As soon as once more it’s the Christmas season at Westfield Procuring Facilities and as soon as once more the season is being ushered in with cellular AR within the type of the “Vacation Hunt.” The expertise is festive enjoyable however this yr it consists of some monetary advantages for savvy buyers as nicely.
To be taught extra about this yr’s expertise, together with how and why it differs from final yr’s expertise, we talked with Loren Miller. Miller is the SVP of US Media and Strategic Partnerships for Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW), the property administration firm behind Westfield procuring facilities.
You Bear in mind the Vacation Hunt
Final yr’s Vacation Hunt, which supplied supplies name “the world’s first web-based augmented actuality scavenger hunt,” was successful. An invention to carry some festivities again to the vacations in the course of the first COVID-19 winter, the cellular AR occasion returns with some modifications.
See Additionally: How Augmented Actuality in Retail Procuring Boosts Enterprise Progress
“The Westfield ‘Vacation Hunt’ was created as a novel expertise final yr to have interaction buyers in a enjoyable and contactless manner,” stated Miller. “The hunt introduced the spirit of the vacation season throughout our portfolio by means of 3D characters designed to shock and delight friends in our facilities.”
This yr’s Vacation Hunt cellular AR expertise is launched by means of an analogous QR code activation and options a number of the similar actions that buyers loved final yr, particularly holiday-themed selfie lenses and festive 3D characters together with dancing gingerbread folks and reindeer. However this yr, there’s added utility to the enjoyable because of a brand new challenge associate.
What’s New This 12 months?
The primary occasion was created by eighth Wall and COFFEE Labs. Collectively they created the scavenger hunt expertise that generated filters and results in addition to AR characters, all utilizing QR code-based cellular AR on a consumer’s sensible machine. Each studios returned to the challenge this yr with Afterpay.
Afterpay is a web-based cost system that permits customers to pay for purchases over time. The involvement within the cellular AR expertise provides a extra immediately business side, however the firm additionally introduced their very own creativity.
“Afterpay is making the entire expertise extra enjoyable by bringing their ‘Hidden Helpers’ 2D artistic characters from their promoting into the expertise,” stated Miller. “Every ‘Hidden Helper’ unlocks a proposal that may be redeemed on the model’s location in our middle, which in the end helps assist bodily procuring gross sales for our tenants and Afterpay’s retailers.”
These 2D Vacation Helpers got an additional dimension by COFFEE Labs in order that they match the prevailing aesthetic of the expertise, which is all nonetheless powered by eighth Wall’s cellular AR prowess.
“We’ve enhanced this system by together with extra integration of our Digital Out-of-Dwelling community this yr – The Westfield Community – selling the QR codes on Afterpay artistic whereas sustaining the whimsical and vacation enjoyable of the core program,” stated Miller.
Cellular AR in Westfield Procuring Facilities
The participation of shops was additionally a deciding issue within the modifications to this yr’s occasion. The extra bold hunt is being supplied at 9 areas across the nation primarily based on retailer participation in final yr’s occasion:
- Montgomery – Bethesda, MD
- Backyard State Plaza – Paramus, NJ
- Southcenter – Seattle, WA
- Topanga – Los Angeles, CA
- The Village at Topanga – Los Angeles, CA
- Santa Anita – Los Angeles, CA
- Valley Honest – San Jose, CA
- Galleria at Roseville – Sacramento, CA
- UTC – San Diego, CA
You might discover that there are fewer areas than had been taking part final yr. That’s a part of a purpose to carry the very best expertise to the areas that the majority actively embraced it final yr – not an indication that URW is dropping curiosity in cellular AR. In reality, they’re extra concerned than ever and already wanting ahead to the brand new yr.
“We completely see this expertise, and experiences like this, having legs within the post-pandemic world. We’re seeing an inflow of purchasers coming to us to create these premium, hybrid experiences that join digital to bodily touchpoints,” stated Miller. “We’re additionally enthusiastic about what 2022 has in retailer, we will probably be testing new, cutting-edge digital ideas on The Westfield Community and our bodily areas to assist retailers and companions within the coming yr.”
A Nice Alternative With Extra to Come
The Vacation Hunt is ongoing now and can proceed by means of December 25 on the areas listed above. If you happen to’re within the neighborhood of any of the taking part procuring facilities, test it out. Even in the event you aren’t able to see this occasion this time, look ahead to extra cellular AR in additional areas subsequent yr.
