How to Use AR/VR in Marketing and Advertising in 2025

Marketing is one of the best applications of extended reality (XR, which encompasses augmented, mixed, and virtual reality) in business. 75% of the world’s most valuable brands use augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) in their marketing strategies.

 

If you want to enrich your content strategies, enhance brand engagement, improve customer experiences, and more, this article is for you! Here, you can find answers to questions like:

 

• How is augmented reality used in business promotion and other marketing efforts?
• How do companies and organizations use VR technology in marketing activities?
• What factors should be considered before using AR or VR for marketing purposes?

There are also many augmented and virtual reality marketing examples from Onix’s portfolio. Our team has years of experience in extended reality development. If you have a project, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

 

VisionOs app development allows to combine the benefits of AR and VR in business applications. For example, an automotive virtual showroom developed by Onix enables customers to interact with cars that aren’t physically there, customize their features, and even take virtual test drives. 

XR experiences, such as the virtual car showroom developed by Onix, realize the benefits of virtual and augmented reality in business settings.

 

The Potential of Virtual and Augmented Reality for Marketing

Modern consumers require increasingly engaging and personalized advertising and customer experiences, while brands strive to stand out and leave a lasting impression. VR and AR business applications meet these needs by facilitating immersion and interactivity for customers and creativity for marketers.

The market for virtual and augmented reality in marketing is projected to grow at a CAGR of 18.3% from 2024 to 2033 and reach USD 24.2 billion by 2033.

Source

 

VR technology can translate a person’s movements in the real world, e.g., in a car dealership, retail store, or trade show booth, into activity in the virtual environment that can incorporate realistic sights, sounds, movements, and haptics. VR experiences that capture a consumer’s attention and interest make it easier to entice them and deliver a business’s message. 

 

Alternatively, VR can take people to places they couldn’t imagine, stimulating their curiosity and creating vivid memories. For example, Onix developed the VR tour for a museum at Banská Štiavnica, mainly dedicated to the medieval mining industry. The virtual experience transports visitors to the town and mines as they looked centuries ago. 

 

 

Learn more: AR and VR Business Opportunities in Travel Applications

 

The personalized and interactive approach facilitated by VR technology resonates with consumers, leading to higher engagement and brand recall. It especially appeals to younger audiences who are more tech-savvy and open to new experiences.

Advertisers are also capitalizing on the growing demand for VR games, movies, and entertainment by incorporating branded content and ads into these VR experiences. Reaching an engaged and invested audience with personalized and targeted messaging results in higher brand recall and awareness.

VR-based apps for watching movies, TV series, and other video content, like this VR cinematic experience built by Onix, offer great opportunities for VR advertising.

 

The revenue in the global VR advertising market should reach USD 178.4 million in 2025. As VR technology becomes more accessible and affordable and VR experiences become more realistic and immersive, we can expect continued growth and innovation in this market.

The high cost and low penetration of special headsets still hinder a broader application of virtual reality in business processes. For example, there are 110.1 million AR users versus 65.9 million VR users in the U.S. However, the latter still represent 15% of the country’s population.

By contrast, augmented reality applications don’t require wearing headsets, hand-held controllers, or fixed locations: they can run on smartphones.

There are over 4 billion smartphone owners worldwide, and consumers increasingly rely on mobile devices for shopping and entertainment. As smartphone ownership and use proliferate, so will augmented reality business opportunities.
 

By overlaying digital content onto the real world, AR technology also offers brands a unique way to connect with target audiences. AR can highlight things, amplify messages, improve understanding, and provide relevant data where it is needed.

We at Onix also know how to use augmented reality for marketing. Below, you can see an example of AR in business promotion from a while ago. A custom AR mobile app transformed a printed brochure into a fun experience as event attendees moved their phone cameras over it to reveal company stats, projects, and a 3D model of Onix’s headquarters. 

 

 

Naturally, 93% of marketers believe AR will soon become a mainstream marketing tool, and 68% of retailers use or plan to use AR to enhance shopping experiences.

The global market of augmented reality in marketing is projected to grow at a CAGR of 39.5% from 2024 to 2033 and reach USD 591.7 billion by 2033. The AR advertising market also develops worldwide and should grow at a CAGR of 8.33% from 2025 to 2029.

