While many people see augmented reality as a novelty, it now works beyond that. It has become a powerful tool for marketing, thanks to its ability to deliver immersive customer experiences. If you're looking to embark on this exciting marketing journey, here are ten AR tools for interactive marketing:
1. ZapWorks by Zappar
One of the most robust AR platforms for entrepreneurs and marketers, ZapWorks offers flexibility and control to your interactive marketing efforts. It has a drag-and-drop editor and advanced scripting features that are accessible to both beginners and experts. With it, they can create immersive product packaging, gamified promotions, or location-based experiences for their customers.
Additionally, ZapWorks allows you to monitor engagement, dwell time, and conversion metrics through its analytics and CMS integration capabilities. It offers three pricing plans — Developer, Pro, and Enterprise — with prices starting at $12.99 per month.
2. Google Lens
While not your traditional AR creation tool, Google Lens can still be used for your interactive marketing tasks. It's a powerful visual search engine that you can tap for real-world engagement. You can use it as a visual search, allowing users to scan your products, ads, and storefronts with their phone camera. Lens will then identify the item and show them the links to buy, review, or brand content, making it the ideal digital touchpoints for retail and packaging.
That said, you can now optimize your brand assets — such as images, packaging, and signage — to be Lens-friendly. And since it is already built into Android and Google apps, it offers the potential for a wider organic reach and high-intent search.
3. 8thWall
A leading name in the WebAR industry, 8thWall lets you create AR experiences without the need for an app download. Your users only need to tap a link or scan a QR code to launch an AR experience in their browsers. It is universally accessible thanks to its cross-platform compatibility.
8thWall also has a low learning curve as it has a drag-and-drop editor, which you can use to prototype and deploy campaigns using visual tools and generative AI. It is best for use in retail and packaging, events and activations, and social campaigns. It offers a free plan and two paid plans, with pricing starting at $20 per month.
4. Snap AR
Going beyond a creative tool, Snap AR is a marketing magnet. The Lenses you create in Lens Studio are instantly shareable on Snapchat. This gives you access to a global user base that is primed for interaction. It offers AI-powered tools that let you generate 2D and 3D assets and effects from simple text or image prompts. It does not require coding knowledge, making it an ideal option for beginners.
Snap AR also offers shoppable AR and try-on features that link your customers directly to your e-commerce shopping platform. This and many other features make it a suitable AR tool for the beauty and fashion industry, product and event launches, and user-generated content (UGC) campaigns.
5. BlippAR
One of the oldest names in the AR space, BlippAR is known for helping businesses turn everyday objects into exciting interactive experiences. It supports browser-based AR (WebAR) and native app experiences. This gives marketers and entrepreneurs options based on their campaign goals and audience behavior. Furthermore, it lets you build branded games, tutorials, and product demos, making it ideal for educators, retail businesses, and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG).
BlippAR lets you try the app for free, but for advanced features, you may choose from its four pricing plans: the Creative, Creative Plus, Pro, and Education. Pricing starts at £7.99 per month (around $10.65).
6. Unity MARS
Created to help marketers craft awesome AR experiences, Unity MARS (Mixed and Augmented Reality Studio) promises intelligent responses to the physical world. This is the ideal AR tool for location-based campaigns, spatial storytelling, and dynamic product demos. Your AR content will adapt to environmental conditions, such as lighting, surfaces, and user movement.
Unity MARS's key features include plain-language authoring, proxy-based workflows, simulation environments, and customizable building blocks, among others. Like many on this list, it offers a free plan and several premium plans, with pricing starting at $200 per month.
7. Inner Reality
A new player on the AR game, Inner Reality is a marketing platform that helps businesses create immersive experiences for their clients. It can track how your users interact with your AR content, providing valuable insights into your customers' preferences and intent. Additionally, it analyzes user behavior to help you create customized follow-up content to increase conversion and engagement rates.
Inner Reality also offers cross-channel integration. This enables you to embed AR experiences in your website, social media platforms, and physical touchpoints such as packaging and signage. This AR interactive marketing tool can help you launch AR games and tutorials, events and pop-ups, digital campaigns, and many others.
8. Vuforia Engine
A software development tool, Vuforia Engine, is one of the most established AR platforms for interactive marketing. It is known for its precise tracking, broad device compatibility, and enterprise-grade reliability. This AR tool can recognize and track 2D images, 3D objects, and environments, making it the ideal option for interactive packaging, product demos, and branded installations.
Vuforia has a free plan if you want to explore this AR tool. However, it offers two premium plans with more features. Contact their sales team directly for pricing.
9. Augment
Taking pride in its own AR technology, Augment is created specifically for e-commerce business owners. It has a Web 3D feature that lets your shoppers view your products from every angle. This allows them to check out how your products will benefit them before buying, right in the comfort of their homes or on their mobile devices.
Augment has a 3D Factory that converts 2D product images into lifelike 3D models. All you need to do is install its 3D viewer on your website or app. Users can then rotate and inspect your products from any angle.
10. Threekit
A visual commerce platform, Threekit lets you build and customize 3D models of your products to showcase on your e-commerce site. This is the ideal AR tool for many businesses, especially those in the furniture, fashion, electronics, and industrial equipment industries.
Like many on this list, Augment is a no-download tool that lets your users instantly view your products in a real-world environment. In addition, this AR tool automatically generates thousands of photorealistic 2D images from your 3D models, saving you time and money on traditional product photography.
Photo credit: Bradley Hook on Pexels
