THE BIG PICTURE

AR is happening. That’s not up for debate. Apple will announce their mixed reality headset in June. We’ll step towards headset ubiquity. By the end of the decade all-day-wear AR glasses will eclipse iPhones sales. Deal with it.

These changes running along side consumer AI means we need to get ready for things to get weird. Though all industries need to prepare, retail & fashion have always been early adopters of new technology as a mechanism to appeal to younger audiences and to stay hype worthy.

NUMBERS TALK
They’re saying “it’s a revolution”.

• Shopify shows a staggering 94% conversion increase with AR-enabled product pages. As the leading e-commerce platform, it champions AR's potential in retail.

• 71% of consumers would shop more with AR experiences. It's clear that buyers crave immersive, convenient shopping.

• 66% of consumers express greater interest in websites offering 3D/AR shopping. They seek experiences over mere transactions.

• Despite its potential, 51% of consumers feel retailers underutilize AR. Pioneering brands will lead the market.

• 78% of AR-experiencing users favour it over video content, cementing AR's dominance in content hierarchy.

• By 2025, AR product visualization will influence $57.8 billion retail sales, as e-commerce claims 25% of total sales. Brands must harness AR's power to thrive.

IMPACTFUL NEWS

WWDC COUNTDOWN BEGINS!
Tim Cook’s “one more thing” moment is here.

The 34th Worldwide Developers Conference will take place the week of June 5 to June 9, 2023, beginning with a keynote event on Monday, June 5. Apple is expected to unveil iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS 14, tvOS 17, and watchOS 10 at WWDC, and developers will get previews after the keynote. The update will focus on customer-requested quality-of-life improvements, with rumoured "most requested features." Additional updates include AR/VR headset integration and an upgraded CarPlay. Look out for the Crew at Polyform to be making a special announcement concerning WWDC

THE APPLE RETAILVERSE
Experiential retail, from your couch.

In issue #4 we dove deep into the Apple headset announcements & rumours. Retail is just one of the industries that’s about to benefit GREATLY from the new headset features. Brick and Mortar shops will be able to transition into the virtual world, where from the comforts of their own homes, shoppers can browse stores and make purchases. Knowing they’re in the Apple-approved ecosystem they know, love, & trust, combines with the lift on conversion that AR gives, this is going to be HUGE for the stores who do it well early on.

FRESH TECH

AR TECH IS LANDING IN STORES NEAR YOU!
Virtual try-on, wayfinding, and in-store experience.

Zero10 X Tommy Hilfiger

Zero10 has integrated its AR Mirror technology into selected Tommy Hilfiger retail stores, allowing customers to try on a selection of the 28-piece collection digitally. Including three virtual looks with special animated effects only available in augmented reality.

Hyper

Although Navigation is nothing new on a phone, Hyper found a way to combine AR and Navigation for retail. Hyper creates detailed maps of indoor spaces, allowing users to navigate and see the building layout.

Have a look:

Target

Target's latest trick to keep children entertained in-store is a stroke of augmented reality genius! By adding a scavenger hunt twist, they're making shopping feel more like an exciting experiential retail adventure.

FRESH FROM THE LAB

LAB PODCAST EPISODE #006

In this podcast episode, we sit down with Ely Santos of Metavertising, an expert in advertising and marketing in the AR / VR & Metaverse mediums.

Ely shares his insights on the current state of advertising in mixed reality and the challenges and opportunities that brands will face in this new spaces. We also discuss the need for authenticity & creativity in this emerging field.

3 TAKEAWAYS FOR FOUNDERS

1/ Elements of a successful marketing campaign in the Metaverse
In the realm of immersive experiences, traditional marketing that "talks at" consumers no longer works. Instead, companies must adopt an immersive & experiential mindset while consider how AR/VR empowers customers to experience products in new and engaging ways.

2/ Pulling on the emotional strings
Ely talks about how Web2 had us seeing ads in our feeds and how Web3 will be about experiences and storytelling. "What better way to generate emotion than telling a story & putting your customer at the middle of it".

3/ Is your Startup AR/VR ready?
When it comes to working with Ely and his team he states. "The best clients to work with are those who have an understanding of what they want to achieve and why they are using a certain medium to achieve their objectives, regardless of whether they are a big brand or a small business."

Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple | Watch on YouTube

LAB EXPERIMENTS

Hands down, the most exciting experiments we’re running in our lab right now is “Hey Robbie” our ChatGPT & positivity powered AI toy for kids.

We’re been having an epic time hanging out with Robbie as we work out the kinks, prepare for launch, & fine tune his positive personality.

Check out our head of content Craig chatting with Robbie about his next travel destination: Lithuania!