Augmented reality has become something more than a fun element in game apps. The VR and AR market size is estimated to reach $209 in 2020 and more and more companies start using AR in their mobile apps to engage the users, grab their attention and offer a unique experience.

It doesn’t actually matter what industry your company represents – if approached creatively, AR can actually benefit any business. Below you’ll see the top-7 most creative AR mobile apps, which resulted in a great ROI for the brands and attracted the attention of thousands of users worldwide.

Ikea

Being one of the biggest furniture retailers in the world, no wonder Ikea was among the pioneers who adopted AR to leverage their presence on the market. The app by Ikea uses augmented reality to let the users see how the Ikea furniture would look like in their homes.

Now, this was a really smart move by Ikea. Consider the process of choosing and buying a piece of furniture, which is usually quite massive. You cannot take it home to see how it would fit – and what if it doesn’t? So the Ikea app solves the biggest problem for a customer: it makes the furniture choosing process much easier, at the same time allowing the customers to take their time and choose their perfect product. This, in turn, leads to the rise in sales and results in a win-win for both the company and its customers.

Snapchat

We all know and love Snapchat because it’s fun and serves as an excellent entertaining app. Though being a messenger, Snapchat is often used for its lenses and filters only.

Snapchat inspired many alike apps to offer the same functionality but still remains among the leaders. It is estimated that Snapchat will overtake Facebook and see an inflow of new users and these estimations are justified, considering that Facebook is having a tough time and Snapchat is never out of ideas to entertain its users.

Sephora

Sephora is known for its beauty and make-up process and the brand already sees huge demand and interest. However, Sephora decided to level up its game and is now offering a unique AR experience in a form of a virtual makeup assistance.

The app by Sephora lets the users try all sort of makeup on their face (with the help of the camera, face recognition, and AR) and makes the process of choosing the matching makeup faster, easier and more fun. The users don’t even have to go to the store: now with a few taps it’s possible to try, choose and order the desired product – and all that can be done from home and within a couple minutes!

Lacoste

Shoes and clothes are something you definitely need to try on before buying – but Lacoste managed to digitize the experience and attract new customers with its Lacoste AR app.

First introduced in 2014, the app had a true wow-effect and won the hearts of the young audience immediately. It allows trying the shoes on via the AR technology and buying the shoes right in the app.

IBM Shopping

E-Commerce is evolving and so do mobile apps for the stores. IBM developed an app that provides the user with 100% personalized experience.

By using the device’s camera and image processing technology, the app gives information about the product that you point on. Information includes product description, comparison with other items, customer reviews, and recommendations. The app can also rank the product and can be used as a marketing tool as it sends personalized offers and incentives to the user.

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Outthink Hidden

This app was developed by IBM in collaboration with NY Times and combines the elements of fun and education. Similar to Pokemon Go, Outthink Hidden invites the users to search for the hidden historical figures across 150 locations in the USA. Once the figure is found, the user will receive its full bio and information about the person and their achievements.

Gap Dressing Room

Similar to Lacoste, Gap created an app that invites users to “try on” the clothes via the AR and then purchase an item if they like it.

The app offers you to choose from five body types and then try on the Gap clothes on the created mannequin. You can also place the mannequin anywhere you point your smartphone camera on for better experience.

What’s the deal for mobile app providers?

With rising demand for AR, we as mobile app development providers always research for the best ways to bring up great AR experience. We believe that AR technology is the future of mobile industry and we believe it’s a happy future.