Give Direct Mail campaigns the 'wow factor' with Augmented Reality technology claim mailing house Baker Goodchild
Augmented Reality with Direct Mail infographic from Baker Goodchild
December 11, 2014 (PRLEAP.COM) Business News
BIRMINGHAM, UK – December 11, 2014 - Businesses have long been using direct mail correspondence like brochures, catalogues and newsletters to communicate with their target audience and even in the digital era, direct mail is still proving to generate a good return on investmentdirect mail is still proving to generate a good return on investment.Direct mail is still relevant - The evidence that direct mail is still relevant is in the figures, with 92% of direct mail being opened and 48% of adults taking action after receiving it 2013. What's more is that according to statistics from Royal Mail, 14.2 million people bought something after opening direct mail, showing that if you get it right, it has the potential to be very profitable.
Hot new trend – integrating Augmented Reality with direct mail - More recently, a number of tech-savvy companies have been taking their direct mail campaigns to a whole new level, by integrating it with one of the hottest new technologies, known as Augmented Reality. AR apps are interactive tools that allow users to view images in 3D on their smartphones and mobile devices.
Using AR in their direct mail campaigns will allow businesses to bring their products to life and show them to consumers in a more interactive way than ever before. It will go a long way in increasing buyer confidence and may be just what businesses need to generate increased responses from their direct mail campaigns.
Trends in the emerging Augmented Reality market - Although it is a relatively new technology, the AR market is expected to grow from sixty to two hundred million users between now and 2018, making now the optimal time to get ahead of the curve and integrate it with your own direct mail campaigns.
"This year we have seen an increase in the number of clients looking to integrate AR with their direct mail campaigns and we predict that 2015 will be an even bigger year for the technology" says Lorraine Burnell, Managing Direct of Baker Goodchild. "Consumers are becoming increasingly demanding, so in order to impress them with your direct mail campaign, you need to use technology like AR to give it the wow factor."
Get ahead of your competitors – make Augmented Reality your own reality -Forward thinking businesses that are looking to inject a little excitement into their plain direct mail campaigns will greatly benefit from investing in Augmented Reality technology. By using AR to turn 2D product images on mailshots into 3D images, customers will be able to get a better idea of what they look like 'in real life' which is likely to increase their confidence in making purchases and lead to greater conversions.
Integrating direct mail with Augmented Reality will also remove the risk of prospects mistyping businesses' URLs, as instead they will be able to instantly access the extra content by holding their device over the image. Seeing as little effort is required on the consumers' part they are likely to be much more willing to access the additional content, plus if they haven't used AR before, it's bound to peak their interest.
Augmented Reality works across many different business genres - One of the great things about this hot, new technology is that all types of businesses can make use of it in their direct mail campaigns. AR has already generated fantastic results for the likes of Toyota and Ikea, showing its potential in all retail markets.
Augmented Reality makes tracking direct mail campaigns much easier - Speaking of results, in the past many businesses have found it difficult to determine the effectiveness of their direct mail campaigns. However thanks to new technology like Augmented Reality, responses are easier to track than ever before! AR can be used to track various different metrics e.g. how many recipients are accessing the app and for how long and gather information about respondents, such as the device they are using and their location. This is all information that brands can use to further optimise their campaigns for improved results. The fact that online content is so easy to edit and change also gives businesses the opportunity to test, test and test some more in order to perfect their direct mail campaigns and maximise ROI.
Conclusion
As well as reports of significant growth in the AR market over the next few years, there have also been predictions of more than 2.5 billion mobile AR downloads by 2017, so we suggest making sure your app is one of them!
The key to getting it right and ensuring your investment in AR technology is worthwhile is to learn from other early adopters and utilise experts in the technology, such as Baker Goodchild, who has already successfully executed a number of AR direct mail campaigns. You can also view their latest infographic for more information:
For further information, the full range of Technology Integrated with Direct Mail infographics can be found here:
Find out more about Baker Goodchild's direct mail fulfilment services at http://www.bakergoodchild.co.uk.
Contact information:
Telephone: 0800 612 1972
Fax: 0121 248 8550
Baker Goodchild
257 Great King Street
The Jewellery Quarter
Birmingham
B19 3AS
Image credits: onvert and tedeytan