Back then, who would’ve thought that we can experience things in real-time with AR? No one ever anticipated that one day it would be a method to drive great business growth!
No one in the first place thought Earth could be elliptical in shape before Newton proved it. Similarly, Satoshi’s Pokemon Go is one great example of location-based augmented reality. In 2016, the world went crazy over this game.
And that brought in another question, “What if we combine AR marketing with location?” It would give an intriguing effect. Customers could interact with the products available in their region or help them try products in their in-house environment. They understood location is the gateway to personalization, which in turn is the key to driving sales.
That is how augmented reality geolocation came into the picture.
And now, let us see what spheres and apps can benefit from this combo.
Table of Contents
Tourism
We are grateful to Google Map, Apple Map, Binge Map, and other navigation software. They have made it possible to travel the world without a local guide. But, as we know, people are hungry for more. A blog on the “popular sightseeing in Santorini” isn’t enough to remember every place. Besides, the 2 KM distance shown on GoogleMap to reach an XYZ place feels tiring even before starting the journey.
That’s when location-based augmented reality can improve our travel experience. It can help tourists discover new places and explore nearby locations in real-time mode using their mobile phones. They can find the nearby Starbucks by pointing the camera on the street. Similarly, they can find famous antique shops and others in the area too.
Education
The use of AR and VR in education is normalizing. The 3D effects, virtual tours are already improving the level of education and the demand of AR. But the use of AR geolocation in education can transform the education sector as a whole. One of its examples is astronomy. The exact location-enabled AR will help students learn more about celestial objects and phenomena. It would reveal the secret of origin and evolution that is still a mystery.
Another field of education for implementing this type of AR is geography and archaeology. We shall soon explore the examples of these types of apps.
Healthcare
Often people say that the greatest and sacred profession is to be a doctor. It’s because they need to remember the human body, the most complicated machine in the world. They must know every nerve, vein, and artery’s location, where they connect, what’s their flow, etc. But what if they have to remember where the automated defibrillator or the drug is? That would be too much.
To reduce the mental pressure of doctors and other hospital staff, healthcare can use augmented reality geolocation. Using it, they can know about the nearest drug store, equipment in the hospital, etc.
One of the examples is AED4EU. This app identifies the nearest automated defibrillator and navigates through the shortest route. It helps save the life of a person who has faded suddenly.
Advertising
Imagine you’re standing in the center of a shopping street and pointing the camera on the street to inform you of the nearby stores’ sales and discounts.
Well, that’s possible with AR. With location-based, you can enhance the local advertising. You can stimulate the customers to buy the products and services.
The AR geolocation app can also prove useful in navigating customers to the store. For example, if you have put an AR-led banner with contact details on the subway station. While pointing at it, customers can immerse in the experience, and by pointing the screen towards the contact details, and optimized navigation route directly to your offline store or e-store could show up. If you have 3-4 outlets in an area, it can direct them towards the nearest one.
Entertainment & Gaming
These are the industries that are benefiting most from augmented reality geolocation apps. Consider Pokemon Go. The location-based AR app spread like wildfire, allowing people to catch pocket monsters in their real-world environment. Other companies that willingly invested in AR are The Next Studio and AMC. They collaborated and introduced the location-based augmented reality game: Walking Dead – Our World. The game puts users in the post-apocalyptic zombie world, where the player has to kill the zombie to survive. Mossland, the real-estate-centric AR geolocation game, allows users to wander cities and become virtual owners of landmarks, purchase and sell properties, and earn money.
All in all, the combo of AR and geolocation would change our definition of personalization and shopping. Keep exploring this space to learn more!
Summary
Combining augmented reality with geolocation can be a game-changer for healthcare, travel, advertising, entertainment, gaming, etc.