 

The booming eCommerce, mobile payment platforms, and advancements in AR technology also influence the growing use of AR in digital marketing. For example, improved tracking and rendering capabilities enable more realistic and compelling AR marketing experiences.

Here are some statistics regarding the benefits of using AR in marketing:

Source

 

Now, how is augmented reality used in businesses‘ marketing strategies?  

 

Top Use Cases for AR in Marketing

There are four main areas for this application of augmented reality in business:

 

1. Promotion of products and brands
2. Enhanced customer experiences
3. Building brand connection and loyalty
4. Marketers’ everyday tasks 

 

Let’s take a look at each use case.

Product and Brand Promotion

Associations between a brand and exciting immersive experiences increase positive brand perception.

 

If your brand app is AR-enabled, users can point their mobile cameras at QR codes, bar codes, markers, or other surfaces anchored with AR and see whatever you want them to see. This method primarily appeals to urban youth, with smartphones glued to their thumbs, and affluent tech-savvies.

 

Flyers, business cards, promotional brochures, or other marketing materials or merchandise you hand out are the simplest business application of AR. For example, Onix’s project AR Magic Print produced an innovative AR platform where printed materials come to life with captivating experiences, from interactive advertisements to educational content.

AR Magic Print, an innovative marketing tool, is an example of Onix’s AR app development.

 

Companies, organizations, artists, and advertisers can create and tie dynamic AR marketing content to logos, signs, magazine ads and illustrations, guidebooks, maps, movie posters, billboards, and basically any images, objects, and even locations in the real world.

 

Consumers will engage with dynamic content via smartphones, while brands deliver necessary information in real time.

 

Retailers can enhance store windows by showing hologram models wearing the garments they sell. Travel companies can use augmented reality apps to show customers superimposed views of the cities and sites to visit.

Markerless AR allows businesses to place content, such as virtual products, around a user’s identified location in the real world. Wormhole Blue, another project realized by Onix, is a step toward such applications of AR in business.

 

This social app includes interactions and engagement with AR objects, known as points of interest, linked with geodata. Quests are strategically placed at specific geographical locations worldwide. When users discover a quest, they can read the task details before embarking on the adventure.

 

Many quests consist of multiple steps, each with a designated geolocation on the map. Players must visit all geo-positions for each step and fulfill all tasks.

 

 

Businesses that wish to engage consumers and drive revenue should also take advantage of the increasingly accessible AR marketing campaigns and advertising.

 

Brands integrating AR advertising with social media can reach wider audiences, primarily younger demographics. For instance, film distributors can promote a premiere through social media apps by launching product-themed AR masks (face filters) that allow users to play with movie characters’ make-up and outfits.

 

Whether creating an AR app or integrating AR technology into a current offering, businesses should enable audiences to share their immersive experiences through social networks. This way, they’ll spread the word about your company, products, or services and entice others to become your customers. 

Virtual Try-ons and Other Customer Experiences

Augmented reality brings products to life more effectively than photos or videos because people can interact with these digitally rendered products. Insights into product details help win consumers in their path to purchase. Replicas of products in AR allegedly help increase sales conversion by up to 30%.

Learn more: Benefits and Use Cases of Augmented Reality in Shopping and Retail

 

The simplest scenario involves a mobile app with a barcode scanner that reveals a product’s details in AR. Below, you can see Onix’s supermarket AR scanner demo. Upon scanning a barcode, the system swiftly identifies the product and fetches its description, ingredients, price comparison, and visual representation.

 

 

This presentation of neatly organized and categorized information is more convenient than the minuscule text typically found on product packaging. 

 

The growing consumer appetite for personalized, streamlined, and engaging shopping experiences urges brands to consider the capabilities of augmented reality for their marketing.

 

AR technology can bring items into the users’ space. For example, an automotive brand’s AR app can bring car dealers and showrooms into consumers’ phones. They may admire a new model as if it were already in their garage and even ‘see inside’ it.

Graphics can also be overlaid onto physical vehicles (and other items) to demonstrate their inner workings. Onix’s Unity team did it in an Android project that you can see below. AR technology and object recognition enable 3D experiences showing parts of the car with descriptions, with an option to animate objects.

