Within the food industry, Realitatea Augumentata (AR) has begun to make progress as more and more companies start to recognize the potential of AR and see it as a useful investment. Three main areas – human resources, user interaction, and the food industry have experienced the highest concentration of AR development so far and are likely to continue to increase investment for such promotion within the industry.
In recent years, the rise of social platforms, such as Instagram and Pinterest – and influences have shown that engaging with consumers results in real action. Products and retail outlets may still be static, but their content has to go beyond physical space to attract the attention of potential buyers and loyalty. The goal of this technology is to give consumers the opportunity to try an immersive experience. For brands, it’s a new way to attract the attention of consumers and make a difference in buying decision-making.
Augmented reality can overcome this bridge between content and consumer. The ability to overlap additional information, visual stimulus, and interaction alongside certain elements offer companies the chance to combine the digital and physical world in a more personalized way. Food and drinks companies have begun to use AR in innovative ways: Nestle used a “Rio” character for a 26 million box game; Nike, through Nike’s SNKRS AR, allows fans to reserve their shoe from the moment they are in Fuku’s East Village.
Shazam is a well-known application for the ability to recognize songs running in our immediate vicinity. Shazam is also able to identify visual elements with the camera and even integrate augmented graphics in some cases, presenting real-time interactive animations when scanning certain codes.