Technology continually evolves with new research and development projects undertaken all over the world — companies today need to adapt to stay ahead and indispensable in their industry.

How effective content delivery is in reaching consumers is closely related to how technologically inclined these companies have become at this stage. Leveraging technology for content delivery places companies in a stronger competitive position.

Two technologies that have yet to be fully explored by companies are Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). It is important to note the difference between AR and VR; though similar in many ways, they are not.

The most significant differentiation point between the two is the immersion capability they enable the user to experience. VR functions entirely on a computer-generated world, where the user encounters an immersive environment based on artificial scenarios and objects; losing contact with the real-world environment.

On the other hand, AR "adds-on" to reality by overlaying digital information to it while maintaining contact with the real-world environment during the experience. This technology allows users to interact with "AR created" objects while in contact with the real world.

How can we leverage such technological advances to improve content delivery?

In the 2018 holiday season, a retail complex in Singapore implemented immersive content interaction to provide a unique shopper experience to its customers. A Christmas-themed land was created using VR, giving shoppers a 360-degree VR sleigh and providing patrons with an unforgettable shopping experience—an innovative idea to increase seasonal sales that generated heavy traffic and positive feedback from customers.

Recently, an Australian winery launched bottles of wine with talking labels that was powered by an AR app. By hovering the app over the wine label, consumers could watch the characters featured on the label come to life to share a personal story about the brand. It was the first time such an Australian winery integrated an advanced technological application to its product, allowing the brand to have a competitive advantage over other brands in the market.

Above are some examples of how brands can include AR and VR to deliver content; but how about amplifying those examples?

Imagine being able to walk through the supermarket from your phone. Yes, it is easy to do grocery shopping online nowadays, however, scrolling through product after product may feel like a chore—which does not provide the satisfaction of taking a stroll through the retail store.
Instead, imagine leisurely walking through the aisles, picking up items on your list and the items that aren’t but still ends up in the trolley (even that irresistible pack of Tim Tams!) via a virtual environment. Sounds cool, right? This simplified experience could be further amplified because the possibilities to expose brands become limitless in a digitalised world.

There are two significant ways on how AR and VR can create business value. The first way is based on amplifying performance across the value chain, which connects to product research, development, design, marketing and many other areas and second, by amplifying the products themselves.

AR and VR are redefining the concept of content delivery in various ways, evolving customer experience to another level, and adding that extra bit of oomph!

It also encourages companies to expand their conversation with clients on including experiential marketing by adding the right tech to bring their vision to life. A unique shopper experience is created where one walks away with a fond memory and connection (to some degree) with the product—every brand’s ultimate goal!

Strategic implementation of these virtual platforms reveals the success rate of content delivery as well as how willing the company is to explore new technologies to be ahead of the competition.

About Gilly Santos
Gilly is an experienced Information Technology operations manager with demonstrated history of working in the marketing and advertising industry. Skilled in commercial, servers, infrastructure, leadership, and security, Gilly earned his MBA with a focus in business/corporation communications from the University of Roehampton.