The application of AR technology to consumer sales market how big

Absrtact: A piece of paper with rose petals is written full of your exclusive blessings, and then gently sweep with the phone, with the beautiful music, stationery on the bloom of a rose. Does such a scene look very moving? This scenario is made up of augmented reality (

A piece of paper with rose petals on it is full of your exclusive blessings, and then gently sweep with the mobile phone, accompanied by the beautiful music, stationery bloom a rose. Does such a scene look very moving?

This scenario is implemented by augmented Reality (augmentedreality, AR) technology. It is the use of virtual reality technology to simulate, simulation, the use of virtual information to the real world, forming a real environment and virtual objects in real time superimposed to the same scene or space at the same time.

"It was originally a colleague of ours who had a surprise for his girlfriend on Valentine's Day." Then we were wondering if this app could be popularized? "Shanghai Hui Sound Technology Information Co., Ltd. founder Jin Yu recently in pondering: the application of AR technology consumer-oriented sales market is how big."

So how far is virtual reality from us? How much money does it take to have a chance to experience?

Customization of the Enterprise

With the maturity of AR technology, more and more people begin to look for their commercial road.

"Sometimes we have a narrow sense that we have to take special equipment to be on the scene, but the virtual reality is not far away," he said. The technology matured very early, but it was not widely known before. With the Spring Festival Gala in the past few years, the application began to be more known to the public. "Jin Yu said.

In fact, AR is the most easily misunderstood and neglected virtual reality technology. Because can not be divorced from the real life and exist alone, the appearance of AR is also true and false, but more complex virtual space to create more easily understood. Broadly speaking, on the basis of reality, using technology to add this layer of related, additional content, can be called augmented reality.

In order to allow reporters to fully perceive the effect of AR technology, Jin Yu to reporters last year they and the Shanghai International Popular Science Products fair to do the design work. What impresses reporters most is that AR technology provides a new entrance. Like scanning two-dimensional code, you can see text, Web, music, video and so on on the phone, not only that, but also can be superimposed in the real environment lifelike 3D image, through the interface of the touch selection, you can see other content.

In fact, two years ago, Ikea's product catalog used AR technology. With just one IKEA brochure and Ikea app, consumers can see what their favorite tables or cupboards look like at home, and see the inner structure of the product. In this way, customers can buy furniture before they can know the effect of furniture bought home. Advertisers can also give more interesting results to the old ways of advertising such as posters.

However, as more and more content needs to be loaded, exceeding the network load, the waiting time for the display is getting longer. "This can lead to fatal damage to the user experience. This is why a lot of AR technology can be presented in the content is scheduled to set up. If you can take advantage of cloud storage, you can more easily deliver more information and speed up. ”

Entrepreneurship for two years, Jin Yu has not forgotten beginner, that is, "the dream into reality." Just now, he and his team are more in the business, especially advertising or marketing companies to provide customized AR solutions to achieve the enterprise's "dream", and this is the industry's mainstream practice.

According to the statistics of the Arinchina website, there are more than 200 enterprises (incomplete statistics) which are engaged in the development of AR application in China, which has the intention and the development of game class application (including the game of commercial advertisement nature) to occupy 80% of them.

"Now the phone is ringing every day, companies to contact custom services this piece of a lot, sometimes worry more than our team load." According to his introduction, 2014, his company's business income has been through million yuan, than 2013 doubled.

"We do more in fact is a kind of technology to seamlessly connect the final picture, will also be used in the development of their own programs." Now as long as the use of various software, the threshold of AR technology is not high, we hope to launch their own products. "Jin Yu said.

New Marketing Model

It is not only the information technology companies are concerned about the product, the traditional manufacturing industry is also concerned about this technology, the recent red circle of Friends of the small bear is so born. Using a smartphone to target the picture, there will be a naïve white bear from the screen singing and dancing.

