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Snapchat AR game tech offers marketing opportunities

Marketers look to AR to connect in new ways with audiences in gaming and retail.

2 min read

MarketingMarketing StrategySocial Media

Snapchat's augmented reality Ghost Game

Snap

Augmented reality is offering real value to marketers, who say it’s one of the best emerging technologies for providing return on investment, according to a GetApp study. 

Snapchat has just expanded its investment in the technology with its first AR game, Ghost Phone, which invites users to solve the mystery of what happened to Lisa, using her abandoned phone to solve clues and interpret paranormal activity. The game is showcased in this YouTube video, demonstrating how ghostly characters come alive in players’ real-world environments. 

Snapchat’s debut into augmented reality gaming is no surprise, considering there are 3.1 billion gamers around the world, and mobile games provide such a huge opportunity for marketers to engage a captive audience, writes Seth Richtsmeier for SmartBrief.

But gaming isn’t the only AR marketing opportunity open to brands. 

 

Improving the customer experience with AR

AR campaigns enable marketers to showcase products to consumers, allowing potential customers to interact with items like furniture, clothing or cosmetics to virtually try them out before purchase. 

According to a SkyQuest Technology report, 41% of large retailers are already using or considering using AR for this purpose. In addition, 77% and 76% of retailers are adopting AR to create engaging experiences and improve customer engagement, respectively. 

A NielsenIQ study, cited in this Harvard Business Review article, found 61% of shoppers prefer to buy from retailers that offer AR experiences and 56% said AR experiences give them more confidence in product quality. 

The HBR article’s authors advise marketers to create AR experiences to not only showcase products, but also emphasize how AR can help brands also to entertain and educate. Examples include Walmart’s collaborations with Marvel and DC Comics on in-store experiences or Lowe’s and Walgreens using location-based AR technology to guide store visitors to specific products or promotions. 

“Immersive technology allows businesses to inform and delight their customers by building a range of immersive content into customer experience centers,” writes Eran Galil, chief technology officer and co-founder of ByondXR, for VentureBeat. “These connections help enhance the customer experience and help build brand loyalty.”

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