As someone who is new to augmented reality, you might ask yourself which AR solution is best for you. While app-based AR solutions still heavily outnumber WebAR platforms today, it comes as no surprise that this is soon bound to change given current trends in consumer behavior. Read on to find out why WebAR beats app-based AR in most aspects.
WebAR enables you to create and consume augmented reality experiences directly on your browser. All you need to access them is a device with an integrated camera and a stable internet connection.
The principle behind it is simple: The camera scans and analyzes the environment, after which the generated data is transferred to the web where this data is used to build immersive experiences. These experiences are then stored in a cloud-based CMS (content management system) and can be accessed anytime and anywhere through various triggers like links or QR codes. The content generated can be anything from photos to 3D overlays to even videos.
Due to its smooth application, WebAR has become the #1 “go to” technology for many companies and brands who wish to provide their clients with a frictionless experience.
As the demand for WebAR grows, so does its potential. While it is true that app-based solutions offer more features and use computer vision capacities (ARCore & ARKit) of higher quality, WebAR has been experiencing much technological progress and has begun the race to catch up with native AR solutions in many respects. With exciting features (e.g. accelerometer or magnetometer) constantly being added to browsers, powerful possibilities arise for developers to implement new functions into WebAR.
Is your phone, too, cluttered with applications, taking up valuable storage space and making it hard for you to find your bearings? If you feel annoyed by this situation, you are in good company. In fact, 9 in 10 people hate being forced to install apps to use a company’s services.
Thankfully, there are fully web-based solutions out there that represent a great alternative and produce relief in many ways. Here is a list of the main advantages of using web-based AR vs. dedicated AR apps:
How many apps do you download on average per month? If your answer is “zero”, you are not alone. In fact, the sheer number of available apps is overwhelming to say the least. Together, Google Play Store and Apple App Store offer 5,5 million apps to choose from, with thousands of new apps being added to the mix every day.
The fact that app-based AR can only be experienced by end users willing to download a specific application does not make it any easier to distribute AR content on a large scale and keep customers engaged. WebAR finally has the power to rid us of the dependence on apps and gives us frictionless access to truly immersive experiences.
Being a browser-based technology, WebAR enables you to run comprehensive analysis (e.g. through Google Analytics) on page views and audience engagement including dwell time, unique visits, or your visitors’ conversion rate. This gives you valuable insights into how engaging your AR content is, which parts of it work well already or cry out for improvement, and how your content might be optimized.
Having a clear picture of your clients’ activities as well as your content’s success metrics will help you optimize the experience of your users, and build a more powerful and sustainable brand image for yourself.
In today’s world, getting noticed on the market is increasingly difficult as new business models are on the rise, making traditional approaches that may have worked well in the past dated and less effective. It is now, therefore, more important than ever to find creative ways to stand out from the competition and capture your audience’s attention. This is where WebAR comes in.
With WebAR, many companies have found and exciting interactive way of marketing that drives user traffic and engagement. Its easiness of use, immediacy, and frictionless accessibility make WebAR the perfect means to help you kickstart your own marketing campaigns and reach a vast global audience at a comparatively low cost and with minimal access barriers.
It is not surprising that a lot of agencies have since jumped on the bandwagon and attempted to leverage the powers of WebAR to strengthen their campaigns. For example, global brands and big market players such as McDonald’s or Coca-Cola have run web-based interactive AR content where consumers have to knock on a virtual door behind which an exclusive McDelivery offer waits, or are prompted to scan the label on a Coca-Cola can to witness an amusing story unfold in real time directly on their screen.
If you, too, want to incorporate AR experiences into your marketing strategy, why not reach out to us and inquire about a customized plan to set up your campaign for success? You may also want to check out our available creative partner agencies in advance.
At SQUARS, we firmly believe that the future of augmented reality is on the web. Cloud-based content management systems will continue to increase their dominance when it comes to storing huge sets of data volumes, and with the advent of the fifth generation mobile network (5G Internet) and its global expansion, it will become possible to virtually interconnect everyone and everything including machines, objects, and devices.
While it is true that WebAR still has its limitations today, it is important to realize that the technology behind it is only in its infancy, and that its golden age is yet to come. Ever better phones and cameras paired with improved global access to high-speed internet will do their part in making sure that WebAR will continue to evolve and push native AR apps off their throne in the near future.
Did this spark your interest? Try our product for free and start creating your very own exciting WebAR experiences.