Direct marketing is a form of marketing that focuses on communicating directly with customers

or clients in order to promote products or services. The method of communication by the

advertiser or marketer can come in many different formats, like email, social ads, or even direct
mail.

Chapter 1: Introduction

Background
The retail sector has gone through a high progress over a long period of time. It has greatly
advanced in the area of new technology which is greatly influenced by preferences of the
consumers. Augmented Reality has given rise to new disruptive innovation that has the potential
of retail transformation which enhance the shopping experiences of the customers while making
new purchases in the retail market. They are also influenced by the selling and purchasing
behavior of the consumers. This study will aim to develop our understanding on the effects of
AR technology on individual shopping experience of the consumers of the United Kingdom.
Subsequently, it has also affected their purchasing decisions while being involved in new
purchases. AR technology is relied on digital information that improve the presentation skills
through digital networking, 3D models, videos, and images that are bring to real world using AR
glasses, tablets, and smartphones. This AR technology has successfully developed interest of the
consumers as the technology owns the ability to fill gap existing between offline and online
shopping stores. The retailers believe in developing immersive and interactive engagement with
the brand. As in the case of UK and other global regions, consumers are involved in informative
retail journeys (Chen et al., 2021). AR is successful to deliver productive outcomes through
visualized merchandising, virtual clothing, and providing instant and accurate product details to
the consumers. The retail landscape, in this modern era, has seen digital evolution in terms of
industrial development and consumers are seeking to get comprehensive details of the products
and increase product customization and personalization. Google has conducted a survey which
highlights the interest of the customers that has developed on the social media platforms of the
company such as Instagram and Snapchat. These social media platforms have brought popular
social media trends in the business market. There are many players such as IKEA and Apple that
have reflected integrated AR technology capabilities enabling customers to visualize their
merchandising experience while driving in-app and online purchases. This rapid adaptability of
AR technology has improved both retailers and consumers experience which significantly
influence purchasing decisions and consumer behavior (Google, 2019).

United Kingdom is a nation that impacts the evolution of new AR technologies in the retail
sector. THE UNITED KINGDOM, RENOWNED FOR ITS TECH-SAVVY POPULATION,
STANDS TO BE PARTICULARLY IMPACTED BY THE INTRODUCTION OF NEW
TECHNOLOGIES SUCH AS AR INTO THE RETAIL MARKET.