks to advancements in
hardware, sensors and software, we have the ability
to create a whole new level of immersive experiences through AR. Even something as simple as
overlaying a digital cup onto a physical cup would
have been a feat to achieve only a few years ago.
Now, that's the entry point!

design:retail - June 2019

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