 

 

AR technology also provides product visualization in the construction and interior design areas. 2D blueprints can be replaced with augmented models for customization, and interactive 3D walkthroughs can show the results of a planned renovation or home improvement project.

 

The IKEA Place smartphone app is among the foremost examples of augmented reality in marketing: it pioneered the AR-assisted ‘try before you buy’ method. The customers’ ability to visualize furniture in their homes before purchasing reportedly helped increase online sales by 35% and reduce product returns by 20%.

Onix also built an interior design app that uses AR to facilitate furniture arrangements in real-world environments. Using Apple Vision Pro, users can select pieces from categories like sofas, tables, and wall-mounted cabinets, experiment with colors, and place 3D models of the furniture on the floor or walls in their camera view.

The 3D models’ realistic materials and textures, responsive to real-world lighting, give users an accurate preview of how each item will look in their actual room.

 

AR apps also help retailers reach out to consumers who prefer to buy things online or need to try them at home, removing one of the worst barriers to online shopping.

For instance, once Onix designed an application for trying on watches in augmented reality mode. The user would put a printed QR code on their wrist. The app recognized the position where the watch should be and overlaid it with a digitally rendered wristwatch of the selected model and materials.

 

   
More sophisticated face recognition technology may facilitate online sales of sunglasses, jewelry, headwear, and cosmetics. TRYME Face AR technology, also developed by Onix, is an example. This web app allows for a real-time, seamless try-on experience, as if in front of a mirror, and is easy to implement on a website, webshop, or physical store.

Beauty brands’ apps can overlay make-up onto photos or videos in real time, test different fashionable looks, hair colors and styles, and more. Seeing how a product suits their skin tone, features, and style and how it enhances their appearance, customers are more eager to buy it right from the app with a simple tap.

AR-powered in-store ‘try-on mirrors’ and mobile and web apps also facilitate more informed purchasing decisions. This reduces returns and boosts customer satisfaction, and happy customers shop more frequently and spread the word. Simultaneously, businesses personalize customer experiences without hiring extra staff and reducing the need for physical inventory.

 

Clothing and footwear retailers also have adopted AR technology for online and in-store experiences. For example, a fashion brand’s app with an AR feature may allow users to ‘try on’ a new collection virtually and share snaps of their looks via social media, further promoting the brand.

Some apps use AR combined with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to measure a person’s foot or body with millimeter accuracy and provide personalized size recommendations. Thus, consumers can fit clothes and shoes perfectly and retailers can reduce their shipping and restocking expenses.

Building Brand Connection & Loyalty

A brand stands for much more than the actual products, and a meaningful marketing strategy is not limited to promo campaigns and ads. Forward-thinking brands strive to move people emotionally and to create memorable experiences and digital narratives​ they can connect with. 

Augmented reality applications can facilitate experiences that captivate consumers and enhance their interaction with brands, helping companies stay relevant both in customers’ hearts and on the tech side. Businesses using AR solutions for customer engagement reportedly see a 200% increase in sales.

 

The use of AR in social media may help brands connect and engage with consumers even in a crowded marketplace. One studio cited amazing benefits for its clients using AR filters for their social media campaigns: 

 

• up to 30% increase in usage
• up to 250% increase in shares
• up to 580% increase in saves
• up to 950% increase in engagement

 

Simple and cheap AR filters allow brands to communicate their messages organically and give a new side to a brand’s voice. While users are having fun and sharing the filters, brand awareness and engagement are increasing.

 

Gamification is another amazing advantage of augmented reality for businesses striving for more educational, engaging, and memorable brand-customer interactions.

 

Along with engaging people emotionally and generating buzz, AR can and should solve real problems for customers, improving customer satisfaction and loyalty.

 

 

For example, travel businesses’ AR applications can provide clients with itineraries, area maps, and tips about local tourist attractions, best restaurants, etc.

Hotels can use brand apps with an AR feature to offer entertainment, guidance, or promotions to guests when they are at specific locations. Mobile-based AR that provides interactive information about a hotel, its local partners, and areas of interest nearby opens doors to more leisure and marketing opportunities.

Comprehensive AR manuals and maintenance instructions can be created for vehicles, home appliances, medical equipment, industrial machinery, etc. When users scan various system areas with a smartphone or tablet, an AR app will overlay them with specific functionality details, how-to information for repairs and maintenance, etc., in the desired language.

