How Augmented Reality Redefines Self-Scanning

| Retail

Augmented Product Information Retail

Self-scanning is an essential technology for customers who want to save time and enjoy more flexible shopping experiences. Retail self-scanning apps make it easy for shoppers to scan product barcodes using their own smartphones—then pay for goods at a self-checkout kiosk or in an app. And with the addition of augmented reality (AR), your retail enterprise can provide even more convenience and choice for shoppers through its self-scanning service.

At Scandit, we help retailers around the world develop and implement game-changing mobile self-scanning capabilities. Our goal is to give your business a competitive edge using top-performing scanning software for your mobile apps—alongside technical support and industry knowledge. So today, let’s discuss the potential benefits of upgrading your self-scanning mobile app with AR technology.

How AR Impacts Retail Self-Scanning

We should begin by taking a look at the data on shopping with AR technology. According to research from ThinkMobiles, 71% of shoppers say they would shop more often if they could use AR. That same study shows that 61% of consumers would preferably choose stores with AR over those without it.

It’s no surprise why leading retailers are transforming mobile shopping apps into augmented reality scanners to set their in-store shopping experiences apart from competitors. AR is attractive to consumers because it allows them to access different aspects of products that are not readily available in the physical world using their smartphones.

Mobile apps equipped with AR give shoppers instant access to relevant product information, including reviews, ingredients, or even detailed specifications at a glance, overlaid on their device screen. These easily digestible  insights help customers quickly research and choose the perfect items for their unique needs—without ever needing to leave the app. With the potential to drive an additional 2% or 3% in revenue at checkout, you can see how impactful AR can be on sales and revenue.

Augmented Reality Supports Your Bottom Line

The potential of AR feedback goes far beyond user education. Your retail team can also use this technology to display product-specific discounts to earn sales and increase purchasing volume. Augmented reality acts as a surprisingly low-cost way to create better experiences for shoppers, adding meaningful user value to your self-scanning app.

Adding AR feedback to a self-scanning app can help retailers improve adoption, retention and customer satisfaction. By combining AR with enterprise-grade barcode scanning capabilities, the Scandit solution brings many of the benefits of online shopping into your physical retail stores. Together, we can attract and retain more customers for your retail business through faster, more intuitive mobile self-scanning services.

AR Use Cases for Self-Scanning

Now that we’ve reviewed the potential business impact of AR for retailers, let’s shed more light on its specific use cases—and how it creates differentiated shopping experiences for your customers:

Augmented Retail Product Information
AR for Product Reviews

By equipping your self-scanning app with AR, you make it easy for shoppers to access in-depth reviews on individual products. With a tap of their touchscreen, shoppers can scan a product and instantly view videos, written reviews, and at-a-glance insights to assess the quality of each product using AR-overlays. This feature allows your stores to take full advantage of existing online reviews—and use that feedback to influence purchasing decisions in-store.

Augmented Product Information Retail
AR for Product Specifics

Many customers need fast, easy access to product specifics—whether that be ingredients, key features, dimensions or materials. This is especially true for shoppers with limited options or dietary restrictions. AR feedback lets shoppers browse this critical information seconds after seeing and scanning an item on the shelf, enabling faster and more confident purchasing decisions.

product offers on smarphone screen
AR for Special Offers

Your team can use in-app AR-overlays to share personalized rewards, coupons and special offers with specific customers. This feature is a great way to maximize upselling opportunities while building brand loyalty. Providing discounts and rewards through user-friendly AR feedback creates a unique and rewarding shopping experience every time shoppers use their self-scanning app.

The Scandit Solution for Retail Self-Scanning & AR

Scandit offers a compelling solution for augmented reality that merges the physical and digital worlds. Our technology can transform almost any smart device into a powerful augmented reality scanner. Scandit software combines advanced barcode scanning with real-time insights via AR-overlays, making it an optimal choice for your mobile self-scanning app.

Our software brings high-performance scanning to over 20,000 device types, creating a convenient self-scanning solution for virtually any shopper. With Scandit, shoppers can scan their preferred items via a mobile app bringing unmatched speed and reliability to their shopping experience.

We also provide enterprise-level support for our robust self-scanning solutions, all the way from design to live service. Our team can help you optimize your app once it goes live by monitoring user adoption, establishing trackable KPIs and more.

Rethink Retail Self-Scanning with Scandit

To learn more about how an augmented reality scanner can redefine your mobile self-scanning services, explore our best practices guide: Self-Scanning in Retail Best Practices for Testing, Implementation and Adoption. This free resource will teach you how to gain a competitive advantage and boost your bottom line by adding augmented reality to your self-scanning mobile app.