4 Advantages of Using Augmented Reality in Business

Augmented Reality  ·  2024-04-10  ·  3 min read  ·  By Maya A.

Augmented reality stopped being a novelty for Indonesian businesses around 2022. Since then, it has become a commercial tool — one that a growing number of companies are using not because it is impressive but because it works. The brands that have moved past the pilot stage and embedded AR into their core sales and marketing processes report consistent, measurable advantages over competitors who have not. Here are the four advantages that matter most.

1. Higher Conversion Rates at the Point of Decision

The moment a customer decides to buy — or walks away — is almost always a moment of uncertainty. Does this sofa fit my living room? Will this colour look good on my skin tone? Is this apartment the right size? AR resolves uncertainty with direct sensory experience rather than asking customers to imagine.

The commercial result is consistently higher conversion. Studies across categories — furniture, beauty, eyewear, automotive, property — show that customers who interact with AR content are significantly more likely to complete a purchase than those who only see static images or videos. InReality Solutions clients in the Indonesian market report similar patterns: qualified leads who have engaged with an AR experience close at higher rates and with fewer rounds of negotiation.

2. Reduced Returns and Post-Purchase Dissatisfaction

Returns cost Indonesian e-commerce and retail businesses billions of rupiah annually. A significant portion of returns happen not because products are defective but because they did not match expectations: the colour looked different on screen, the size was hard to judge from photos, or the style did not suit the buyer as imagined.

AR addresses this by setting accurate expectations before purchase. A customer who has seen a chair in their actual room, in their actual lighting conditions, makes a buying decision based on accurate information. Return rates in categories with AR-enabled product viewing consistently fall after implementation — with some brands reporting reductions of 20–35%.

3. Shorter Sales Cycles for Complex B2B Products

For Indonesian B2B businesses selling complex products — machinery, commercial furniture, architectural finishes, industrial equipment — the traditional sales cycle involves multiple site visits, printed catalogues, and rounds of specification back-and-forth that can stretch for months.

AR compresses this cycle by allowing procurement teams to evaluate options virtually, see products in their intended environment, and configure specifications without requiring physical samples. A procurement manager in Surabaya evaluating commercial kitchen equipment from a Jakarta supplier can make a more informed decision from a WebAR presentation than from a catalogue — reducing the number of meetings needed to close and cutting the administrative friction out of the sales process.

4. Training and Operations at Lower Cost

AR's fourth business advantage is less visible to customers but highly significant for operations: it reduces the cost and risk of training employees to operate complex processes, equipment, or procedures.

In Indonesian manufacturing, hospitality, and healthcare sectors, AR is being used to guide employees through complex procedures step by step — overlaying instructions onto the actual equipment or environment they are working with. This reduces training time, decreases errors during the learning period, and allows knowledge to be standardised and updated centrally rather than varying by trainer or location.

The cost case is compelling: once an AR training module is developed, delivery is nearly free. A single investment replaces recurring costs in trainer time, travel, and consumables for the life of the procedure.

Implementing AR in Your Business

The right starting point for most Indonesian businesses is a single, high-value AR application — typically a product viewer or configurator for the category where customer uncertainty is highest. From there, AR can be extended across the product range, integrated into the sales process, and eventually embedded in training and operations.

InReality Solutions works with Indonesian businesses across retail, property, automotive, FMCG, and B2B manufacturing to design, build, and deploy AR solutions that deliver measurable commercial advantage. Explore AR for e-commerce, AR for sales and marketing, or contact our team to discuss your specific business case.