Augmented and virtual reality in managing B2B customer experiences

Abstract

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are promising approaches that B2B companies consider to be part of their customer experience management. However, this area is largely unexplored academically, resulting in a lack of theory and practical guidance. Based on existing customer experience and AR/ VR literature, we anticipate that these technologies can expand touchpoints in the customer journey, enhancing the experiences of professionals involved in purchasing activities by providing them with empowerment and support. Consequently, we applied exploratory, theory-building research to identify and organize current industry practices into a coherent framework and theorize their role in shaping customer experiences. For example, current marketing use cases include project and product visualization, event-based engagement, remote support, and employee training, and are particularly employed in the early stages of the customer journey. We also identified several benefits related to branding, relationships, transactions, costs, and sustainability. The theoretical contribution of our study extends the current understanding of the role of AR and VR in B2B customer experience management. It provides practical insights for B2B marketing professionals on the strategic deployment of AR and VR technologies to enhance customer experiences based on real-world examples.