AR & Interactive Print for Travel and Tourism
Augmented Reality (AR) could change how companies in travel and tourism talk to their customers. By connecting physical print with virtual digital experiences, AR gives travel businesses a powerful new way to engage and interact with customers. Recent studies show that Interactive Print can deliver outstanding marketing results, such as direct mail response rates above 40% and click-through rates well over 50%. It has also been seen to raise brand awareness by around 20%, and up to 72% of consumers are more likely to remember a brand or product they’ve engaged with through Interactive Print. It’s also worth stressing that Interactive Print is surprisingly cost-effective and, in certain situations, can lower what you spend on print and direct mailing.
An Interactive Print campaign powered by Augmented Reality could help tour operators reach people through both digital and traditional channels. On a smartphone or tablet, users could step into an immersive 3D environment triggered by a printed ad, a direct mail piece or product packaging. A marketing channel like this could drive higher customer engagement and let marketers measure behavior more effectively than ever.
Interactive Print campaigns powered by AR could also give customers real-time information about local attractions and tour offerings, and let them explore and interact with a product before they commit to buying it. A tour operator’s AR-powered direct mail piece, for example, could include an interactive 3D environment with information about a destination or tour package. The customer could look around the virtual environment and make an informed decision about their travel plans based on what they see and experience.
Using Data for Better Targeting
Interactive Print campaigns that use AR can also help create more personalized experiences. With customer data and AI-driven algorithms, marketers can shape the interactive 3D environment of an AR campaign around each customer’s preferences. Personalization like this lifts engagement and makes the experience memorable, so it stays with the user long after they’ve finished exploring the virtual environment.
Interactive Print campaigns powered by Augmented Reality could also tell marketers a good deal about their customers’ behavior and interests, as well as driving engagement and conversions. By tracking interactions inside the 3D environment, marketers can see what customers are looking for and how they engage with different events and locations. That information can inform future campaigns and help tour operators understand their target audience better.
Examples
Some great examples of Interactive Print in tourism marketing:
- National Geographic has used Interactive Print and Augmented Reality (AR) to let users reveal hidden content on printed maps. It has also made interactive fold-outs that let users explore destinations in more detail.
- The Louvre Museum in Paris improved the visitor experience with interactive print displays. QR codes on printed brochures gave visitors extra information about exhibits, including audio recordings of museum curators leading tours.
- The Singapore Tourism Board used interactive print marketing to promote the city-state as a destination. Its printed materials carried QR codes that opened engaging tourism videos and other content about the city’s attractions.
The real potential of Interactive Print campaigns with AR lies in two things: they can drive engagement across many channels, and demand for enhanced interactive experiences keeps growing. Global Market Insights expects the global augmented reality market to pass $50 billion by 2024, with tourism one of the major industries driving that growth. It’s also worth noting that North America is the largest market for AR in tourism, with 35% of the global market share in 2021.
Overall, Augmented Reality gives travel and tour operators several exciting ways to engage customers on a more personal level, while collecting insights they can use to improve how their business runs.
More Personalized, More Engaging Customer Experiences
AR-enabled direct mail and Interactive Print campaigns have the potential to change how travel companies market their products and services. They give customers a more personal, more engaging experience, and they give the company valuable insights in return.
In the end, Augmented Reality could change how travel and tour operators market what they offer, and it gives customers access to immersive experiences like no other. Use it in print campaigns and travel companies can create highly personalized experiences that build loyalty and drive conversions.
Contact Us if you’d like to learn more about AR and Interactive Print for travel and tourism marketing, and how your business can benefit from Interactive Print marketing powered by Augmented Reality.