Customer engagement is like climate change. Everybody knows about it, everybody wants to make things better, but hardly few are taking actions.
Almost every business on this planet has the goal to maximize customer engagement. In fact, some even measure business success with customer engagement as a metric.
But, here is the harsh truth. There is no definite way of defining or measuring customer engagement. It is an abstract concept that can only be felt. If your customer like your business and interact more with it (positively!), then you can safely assume you are delivering good customer engagement.
But, how do you ensure the customer engagement can be raised to the next level? There are other metrics, sub-metrics may be, that can help you figure this out. They are:
- Activity time
- Visit frequency
- Core user actions
Activity time
Activity time is the total time that the user spends online or with the activity being offered. For example, the time spent on your website during an individual session. Longer the activity time, the better the customer engagement.
Visit frequency
How often does customer revisit your website or services? If they visit frequently, asking for more products and services, then you are in the path to customer engagement.
Core user actions
Core user actions refer to the specific activities for which the customer uses your product or service. For instance, if you are billing software, do they raise many invoices using the software? If yes, the customer engagement can be considered to be high.
Other factors like social media interaction, email open rate, participating in contests, etc. can also be regarded as positive customer engagement.
Now, can technology, specifically mixed reality technologies play a role in redefining customer engagement?
How can Augmented Reality redefine the customer engagement game?
Augmented Reality turns few-inches-wide mobile screens into windows to mixed reality experiences. Mixed reality is a combination of digital experiences and physical realities blended with into one.
It gives users a new dimensional experience without requiring them to have any powerful hardware or software. AR makes it possible to simply place digital information over physical objects when viewed through a smartphone screen.
That makes it a game-changer for customer engagement. Here is exactly how augmented reality can change the game in customer engagement.
Product discovery
Delivering a memorable shopping experience with great recall value is something that every retailer strives for. Augmented Reality, with its immersive experience, makes it a perfect fit.
AR makes it possible for brands to try innovative brand activation campaigns that will reap hefty dividends for their marketing efforts.
Here is an example to break down how it works. Imagine you want to shop for a shoe online. In the usual setting, the online store might give you a 360-degree view of the shoe with zoom in and zoom out options. Nevertheless, that does not serve as a true closeup view of the shoe.
Watch the video
Augmented reality can deliver a personalized shopping experience where customers can have the same experience of actually picking up and evaluating the shoes from various angles.
Mirage-like marketing
The unique thing about AR is that it requires minimal hardware. Also, the possibilities are literally endless. It is left to the imagination of anyone, especially marketers.
Coca cola’s AR campaign that allowed users to unlock top tracks on Spotify is one such example. Using the Blippar app, users can scan a coke can with which they can get free Spotify music every week. The unique ad experiment, combined with the draw to use AR made it a hit. The customer engagement of the said campaign was said to be more than 3 minutes.
Source: Metalpackagingeurope
Watch the video
Customer loyalty through gamification
Gamification can stir the world into action. Want proof?
Remember the Pokemon Go game? At its height, the game 28.5 Million users per day. It made mobs of people get out of cars and walking into random places to pick Pokemon characters. What did they get in return for it? One level up! That’s exactly what gamification is all about.
If Pokemon Go, as a game, can make people go gaga, customer loyalty schemes with augmented reality at its heart can do much more.
In fact, USA Network’s Dig series used AR campaign to spread the news about its launch. Launched as the “Dig Decoder” app, the campaign had AR marketing collateral strewn across print, online, and outdoor advertisements.
When customer scan the collateral, users will earn invisible badges or climb digital leaderboards, thereby increasing viewership for the series.
Source:Yuco
Customer support, the self-service way
How many times have you wished if you knew how to fix your car yourself? Or maybe an electronic appliance of a complex make? Augmented reality has a solution to that.
Augmented reality is all set to make customer support, or at least parts of customer enriched with self-service.
Global brands like Hyundai have already released the owner’s manual in the form of an AR app. Apps like these enable the user to take care of their repair problems on their own.
Here is how the app works. The user can point the device camera at the car’s engine or any other part which is having some trouble. The app will broadcast snippets of information about how to fix the situation. This makes it possible for the user to fix minor repairs without having to rely on technical support. Only in extreme cases will they have to resort to an expert’s help.
Source: Hyundai
Every time a customer looks, interacts and corresponds with your brand — be it through print, online or any other medium, it is customer engagement.
It is difficult to maximize customer engagement primarily because human attention is difficult to get hold of. It is here that augmented reality is proving to be a problem-solver. It helps users access real-time information by just pointing their devices at an object or place.
The information that they receive or the experience that they get makes them stay longer and interact with the app for long. It is not surprising to know that businesses of all sizes are betting highly on augmented reality app development to maximize customer engagement.
