Will augmented reality kill the retail store?
Samsung’s new augmented reality make-up app is set to change the face of shopping
Wearing the hottest new shade of eye shadow, you stare at your visage on a mobile phone. You can’t help but wonder: was your mother correct when she said yellow undertones make you look as if you have scurvy? So you try a shade with stronger hues and begrudgingly admit that she may have been right (again). You click the purchase button on the selfie screen of your phone, where you have been virtually trying on the newest line by cosmetics retailer Sephora, and are informed that your make-up purchase will be delivered to you in two days. This might seem like a scene from a sci-fi blockbuster, but it is happening somewhere in Seoul today. Augmented reality (AR) is the superimposition of a computer-generated image on a user’s real world view. In the example above, AR allows you to virtually try on different shades of make-up until you’ve found the right fit. Through this added layer of imagery or information on top of a camera-based image or video, users can find new ways to interact w...
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