Augmented reality as a resource to sell more toys

Happinet Corporation, a japanese toy company, is testing kiosks with augmented reality capabilities developed by Chariot that allow consumers to interact with toys without having to take them out of the box.

The Japanese company Chariot, specialized in the development of augmented reality solutions, has launched a new personalized augmented reality kiosk for the new 'Domino World' toy line’ from the Happinet Corporation brand. The kiosk, that uses Metaio technology, It is the first of its kind to be developed in Japan.

A problem affecting many packaged toys, según Eiji Utsu, from Happinet Original Toy Development Division, the thing is, since customers cannot play directly with the product, becomes less attractive. This, in turn, can make them less likely to buy it. “Although products such as household appliances, Stationery and clothing can be physically touched by customers, with certain toys, this can be very difficult”, Utsu pointed out.

The augmented reality kiosk offers, therefore, an attractive solution. When customers place a box of a Domino World series toy in front of the kiosk's built-in camera, 3D animated content appears on the kiosk screen on the packaging, allowing customers to preview the toy. “Knowing the contents of a product and being able to enjoy playing with it is the key. We decided to adopt the augmented reality kiosk to meet these needs”, ha agregado Utsu.

For your part, Timothy Sullivan, Chariot AR Project Manager, has stated: “We are very excited about this project and the possibilities it offers.. As can be seen in the amazed faces of the people who see this kiosk, augmented reality has the power to captivate people, introducing you to something new and magical, and as a result of this interaction, they urge them to purchase a product. Our goal is to expand the use of augmented reality in the toy industry, not only in the form of a kiosk, but also as downloadable interactive content”.

The usefulness of this kiosk in the toy industry, Utsu understands that it will mean a change. “It is a revolutionary sales tool. I think there is a good chance that this type of technology will significantly change in-store promotional activities in the future.”, has concluded.