| Abstract | Augmented reality (AR) is an emerging technology set to disrupt in-store retail. AR is defined as a digital overlay on top of the real world, consisting of computer graphics, text, video, and audio, which is interactive in real time. The purpose of this paper is to provide ideas and concepts for how AR will impact in-store retail and present the benefits and downfalls of how this emerging technology will influence retail. The method used is a literature review with research conducted using books, academic journals, and articles that serve to back up the arguments throughout the paper. There are several key findings. First, Amazon will bridge the retail "chasm" by 2020 and will spark a wave of technological changes in retail stores using technologies such as AR, AI, and smart sensors. Second, key factors for retail stores implementing AR are simplicity, customer-orientated, contextually relevant, the hook model, and focusing on experience and discovery. Third, AR in retail stores can be classified and better utilized with the Experiential-Discovery Retail Model (EDRM), which can help retail stores focus their AR marketing efforts. Lastly, data will be the biggest challenge for AR because it presents more opportunities for hacking, mismanaging of data, and what to do with the data. Augmented reality will be an essential medium in marketing for retail stores. Retail stores will need to experiment with AR to optimize the effects of marketing metrics and creating better customer satisfaction. |
