There’s a new buzzword in town, folks! It’s phygital!
Just like the Matrix, our digital lives and our physical lives are quickly becoming indistinguishable. Soon we’ll have a hard time telling the two apart.
Customers and clients are already expecting both worlds to be consistent with each other. According to Salesforce, a full 75% of consumers expect their brand experiences to be consistent across all platforms including physical.
So, how do you get phygital with your marketing? Keep scrolling to find out.
1. Video Brochures
When I first heard the words video brochures, I was scratching my head. I imagined some hokey email marketing program that built video-laden emails for marketing. That’s not at all what video brochures are.
Video screen technology is so advanced, we can now put a video screen inside a contact lens. So, why not put a video inside a physical brochure?
Video brochures allow you to market through video in a surprising way. If a customer or potential client takes this bit of physical media home with them, others will see it and be amazed when they open the brochure to find high-quality video.
2. Augmented Reality
Imagine a world in which you walk down the street and directions to the nearest pub hover over the street like real-life cartoons. This is the future of augmented reality. But we’re not there yet.
While that kind of augmented reality is a few years away due to prohibitive costs, mobile augmented reality is already here.
Games like Pokemon Go and Wizards Unite have pushed the boundaries of what’s possible with smartphone sensors and cameras. Then came Snapchat with its image filtering software which does a decent job of augmenting human faces.
Augmented reality is probably the easiest way to go phygital right now. There are plenty of app development suites available to help you build your own app with augmented reality capabilities.
Imagine you sell furniture. You could easily create an augmented reality app and allow customers to place your furniture in their space digitally.
3. Digital Parties
Your clients might be spread across the globe. That doesn’t mean you can’t invite them to a party.
Client appreciation events increase client loyalty. Why not throw a digital party for your clients?
Send them each a package with treats and maybe a visa gift card to purchase a beverage of their choice. Then set a time and a date for the party. Have them tune in through skype or hangouts for online games or a shared film watch event.
If your clients own VR headsets, you could even create a virtual party in spaces like Altspace VR or VRChat.
4. Retail Popups
Don’t have a physical store? Operating your clothing line out of your Manhattan apartment like my friend over at Quinby Vintage? Set up a popup somewhere and invite your customers.
A physical store involves a ton of overhead. Operating online avoids this and maximizes profits. But customers still want to touch and experience items before buying them.
A retail popup is the best solution to get phygital.