 

Product packaging facilitates another exciting business application of AR. When customers point their smartphones at it, AR may instantly tell your brand story, show the product’s advantages and value, or offer more goods or services that can enrich the product experience.

 

Assistance with Marketers’ Tasks

The marketers’ understanding of products and services, especially in the automotive,  pharmaceutical, and manufacturing industries, is essential for success. Global leaders have been using AR glasses to train employees, including marketing, branding, and sales employees.

For example, thanks to exploring 3D models of vehicles and equipment, they are faster to understand the inner workings with higher levels of detail. 

Below, you can see a concept of interactive engine disassembly, made by Onix’s Unity department for Apple Vision Pro, that illustrates this method:

 

AR can help communications and marketing staff run simulations applicable on the sales floor. For instance, car dealers might need only one car per showroom and present all the features, colors, and other options through AR.

 

AR-enriched mobile apps, such as the AR feature for supermarket apps developed by Onix, can supply marketers with valuable customer information.

Marketers are also adopting new approaches to managing and unifying data. VR and AR facilitate the presentation of sales, marketing, and other data in 3D displays with interactive possibilities.

 

For example, AR apps can visualize the latest business data during team meetings, just like Onix’s visionOS concept visualizes sports racing information.

Marketers can use augmented reality for business data visualization, like this NASCAR event stats display built by Onix. 

 

The introduction of AR also positively impacts creative tasks, e.g., for artists and computer-aided design modelers.

 

Below, you can see how Onix’s PDF editor for HoloLens works. Users can draw rectangles, circles, and lines, choose colors and opacity, write and highlight text on PDF documents, and save edited documents with selectable layers.

 

Now, let’s see how to use virtual reality for marketing purposes.

 

Primary Applications of VR in Marketing

 

Brand and Product Awareness

Instead of bringing promo campaigns to the consumer, virtual reality brings the consumer into the middle of it all.

Fashion retailers have been offering the public 360° VR panoramic video streams to give them front-row views of their exclusive runway shows. 

 

Narratives presented through immersive experiences hold tremendous appeal for niche markets. Virtual exploration of ideas and stories on a more personal level promotes greater brand awareness.

Consumers who immerse themselves, even virtually, in the adventure and enjoyment associated with a product are more inclined to buy it. 35% of consumers are reportedly more likely to make a purchase after experiencing a VR ad.

 

Moreover, organizations embracing VR technology project a modern and relevant image, setting them apart from competitors. Even most "traditional" establishments like libraries and museums use VR for marketing purposes. 

 

Learn more: Virtual Reality (VR) in Museums – The Definitive Guide

 

For instance, in 2023, the management of Anija Manor, a significant historical site and museum in Estonia, enlisted Onix’s VR developers to craft a gaming experience. Their rationale included:

 

A VR game may captivate younger visitors who might otherwise show little interest in the exhibition. By blending historical education with entertainment and exploration, a virtual quest would elevate the museum experience, leaving a lasting impression. Satisfied customers write positive reviews and spread the word.

 

People engaging with the VR game online may develop a curiosity about Anija Manor’s rich history, prompting them to visit the estate for a firsthand experience.

 

The VR quest game developed by Onix enhanced the appeal of Anija Manor’s permanent exhibition through innovative technology. It facilitated cultural exploration for individuals unable to visit the site physically, broadening the museum’s reach and impact.

 

 

Even food and beverage companies, which are less likely to benefit from VR marketing applications, can promote themselves through immersive educational videos, e.g., telling a compelling story about their product and its life cycle.

More virtual reality business ideas will undoubtedly arise as more people turn to virtual platforms for work, entertainment, and socializing. After advertising through newspapers, radio programs, TV, and the Internet, brands will soon compete for ad spaces and product placement in virtual environments.

VR technology becomes more accessible and affordable, and the demand for VR games and entertainment is increasing. For example, the global VR in gaming market size is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 30.4%, from 22.63 billion USD in 2024 to 189.17 billion by 2032.

VR cinemas like One Touch VR and VR-based travel/eLearning applications like TriptoVR and IDH Planet (Onix built all these apps) bear immense potential for advertisers and sponsors and offer an excellent business opportunity for software developers.

