We are all too familiar with this phenomenon: We stand in the store, looking at the shelf in front of us, packed with products, and our eyes jump back and forth… "Where is the curly hair shampoo?" "Which products are gluten-free?". Well, Super-Pharm has just launched a new feature that assists customers at the branch in finding the desired product on the shelves through "Augmented Reality" (AR).
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Across the chain's branches, on the shelves and next to the products, you can scan a QR code, which will automatically activate (without registration) the AR feature. Now, you can browse around the store, scan the shelves using your smartphone camera and receive relevant information and guidance to help you find what you are looking for through AR layers integrated with the products, sort of a "personal shopper."
For example, customers can specify that they are looking for gluten-free baby food, and the relevant products will appear on the screen, marked in blue. Patrons can also search the shelves for products designed for sensitive skin or curly hair, which will appear on their screen with their unique mark. In addition to the "quick search", the platform will also allow you to get answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ) when scanning the product, such as "What ages is it suitable for?", "Is it suitable for pregnant women?" and recommendations for personal customization.
In recent years, AR applications have gradually begun penetrating the retail arena, with most designed to harness technology to allow consumers to experiment with the product, like IKEA's AR App, which will enable you to scan your living room and place furniture pieces to see if they fit in size and design, or the Apps launched by Nike or Sephora, which allow you to virtually try on shoes or makeup.
Super-Pharm's feature is one of the first to bring AR to the physical in-store shopping experience. In a conversation with Israel Hayom, Michael Mitrani, Super-Pharm Online's VP of e-commerce and Marketing, explained: "We are not looking for gimmicks, but innovation that will offer value to consumers and become an inseparable part of their shopping experience at our branches. AR can be harnessed for a variety of uses. Our goal was to provide those customers who stand in front of any shelf with useful information about the products, which does not always appear on their packages, and answers to Frequently Asked Questions. We have also brought the world of filters from the online world to the physical store."
Super-Pharm does not produce the content itself, but rather the brands that sell their products in the chain's branches. AR unlocks a new channel for these brands, by generating personal and interactive communication with the customer at the point of sale. Mitrani continued: "AR takes the static, dry information displayed on the shelves and products and reinvents it through video, audio and interactivity. In this sense, we are providing brands with a new media platform in the retail space. These types of Apps can be an additional source of revenue for the retail chain. However, we try to avoid ads because it does not give added value to patrons and may deter them from using this feature."
Among the brands already participating in the venture are Materna, Weleda, ORAL B, Haggis, Tresemme, Simple, Durex, Nurofen, Altman, Dove and others.
The AR that connects the physical store and the virtual one
The company behind the development of Super-Pharm's new feature is Israeli startup weR, founded and managed by brothers Tomer and Amit Chachek. weR has developed an AR platform dedicated to the retail world, which enables the integration of dynamic and three-dimensional AR content as part of the shopping experience in the physical store.
Based on machine learning and machine vision technologies, the company's AR engine can identify the product on the shelf and display the visual content in 3D according to the user's movement and perspective.
According to weR AR CEO Amit Chachek, the company's platform makes it possible to connect the physical store to the digital space." Our platform brings features from the virtual arena to the physical products in the store, like coupons and filters, personalization and digital purchases."
weR has already proven its technology in collaboration with one of the world's largest retail chains, Walmart, which in 2021 used weR's platform to intertwine educational content across their stores to encourage proper nutrition among children, featuring characters from popular children's food series, Waffles + Mochi airing on Netflix. The company also collaborates with Apple, Google, Samsung and Qualcomm to adapt the platform to different devices and operating systems.
Clickable World
The user interface in these collaborations with Walmart and Super-Pharm is the consumer's personal smartphone, currently equipped with a camera, depth sensors, and processing abilities that suffice to project relatively high-quality AR content. However, the holy grail for the entire AR/VR world is the development of convenient and accessible digital glasses that allow us to travel and consume AR content.
In this context, it is impossible not to mention Vision Pro, Apple's Mixed Reality glasses launched earlier this month, which signals to the entire industry the direction this technology is headed. Vision Pro also crystalizes weR's vision. Chachek: "For the first time, Apple's Vision Pro demonstrates to people the potential of AR. As these devices become more compact, people will start using their glasses outside. We want to be the platform that interfaces between people walking down the street or in the mall and the retail world surrounding them."
The primary monetization tool for commercial companies in the digital world is our ability to 'click' a product or a service we wish to purchase or get information about. A platform like weR's makes the physical space 'clickable.' "The tech giants make their fortunes from our clicks. Until now, this business model exists only in the virtual space. AR also allows one to click on objects and products in real life – and that will be a revolution."
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