The role of augmented reality as an experience provider in retail marketing

As a result of the growing importance of both experience economy and digital transformation in today’s business environment, businesses tend to create pleasant and unique experiences for their customers. To realize this, new information technologies like Augmented Reality (AR) are used in retail marketing. This study investigates what kind of consumer experiences retailers can generate by using AR technology and how these experiences provide benefit for retailers. AR technology can generate pleasant sensory, affective, and relational experiences. It can support the buying decision of customers by product and service demonstrations, personalized pre-purchase offerings, and virtual trials. Moreover, it can generate a word-of-mouth effect and contribute to increasing customer satisfaction.