For example, users can be exposed to highly targeted ads while exploring exotic locations or agricultural areas during virtual tours..

Brands can also sponsor the development of original VR games and content or arrange for clever product placement or endorsements in existing VR experiences.

For instance, a sportswear and accessories retailer may create a VR fitness app or game that will engage current and potential customers in fun workouts featuring its products and logo.

Read also: VR Game Development: Onix Success Story

Metaverse – immersive 3D environments where people interact with each other’s avatars and surroundings – also promises endless opportunities for VR marketing and advertising.

If you want to stake out a nice lot of metaverse for your company, Onix is here to help: we are experts in creating immersive spatial realms.

Metaverse locations like this, designed by Onix, enhance user engagement and provide memorable experiences.

 

For example, we designed several virtual environments for a Swiss metaverse solutions provider. The client sought to expand their global reach by offering compelling immersive environments for advertising purposes.

 

The Onix team leveraged the capabilities of Spatial.io to craft visually stunning but realistic spaces for advertising and promotional activities, such as:

 

• The Metaverse Academy Campus. This virtual space was designed to introduce users to the metaverse concept and its significance. It features galleries, museums, and interactive spaces where users can learn about topics like NFT. Users can attend online conferences, view presentations, and participate in chat and voice discussions in a special area.

 

• NFT Art Gallery. A virtual gallery showcases a collection of NFT artworks. Users can view them, read descriptions, and access additional resources like PDF documents and videos. The platform facilitates NFT sales directly through Spatial.

 

• Paper Location. In this extension of the NFT Art Gallery, each artwork tells its unique story. Users can explore virtual halls, watch videos, and communicate with art enthusiasts.

Onix used advanced techniques, realistic graphics, and highly detailed 3D models for the Spatio metaverse spaces.
 

Our experts ensured uninterrupted live streaming capabilities within the virtual spaces necessary for online events, conferences, and presentations.

 

The metaverse locations developed by Onix gained significant traction, collecting 16.2K views on the Spatial platform. “This demonstrates the effectiveness of our immersive environments in capturing an audience,” said Vasiliy Dyachenko, Head of the 3D art department at Onix.

 

‘Try in VR before You Buy IRL’

VR facilitates the exploration of more complex products in a more life-like way than AR does. Namely, it enables virtual trials and immersive explorations of spaces and products.

This advantage is particularly evident in retail, real estate, and automotive industries, where visual and experiential elements play a significant role in engagement and consumer decision-making. More immersive and realistic experiences thus increase conversion rates.

Read also: A Deep Dive into Product Digital Twin Development

For example, car manufacturers allow customers to explore their products virtually. So does the VR car showroom built by Onix for a Ukrainian automotive retailer.

“We wanted to give customers more than just a visual experience – we wanted them to feel like they were interacting with the car, even if it wasn’t physically there,” said Mykola Makarevich, Onix’s CMTO.

 

Our team crafted highly detailed 3D models of vehicles, enabling users to scrutinize their exterior, interior, and materials. Users who would like a custom car can pick a car’s paint and interior upholstery and instantly visualize the look.

When users enter a virtual car, the real-world environment transforms into a 360-degree projection, simulating driving for a fully engaging and compelling experience.

Retailers of home improvement goods and equipment may offer virtual skills-training clinics for patrons. Realistic VR simulations with added haptics can give patrons a feel for a tool, albeit virtually, and allow them to visualize the results in a fun and safe way right in the store, leading to conversion.

Below, you can see a VR app developed by Onix. The virtual experience for heavy equipment operators and students facilitated training in checking the equipment and operating machines required to pass a test.

Read also: The Guide to Create Your VR Training Solution

The ‘try before you buy’ advantage applies to goods as well as services, spaces, and events.

Hospitality businesses should particularly leverage the capabilities of VR and metaverse in marketing and sales, especially if they target millennials and Gen Z guests. Over ⅓ of travelers are interested in visiting accommodations virtually before booking, and almost half of the hoteliers said they were developing or would develop VR maps of their properties.

