Future Of Augmented Reality (AR) In Real Estate: What You Need To Know
Over the last year or so, low footfall in physical shops as a result of COVID-related lockdowns have sent marketers into a frenzy.
Almost overnight, they had to think out of the box and innovate to offer new immersive experiences for their customers in a safe environment.
Retailers had to leverage existing trends in digitisation, opening them up to global markets and technology opportunities.
But this also meant having to offer unique and personalised shopping experiences on top of convenience, in order to attract and retain customers.
The real estate sector started to increasingly rely on virtual reality tours, while augmented reality shopping for home decor became the game changing answer to engaging audiences digitally, offering that welcome sense of personalisation that the modern consumer loves.
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Technology At Our Fingertips
Augmented reality offers new experiences at our fingertips; anyone else remembers that wildly popular mobile game that got everyone out into the great outdoors, Pokémon Go?
This technology superimposes ‘virtual’ elements over a view of the real world, providing an ‘augmented’ view of what a space could look like. It’s reality, but better!
Armed with a smartphone, it is as easy as pointing your phone towards a space and customising different fixtures, furniture, or even paint colours, giving you a clear visual representation of the final look and feel of the place.
Being able to easily adjust the placement of products, replace items, or change the colour on a wall, before committing to a decision would help customers make more informed decisions.
Not only that, the innovative use of AR also creates a personalised shopping experience that is engaging, fun, seamless, and is an easy way to bring fantastic ideas to reality.
Examples Of Augmented Reality Apps For Interior Design
Smart AR technology gives users a realistic view of the space and products by allowing them to observe details like the texture of fabrics, how shadows are cast, and recognising the placement of existing fixtures and furniture.
These details are sometimes forgotten or rarely taken into account when shopping for items physically, let alone online (which might contribute to post-purchase regret!).
The realism that AR offers ensures our purchases are informed, practical, and not solely based on emotions. It’s a smart tech-driven way to build a picture of what might be possible.
Here are some AR apps that allow you to seamlessly play around and redecorate your entire home in just one day:
1) Ikea Place
This AR furnishing app for iPhone users helps them pick out the right piece of furniture for a particular space, by providing a 3D representation of the item, according to scale.
This is important, and not to mention convenient, as it eliminates the need to physically measure the space. That means choosing the right sized furniture is easy and hassle-free.
2) Dulux Visualizer MY app
Anyone who has painted their room or entire home knows that choosing the right colours can be extremely tricky.
What might look good on those small paint cards may look VERY different once an entire wall is painted and has had time to dry!
The app takes all the guesswork out of the picture by painting your walls with just a few simple taps, giving you a good idea of how your home will look like, even in low light.
3) Measure by Google
For those who want to custom-build furniture, or just want to take quick measurements of a space or item, this that enables you to easily measure and map spaces.
Whether you’re moving homes or redecorating, this handy app gives you a good idea as to whether your statement piece will fit through the doorway or into the elevator!
What AR Could Mean For Home Owners
The use of AR in real estate is poised to grow as technology improves. This advancement stands to benefit consumers looking for different levels of personalisation throughout their home decorating, renovating, and buying journey.
AR has the ability to give you multiple options by layering and reimagining different ideas that you could also share with family and friends for feedback, making it a fun and inclusive project for everyone involved.
Beyond home decor, integrating AR with IoT sensors could even unlock new opportunities for homeowners, visualising a wide range of valuable insight on their home.
They could potentially view the property and its surroundings to understand and determine weather patterns in the area, as well as find ways to climate-proof their homes.
Homeowners may also be able to use AR to observe the natural landscape and biodiversity around the neighbourhood, inspiring families and children to protect the environment around them.
What Might The Future of Augmented Reality Look Like For The Property Industry?
We could take some cues from the gaming world which boasts impressive graphics, realism, and AI technology.
There is potential for AR to unlock a vast array of opportunities in our every day lives, especially in how we choose to personalise our living spaces.
We are only limited by our imagination, and we can definitely expect the future of real estate to be a lot more immersive!
With the implementation of innovative real estate technology coupled with IoT (Internet of Things), consumers will have access to more data points that will ultimately help them make the best decisions for themselves and their loved ones.
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