Augmented reality (AR) smart mirrors offer a new paradigm for retailers, but are yet to become integral into consumers daily lives. A recent study from Greenlight Insights titled AR Smart Mirrors at CES 2020: A New Retail Paradigm, establishes that smart mirror companies see augmented reality as a differentiator but are naïve in their ability to effectively educate consumers on the value created by AR smart mirrors.

AR smart mirrors are slowly becoming a recurring theme in retail, hospitality, and health & wellness businesses. Business leaders in these industries consider AR smart mirrors to be a strategic lever to help them individualize product offers and enable consumers to visualize products in different settings. The Greenlight Insights report reveals that the level of investment in AR smart mirrors is rapidly increasing. 40% of smart mirror companies are already dabbling with AR capabilities at different scales to create differentiation and transformative brand experiences.

At Greenlight Insights, we have observed, however, that this enthusiasm from retail, hospitality, and health & wellness organizations in introducing AR smart mirrors within their operations does not always mirror the proficiency with which they do so. There is a disconnect between the envisioning and the actual implementation of AR smart mirrors within customer service operations. As a result, strategic AR smart mirror implementations become isolated experiments within operations.

"The market for AR smart mirrors has grown substantially this past year and we expect this to continue in the years to come," says Clifton Dawson, CEO at Greenlight Insights. "It is the next battleground for manufacturers targeting the hospitality and beauty retailing sectors. Add to that the rise of smart assistants and 3D avatars, and companies have the perfect formula to sell consumers on a device that's complementary to the device ecosystem that is in their home.”

Greenlight Insights noted that the absence of sufficient marketing programs is a common issue among AR smart mirror projects. The vision is strategic. Implementation is random. This impacts the effectiveness of AR in creating value for smart mirror customers and end-users.

“With the anticipated increase in activity and AR investments, it is critical that smart mirror organizations use the right approach to connect different elements of their operation together,” says Alexis Macklin, Research Manager at Greenlight Insights.

Greenlight Insights’ AR Smart Mirrors at CES 2020: A New Retail Paradigm is available now. For more information, visit greenlightinsights.com or email hello@greenlightinsights.com.

About Greenlight Insights

Greenlight Insights provides market intelligence on smart, virtual reality, and augmented reality display technologies through proprietary data, insights, and analysis. Greenlight Insights delivers critical strategic insights to the world's leading technology companies, publishers, service providers, institutional investors, and government entities.

Based in San Francisco, with offices in Los Angeles, Boston, and Denver, Greenlight Insights comprises a diverse team of highly skilled industry professionals who offer deep expertise about next-generation displays.