 

Hoteliers can generate content like 360-degree photos and videos of rooms, restaurants, spa facilities, pools, and beachfront locations and complete 3D models of properties. They can link this content to real-time product information to facilitate bookings right from virtual reality. 

VR can connect customers interested in spaces for conferences, exhibitions, or other events with salespersons inside a property digital twin, reducing the need to travel.

 

Event planners may walk through the simulated property, scrutinize details, and chat with the salesperson via VR headsets. This approach also facilitates the planning of decor, menus, presentations, etc.

 

Read also: Hyper-Personalization in Hospitality – a Step beyond Customization

Onix also implements VR technology in marketing of this kind. For example, our VR Apartments web app empowers clients not only to view homes but also to shape them in their vision.

 

Users can unleash their creativity during an immersive tour of their dream apartment. They can experiment with colors and materials, customize every inch of this dynamic 3D environment, and instantly evaluate the results from every angle in day and night lighting modes. 

 

 

Changes made in one scene mode transcend seamlessly into the other. The VR Interaction Framework ensures intuitivity, making the design process feel as natural as walking through a real home. Interactive objects enable users to experience the interiors they create, e.g., open and close drawers, adding authenticity to their virtual design adventure.

 

For a tourism business, the difference between a cropped photo and a whole panorama where viewers can look around and feel comfortable among the locals can be a difference between a viewer and a paying customer.

 

TriptoVR, realized by Onix, is an example of how VR can be used in travel and hospitality marketing. TriptoVR enables users to experience the world’s best destinations, brought to life with stunning realism, from the comfort of their homes.

 

 

Read also: Metaverse Tourism: Benefits, Examples, and Onix Experts' Insights

Making VR content conveniently accessible through web browsers, mobile devices, and VR headsets will help your business’s message reach broader audiences. 

 

Improving Brand Engagement & Customer Loyalty

Virtual reality can present concepts most vividly and introduce viewers to spaces and activities they might have never experienced otherwise. This application may help brands stand out, capture the audience’s attention, educate and engage them emotionally, and create memories.  
 

VR movies and games can not only market products but also cement the pairing of a brand and the feelings of excitement and awe in many viewers’ heads.

To impress customers, investors, and the public, companies may develop VR tours of their international branches, each with unique local characteristics, or of their production facilities, emphasizing sustainability.
 

Brands can create whole virtual worlds where customers will interact with them in unique ways, from learning about brand history to purchasing exclusive items​. 

 

For example, the Spatio metaverse spaces created by Onix also included:

 

• Marthaverse. This retreat on a peaceful virtual island facilitates meditation and relaxation. A mindful approach to design intended to engage users in exploration, collaboration, and personal growth.
• Virtual Office. This interactive space provides information about a company's services and allows users to engage with each other through chat and voice communication.
• Christmas-themed Metaverse. A festive-themed environment was designed to evoke the spirit of Christmas. Users can immerse themselves in a holiday atmosphere and enjoy interactive elements related to the festive season.

 

Products like Onix’s VR goalkeeper game may be integrated with a company’s displays at expos and other events to attract attention and improve brand recognition.

Virtual stadiums like this, designed for Onix’s Goalkeeper Legend VR game, may be even better for stadium advertising than actual stadiums. 
 

Your imagination is the only limitation. One of the smartest virtual reality marketing examples we’ve come across involved a group of insurance companies. They were sponsoring boating education for attendees of boat and sports shows, simultaneously promoting their boat insurance.

 

At some point, they created a VR game integrated with a steering wheel and sensors mapping players’ hands into the virtual experience. There, the players raced against time, sailing through checkpoints, avoiding obstacles, and collecting power boosts.

 

The fun game attracted thousands of people – exactly what the sponsor intended. Besides promoting boater education, the catch was collecting the participants’ contact information and details about their current insurance provider.

Brands can also include VR experiences into their service packages. This can enhance the customer experience, increase customer satisfaction and loyalty, and unlock new VR marketing and advertising opportunities.

For instance, luxury hotels can offer guests VR headsets in their rooms so that

 

• adults and kids can enjoy VR movies and games
• guests can exercise right in their room using a VR fitness app and then relax and fall asleep faster with the help of virtual meditation sessions

Onix helped develop InnerVR – a VR-based meditation application.

