The holiday season is undoubtedly a pivotal time for retailers, marked by heightened consumer engagement, increased spending and the potential for lasting brand impressions. However, the ever-evolving retail and marketing landscape calls for innovative strategies to captivate the audience, and augmented reality (AR) stands as a game-changer. AR places the user at the heart of a captivating story, making them an active participant in your brand's narrative. Leveraging this technology creates meaningful connections that astonish, delight and provide genuine value. With web-based augmented reality (WebAR), this can all be achieved effortlessly within a web browser, requiring no app downloads and making it readily accessible for users.

Increase sales and conversion rates

Traditionally, customers have to choose between shopping in physical stores or online. WebAR bridges these worlds, making the shopping experience more convenient and accessible wherever customers are. By using their smartphone cameras, customers can engage with digital versions of products overlaid on their surroundings, whether it's trying out a new line of jewelry or seeing how a festive decor piece would look in their living room.

These types of experiences allow brands to provide an extremely personal and intimate online shopping experience that aims to increase conversions and reduce return rates. Take, for instance, Bloomingdale’s who collaborated with Rose to bring its 150th Anniversary Collection to life using 8th Wall WebAR. Over 400,000 households received AR-activated catalogs that made the celebration-worthy exclusives jump off the page and into real life. Customers could scan AR-enabled pieces within the catalog to see how they looked and moved in real life, and they could click to purchase within the experience. This initiative led to a 22% higher conversion rate to shop and a 38% higher engagement rate. 

Not only do these types of WebAR experiences help reduce stress around the holiday season, studies show that customers are willing to pay as much as 40% more for a product that can be experienced through AR first. What's more, using AR gives customers the confidence to buy, increasing their post-purchase satisfaction and reducing the rate of return when the holidays are over.

Drive foot traffic and enhance in-store experiences

For brick-and-mortar retailers, AR isn't just for online campaigns; it can transform the in-store experience. By using AR-powered scavenger hunts and interactive challenges, shoppers can unlock hidden discounts and exclusive in-store experiences using their smartphones. Gamifying the in-store experience not only makes shopping more enjoyable but also keeps customers engaged for longer durations, increasing the likelihood of multiple purchases and fostering brand loyalty.

For example, Microsoft, in collaboration with the Intergalactic Agency and Big W stores across Australia, introduced "Minecraft Quest," a WebAR scavenger hunt. Players used their smartphones to access the game in Big W stores, hunting for Minecraft characters on point-of-sale signs. Once players found a character and scanned it with their smartphones, it triggered a portal connected to the world of Minecraft, where they could search for a hidden gem. After players collected all five special gems, they received a special Minecraft prize pack. This promotion ran for 30 days, attracting over 12,500 players and boosting SKU sales by 250%. 

With AR, you can transform your store into an immersive, interactive wonderland. It's not just shopping; it's an adventure that captivates and delights your customers, making them want to return for more.

Create memorable brand experiences

The holidays are a time for brands to connect with customers through meaningful and immersive experiences. AR offers a unique opportunity to achieve this. Whether you're creating interactive AR showrooms, engaging games with your brand mascots or offering exclusive discounts and promotions, AR takes your brand connections to a new level.

These types of experiences drive results. According to a report from Accenture, 50% of consumers better recall brands that engage them with immersive technologies, and 47% say immersive technology makes them feel more connected with products. In a crowded holiday marketing landscape, creating memorable brand experiences is key to standing out and building lasting connections.

One example of this is Coca-Cola, who brought Christmas magic to festive greetings with Treecording, a WebAR experience that transforms users' unique sound waves into virtual, shareable Christmas trees. Activated via a Coca-Cola bottle, the experience utilizes 3D design, AR mapping and sound-reactive programming to convert sound waves into individual Christmas trees. This innovative project adds a thoughtful personal touch to holiday exchanges, inspiring people to dedicate heartfelt messages to their loved ones and turning the digital space into something more genuine. Treecording was launched across South America and achieved remarkable results, garnering over one million unique visits with an 80% completion rate and an impressive 143% share rate. The project was a collaborative effort between Happy Finish and AKQA.

With the holiday season fast approaching, brands have a unique opportunity to engage consumers in innovative ways, and 8th Wall WebAR can add that extra touch of magic to your marketing strategy. This universally accessible tool allows brands to create immersive experiences that captivate and resonate with audiences, ultimately redefining digital engagement during this festive season. Whether through interactive showrooms, engaging branded experiences or a fusion of physical and digital in-store experiences, WebAR stands as a dynamic and indispensable element in your holiday marketing strategy.