"Little Bear can fire up the reason there are many aspects, we are choosing a good marketing opportunity to rush to work the first day after the festival, we are more boring, through the media, network, micro-Bo and a micro-credit circle of friends detonated the spread." This is only the first version, and the new version will also introduce some new gameplay. "Qingdao Great and the industrial group under the sales company general manager Tan told the first financial daily reporter."

The reason to invest in such a way is to "hope to give toys some feelings". Tan told reporters that the United States and Japan in addition to the animation effect is particularly good, but also can derive a large number of peripheral products, and in China to do it is particularly difficult. "From the experience of foreign countries, are the first animation image, and then authorized to start the development of other derivative products, and we are in fact the first traditional industries, and then to carry out the animation design, give this toy Story." "he said.

Tan admits: "This piece of business for the company is more input, rather than get a direct benefit." We will use it to attract users, but in the end it is mainly selling toys. ”

"No dealer has ever been willing to direct our products. Because of the high quality of toys after the high price, feeling that the product does not sell. So we want to derive from the toy animation, and then derivative to marketing. From the group level it is now a free project. "Tan said.

He said that as a software use, the future must have consumption in order to generate profit points. But the point is what the company also has no clear answer. We are still in transition, but we have to walk to adjust. "For example, to do some 3D interactive science and Technology exhibition, the introduction of some projects in the tourist attractions and the combination of tourism, people do not have to and a panel photo, such as on the display board with mobile phone recognition image, as long as not all occlusion, you can have a virtual image with your photo." ”

It still takes time to explode

Compared to the former red, Dalian New Sharp World Media Co., Ltd. CEO Zhao Liangwa in the exploration of profitability can be regarded as "experienced."

Starting from 2005, Zhao Liangwa and his team began to develop and enhance real-world products for the National University of Singapore and the Changhong Group Innovation Center, and gradually developed innovative products of independent intellectual property, supported by the National Science and Technology Twelve-Five Technology Support Program at the end of 2012 and got venture capital in 2014. His company used AR technology in the field of children's books, mainly used in books, cards, children play teaching aids and so on.

Referring to what you are doing, Zhao Liangwa is more willing to think of himself as a promoter and a popular person for new technology. "The AR hardware start stage price is more expensive, probably is 1000 dollars, therefore formerly uses in the real estate, the exhibition hall and so on occasion." And our product price pro-people, only dozens of or hundreds of yuan, to provide consumers do not need a very high cost can reflect the possibility of AR technology, promote the technology of the civilian. "he said.

For sales and gross margin, he said with some reservations, "annual sales must be tens of thousands of books." Zhao Liangwa told reporters that the early application of research and development into tens of millions, now the focus of the company to promote.

"We need to further expand our sales channels and learn more about business models for mature traditional consumer goods and exploding Internet products," he said. With the popularization of AR wearable equipment, AR technology and application products will have a bright future. "Zhao Liangwa said.

Previously, due to hardware, AR technology needs "computer + Camera + display device" to experience, limited application scenarios, and in smartphones and tablets widely used today, AR Technology gradually accepted by people. In such cases, similar products are emerging.

"After our magical language Kazhong, a number of shanzhai, copycat manufacturers in various ways to develop inferior products to impact the market." "It is Zhao Liangwa to mention this phenomenon. To protect sales, he set a password to allow the same product to be used for up to five devices, but he still had a headache for the brute-force hacking of the software. In addition to taking up legal weapons and defending intellectual property, he wants to move these competitors farther with constant creative progress and technological advances.

Although in different stages of development, but the managers of these companies are convinced that: the technology of the commercialization of the road must be from the blue Ocean to the Red Sea process, but ultimately will be content for the king, and to dilute the technical aspects of things.

This year Tan and Zhao Liangwa are thinking about where the next differentiated competition will be, and Jin Yu is ready to go into contact with more VCs this year. "AR technology will be more popular in the near future, and spring will come soon." This is what they believe.