 

Read also: Generative AI in Travel: Unlocking Personalized Experiences

 

Consumer Research and Other Marketers’ Tasks

‘Try before they buy’ VR solutions gather customer data as a part of consumer research, which is extremely valuable for building and tailoring an effective marketing strategy.

Not only hotels and resorts should consider the potential of VR and metaverse in marketing research.

 

For instance, retailers can create entire stores and showrooms in virtual reality. There, virtual mannequins would showcase various seasonal looks in 3D, and visitors would view products from different angles or even in different scenarios.

Management can use such virtual spaces to test various store configurations and study visitor behaviors, creating more dynamic, relevant, and contextual online and offline customer experiences. 

Onix’s 3D art team is skilled in designing virtual spaces like this, from the Unreal Space app.

 

VR heat mapping is extremely useful for consumer research. For example, it’s possible to track a person’s gaze within 360° environments, marking the ‘hottest’ positions and the path of what captured the eye’s attention. Retailers can learn which areas or products garner the most test subjects’ attention in brick-and-mortar stores.

This ability will help them perfect and test store displays and other elements of visual merchandising to enhance shopping experiences and maximize spending.

Heat mapping analytics can also empower brands to compare the level of attention their products draw against the competitors’ products. The analytics may provide actionable insights, such as reconsidering product packaging.

Nowadays, marketers may be expected to contribute at earlier stages of product development. VR-enabled integrated workflows and other collaboration tools can facilitate their work. 

As marketers explore new ways to work with data, virtual reality can literally immerse them in data tables, scatter plots, lakes of data, and mounds of money. Detailed and engaging data visualization techniques help identify critical business insights and facilitate productive collaboration, decision-making, and development of marketing strategies.

VR app users can also collaborate on data, test their presentations and receive real-time feedback, hone their public speaking skills, and do much more in virtual spaces.

 

Learn more: Virtual Reality Meetings: Benefits and Use Cases

 

For example, Onix developed a VR coworking space for meetings with colleagues and an application for presentations in VR.

 

 

 

Some Challenges and Nuances of Virtual and Augmented Reality Marketing Applications

Before implementing VR and AR in business processes and workflows, it’s essential to develop strategies for using each technology to its full potential. Organizations, especially in traditional industries, should also be aware of possible hurdles to VR and AR adoption.

 

Here are some of the factors to consider before implementing VR or AR marketing applications:

 

Identifying objectives for the implementation.

AR and VR experiences must solve real problems for your business or customers. The clearly defined objectives should be aligned with your business strategy. You can drive measurable results only if the VR/AR solution fulfills a genuine need and furthers a SMART goal.

Local market circumstances.

To be effective, VR and AR marketing solutions require a large consumer base receptive to new technologies. For example, VR advertising is more prevalent and accepted In technologically advanced markets with a higher number of VR users, such as the U.S. and Japan. Effective AR advertising requires a high level of smartphone penetration.

 

The (work) environment.

Details like stable Internet connections, indoor or outdoor lighting conditions, or work conditions requiring hands-free solutions will determine the device on which your AR solution should run and the application’s specifics.

 

Quality equipment and fast Internet are needed to support compelling VR experiences. An organization may also have to adjust the environment for the planned VR or AR app’s optimal performance and safe use. 

 

Economic considerations.

For organizations that operate on slim margins, the initial investment in virtual/augmented reality app development, hardware, and staff training can be daunting.

 

Developing immersive marketing content can be resource-intensive and costly​. The management should also consider ongoing costs associated with staff training, software updates, and software and hardware maintenance.

 

Return on investment (ROI) considerations.

It may be difficult to define the ROI for implementing virtual or augmented reality for business purposes over the short term and long term, e.g., how much time and money the entity expects to save, whether the software development will pay off within the short term, and so forth.

 

Technological infrastructure challenges.

Ensuring the new application’s seamless integration with the organization’s existing software is essential.

 

You may need to integrate marketing VR/AR applications with business software like ERP or CRM systems. Enterprises in traditional industries often rely on legacy systems and machinery, so integrating innovative marketing tools may be challenging.

 

Technological and skills gaps.

Businesses may find it challenging to train or hire specialists to design, program, integrate, and maintain these advanced technologies effectively​.

