Many companies committed to improving their Augmented Reality(AR) experiences in 2019, and 2020 marked an uptick in the number of people impacted by AR and its various applications. Thus, even for 2021, the trend for AR is very much predictable. With the increasing number of mobile phone users, every AR company is trying to leverage this customer base.
Why?
This is because web based Augmented Reality makes it increasingly accessible for users to use and interact with AR applications through the browser with the help of a browser link without the need of any third-party software. While making the final WebAR experience available to the essential device is just one part of the story, it becomes all the more important to keep the effort invested into it by a business in mind!
In the past years, although AR’s development caught up the pace, and the consumer base is ever increasing still, creating a browser based AR experience is not entirely friction-free. The brands face a lot of limitations when it comes to creating an incredible browser based AR experience for the end-users. As AR is already here to stay, so the complexity of Web based Augmented Reality experiences will only increase with time. A more complex browser based AR experience requires a tool with as few limitations as possible in terms of the creation of the experience. We explain how the platform Vossle can make the lives of the brands so easier.
The Early Days of Augmented Reality (AR)
The development of AR began in the 1960s but only in the 2000s did it emerge as technology which people could use as a part of their business. In the 2010s, AR was already getting used across various sectors around the world by giant corporates. The fact that the hardware required to run an AR experience could only be supported by giant multinationals at the time made it less approachable overall.
Some giants like Disney and BMW were among the first ones to adopt AR as a part of their business strategies. While this led to exciting theme park rides or spectacular advertisements, it had a really significant obstacle. The accessibility to the end users was very limited. Everytime you wanted to experience AR you had to go to some place which could help you do that.
The arrival of smartphones solved a big hurdle. The hardware to run an AR experience was easily available. AR enabled smartphones tend to allow the customers to use an AR experience at their disposal. The digital content can be placed anywhere and everywhere helping a lot of brands to take up this technology.
Challenges of App-based AR
Although the smartphones solved one hurdle but when the brands started to develop such AR experiences some more of them were revealed.
- Development Issues: Creating an AR experience from a business perspective is not easy too. Even though smartphones solved the problem of hardware, developing an AR experience proved to be a real barrier. Building a new AR app requires a lot of investment and time on the part of the developers. A normal AR app development would take anywhere between 6 to 12 months or even longer. The rate of deployment was really slow. Thus, app based AR did not see much traction among many businesses.
- Software Issues: Additionally, to experience a new AR overlay from the smartphone, the user had to download an app. Now, to see one marketing campaign in AR, the users were not installing a new application. This limitation held back a massive adoption of AR.
The Rise of Web based AR (also referred to as WebAR)
The AR software industry witnessed its first revolution when the concept of Web based AR was launched a few years ago. It enabled the AR application users to experience the immersive technology from their browsers directly without the need for any third-party apps. Web based AR offers solutions to the problems posed by app based AR. A user can access the AR content with the help of a browser, positioning the camera appropriately and connecting with the AR overlay. The ease and accessibility of the AR experience made a dramatic increase in the use of AR technology.
Web based AR or WebAR helps you to overcome the limitations of app-based AR. It helps you to save on app space required while installing an AR app which prevents the users from using an AR app. With the help of WebAR people can access AR using their phones or tablets.
With over 3 billion AR enabled smartphone users, it only becomes easier to access a WebAR experience from anywhere. For example, Jaguar Land Rover was probably the first automotive brand to include WebAR advertisement as a part of their marketing campaign. The WebAR experience got triggered when a user clicked on their banner advertisement. After a user clicked the banner advertisement, the user was taken to an interior tour of the SUV. The user could view from inside the car and after the tour ended, a Call to Action button took the user to book their test drives or order an SUV.
Even though the browser based AR experience can be viewed without an app download, it still is a big ask to develop such an AR experience. The tools and platforms available today require you to code the entire AR experience. Thus, it creates a heavy dependency on the developers even for small brands that have a limited budget. If you face such limitations too while thinking of creating a browser based AR experience, then Vossle might be the answer to your needs.
How can Vossle help make AR More Accessible?
Vossle allows you to create both marker-based ar and markerless ar experiences requiring no coding at all. Vossle helps you create rich AR experiences, which helps increase customer’s engagement time on your website.
Thanks to the intelligent AR embeds by Vossle; the AR experience embedded in your website works both on the mobiles and the desktop. When trying to view the AR overlay with the mobile phone, a QR code is presented. The QR code can be scanned using the mobile phone camera, and the AR content adjusts accordingly, varying with the kind of screen it gets displayed on, i.e., whether a second screen or the same screen.