IBM Labs Unveil Augmented Reality Mobile App Prototype
In an effort to push the boundaries of their latest Smarter Commerce marketing effort, IBM is pitching the idea of utilizing augmented reality (AR) to encourage consumers to obtain more information about retail products instantly with the help of their smartphone or tablet.
IBM’s research teams have created a prototype mobile application that is designed for consumers to identify and pull up vital information about products they see on the shelf. The prototype has already made its way to various retailers as part of its testing phase.
If IBM is successful in pushing the AR prototype to final production this could be one of the first commercial uses of the technology. AR uses a unique process that overlays a view of something with computer generated data. This particular tech would use the consumer’s camera viewfinder to implement the AR.
The premise behind the app is so retailers can provide more in-store data to their consumers. If consumers have the information they need instantly, they will be more likely to purchase a product during their trip to the store, versus leaving to research more products online at home.
So here’s how it would actually work:
After a consumer downloads the mobile app onto their smartphone or tablet they can create a customized user profile set to their individual preferences. This will allow IBM to send personalized features for each user which will address dietary needs, pricing, environmental or religious preferences. The user will then point their camera view finder onto a product that they want more information about and the app will use advanced image processing technologies to identify the product. The user will then instantly see data overlayed onto the product’s images generated from the retailer’s back-end computer system.
IBM is currently working closely with a number of retailers to test the mobile app in conjunction with its related software. The company has yet to release an expected commercial launch of the app. Continue reading below for the entire press release.
Made in IBM Labs: New Augmented Reality App To Give In-Store Shoppers Instant Product Details and Promotions in the Palms of Their Hands
YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, N.Y., July 2, 2012 – IBM (NYSE: IBM) Research scientists today unveiled a first-of-a-kind augmented reality mobile shopping app that will make it possible for consumers to pan store shelves and receive personalized product information, recommendations and coupons while they browse shopping aisles.
Upon entering a store, consumers download the app on their smart phone or tablet, register, and create a profile of features that matter to them – from product ingredients that could trigger an allergy, to whether packaging is biodegradable. When they point their device’s video camera at merchandise, the app will instantly recognize products and, via augmented reality technology, overlay digital details over the images – such as ingredients, price, reviews and discounts that apply that day. If consumers opt in, information from their social networks can be integrated into the information stream. For instance, if a friend had reviewed or made a comment about a product they’re looking at, they’ll see it.
Using IBM’s prototype app, shoppers looking for breakfast cereal could specify they want a brand low in sugar, highly rated by consumers – and on sale. As a shopper pans the mobile device’s camera across a shelf of cereal boxes, the augmented shopping app reveals which cereals meet the criteria and provides a same-day coupon to entice consumers to make a purchase.
“In the age of social media, consumer expectations are soaring and people want information and advice about the products they’re going to buy,” said Sima Nadler, Retail Lead, IBM Research. “By closing the gap between the online and in-store shopping experience, marketers can appeal to the individual needs of consumers and keep them coming back.”
The app, being developed by IBM’s Research lab in Haifa, Israel, addresses the fundamental gap between the wealth of readily available product details on the Web that in-store shoppers don’t have access to – despite the fact that in-store shopping accounts for more than 92% of the retail volume, according to Forrester Research(1).
Retailers will be able to use the app to build in-store traffic by connecting with individual consumers, turning marketing into a welcomed service that is not intrusive. The app can make it easier for retailers to understand consumer likes and dislikes and offer related products in other aisles, such as bananas or milk, to accompany a cereal purchase. It could also make loyalty points and digital coupons become more convenient for shoppers, freeing them from the hassle of searching for discounts.
How it Works
Upon entering a participating store, consumers opt-in to the service by downloading the augmented reality mobile app to their smart phone or tablet. Once they register, identified by either their telephone number or their loyalty cards, they create or update a profile of preferences. This simple, one-time setting will allow shoppers to receive personalized service to address dietary needs, pricing, environmental or religious preferences that is instant generated – like low-salt, sugar-free, local grown, kosher food, etc. The video camera on the mobile device will be able to recognize products according to shapes, colors and other features using advanced image processing technologies. The retailer’s back-end computer system, powered by IBM Smarter Commerce software, will deliver information to the mobile device, where advanced augmented reality technologies overlay the information on the product images.
Beyond helping consumers, this new app is expected to bring great value to retailers, serving as a natural platform for them to interact with their customers at the point when purchasing decisions are made. Aside from the ability to suggest up-sell and cross-sell offers in the store itself, retailers will have the opportunity to gain invaluable insights that can help optimize floor plans and product arrangements in their stores.