 

The production of high-quality AR and VR content also requires technical skills and experience in 3D modeling, animation, and immersive storytelling. Outsourcing your software and content development may help you solve the problem, save the budget dramatically, and accelerate your market entry.

Security considerations.

Safety will not be a big issue with an on-premise database that a limited number of people can access. In the case of cloud databases, the software developers would have to secure the flow of data from AR/VR devices to the cloud and vice-versa.

 

Adaptation for diverse platforms.

Target audiences have a variety of devices at their disposal: smartphones, tablets, smart glasses, and headsets. Crafting immersive experiences for each platform natively can be expensive and requires dedicated teams to tailor and fine-tune the experiences to each platform’s unique technical specifications, limitations, and capabilities.

 

Organizational culture and workforce readiness.

Employees may be reluctant or even resistant to VR or AR-enabled solutions, fearing the novelty or viewing them more as a complication than an aid. They may need education and intensive training during the VR or AR app implementation.

 

The Takeaway

Marketing is one of the most promising virtual and augmented reality business applications. From auto manufacturers to higher learning institutions, the use of VR and AR in marketing campaigns grows, enhancing consumer engagement, driving conversions, and boosting sales.

 

VR and AR marketing applications present a new way to reach, communicate, and connect with customers. They can help improve buyer awareness, accelerate the purchasing process, and offer more personalized choices to consumers.

AR technology is a superb tool to create engaging content and enhance online and in-store shopping experiences.

VR technology supports gamification, emotional, feelings-based marketing campaigns, and cost-effective true-to-life product presentations that drive an even higher level of engagement.

 

Simultaneously, forward-thinking companies use VR and AR for marketing and sales teams’ training, communications, and consumer research.  

 

Businesses and organizations are only beginning to leverage the power of AR, VR, and metaverse in marketing. We are looking forward to novel use cases in various areas: the applications of VR and AR seem to be limited only by people’s imaginations.

 

Onix is here to help you benefit from the new technologies and opportunities! Whether you want to upgrade your mobile app or make your business innovative, please don’t hesitate to share your ideas with Onix!  

 

FAQ

What makes VR and AR good marketing tools?

Both media 

 

• are great at telling visual stories, explaining complex concepts, sharing information entertainingly, and reducing language barriers
• facilitate unique, personalized, and immersive digital experiences that improve customer engagement
• make consumers’ encounters with products and brands memorable and facilitate purchasing decisions
• are still relatively new technologies and thus buzz-worthy and noticeable 

 

What benefits can be expected from using augmented and virtual reality in marketing?

 

• Opportunities to stand out over other competitors
• Deeper customer engagement and loyalty
• Higher conversion rates
• Faster buying process
• Higher brand awareness and outreach to new audiences
• Better customer insights for better-targeted and more personalized marketing campaigns and services
• Higher cost-effectiveness in comparison to traditional marketing channels

 

Is augmented reality suitable for businesses of all types and sizes?

Yes, virtually any company can utilize different modalities of AR technology both in customer-facing and internal business and production processes. The technology and hardware are becoming increasingly feasible financially and otherwise.  

 

How can businesses start implementing virtual or augmented reality in marketing?

The best way to start using virtual and augmented reality for business- and customer-facing operations is to consult tech specialists like Onix. They can suggest optimal solutions for a company’s unique needs, identify potential pitfalls, and recommend implementation strategies. 

 

Enterprises that perceive immediate use of AR and VR in business processes as risky can adopt a phased approach or run pilot programs testing the immersive technology implementation.

 

Effective adoption of VR and AR in work environments also requires staff training. Companies can appoint “new tech champions” to educate and help colleagues navigate the technologies to foster a more receptive environment.

 

What are the challenges and limitations of VR and AR in marketing?

 

• The cost of developing and using these advanced applications, including specialized software and equipment, may be prohibitive for some small businesses.
• Finding an experienced, reliable, and affordable AR/VR development team may be challenging.
• Some time must be spent to train your marketing and sales teams to use AR or VR software and equipment. 
• The relatively slow adoption of VR devices limits the reach of marketing VR experiences.  
• As AR and VR are relatively new technologies evolving across various devices, customers may experience technical issues that can harm a brand’s reputation. Motion sickness and bulky VR headsets are also frequent complaints.