Augmented Reality (AR) for e-commerce in Greece, is still at an early stage, but the plan implemented by the Greek chapter of the VR/AR Association, seems quite promising. By 2023, the global virtual and augmented reality market is expected to reach $ 124.4 billion (Business Daily, 2021).

Source: Spyridakis, A., 2018

E-Commerce services are one of the key industries that has benefited from Augmented Reality. AR deservedly takes its place in the “toolbox” used by companies in order to increase sales by enhancing the value of the brand. Companies are turning to Augmented Reality using technology, among other things, to entertain, educate, attract new customers, or develop personalized shopping assistants. Let’s look at some examples of successful use of Augmented Reality in marketing and consequently in e-commerce in general:

• Augmented Shopping Experience, where customers try before they buy.
• Cards, flyers, and branding material enhanced with videos, information, and various other ways in which potential customers get in touch with the company and the brand.
• Create a “buzz” around the brand.
• Augmented touring, where customers scan a digital component that provides an AR experience tailored to provide additional information.

Some Greek AR companies have already successfully created applications for business marketing services. For example, “The brochure that comes to life” was very popular. It contains an entire directory in a single booklet, thus, reducing the huge cost of creating a directory to a minimum. The example can be explored through the following link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHAzRQM_0Qk. Companies whose natural products occupy a large volume, such as orthopedics, furniture and even the automotive industry are increasingly using Augmented Reality (Bitar, 2020).

Now with the AR technology it is enough to go out on the street and whatever information we want will be displayed on the screen of our tablet offering us a complete bouquet of digital real-time information for everything we are looking for; in many cases we can also see offers that “run” that day or time. This is how the market in the developed markets is now moving, and so now Greece is starting to enter augmented reality market rates (ThinkAR, 2018).

References

Bitar. (2015, October 2). Augmented reality flyer – flyerbook. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHAzRQM_0Qk

Bitar. (2020, September 7). Augmented reality for marketing and commerce. bitar. https://www.bitar.gr/%ce%b3%ce%b9%ce%b1-%cf%84%ce%bf-marketing/

Business Daily (2021, April 24). The Greek entry into the virtual reality market. Business Daily. https://www.businessdaily.gr/tehnologia/41254_i-elliniki-eisodos-stin-agora-tis-eikonikis-pragmatikotitas

Spyridakis, A. (2018). Augmented Reality. Is Augmented Reality the future of Marketing? Epixeiro. https://www.epixeiro.gr/article/86479

ThinkAR. (2018). AR – The application for commerce. ThinkAR. https://www.thinkar.gr/epauximeni-pragmatikotita-ar/commerce-application/