Amazon, quite discreetly, has launched a new app called “Amazon Augmented Reality,” which allows users to get more out of their shipping box than just the item they ordered. The app will allow you to scan a QR code on the box for an immersive AR experience, giving a theme to your orders.
For example, some boxes that ship out today will have a faceless pumpkin, allowing you to draw your perfect pumpkin yourself. Once you are done, just scan the box and voila, your pumpkin will come to life, as a jack-o-lantern. Moreover, you can customize it even further using filters, stickers, and much more. You can also switch the camera to put the pumpkin in your selfie, or swap it with your face.
Amazon has been preparing for festival season for a long time now, scheduling the Prime Day in a way that it works as a prelude to the shopping/festive season. This new AR experience will help the company gain an edge over its competitors, giving a theme to not just the items you have shopped but the shopping experience as well.
If the app is successful, Amazon can then use it to set the mood for shopping frenzies, and roll out effects for Christmas, Easter, Black Friday and its own festival-the Prime Day.
However, the new boxes are just rolling out, so there’s a chance that you might not have received it yet. That being said, you can keep ordering from Amazon until you get one, something that Jeff Bezos probably counts upon.
The app is available for both iOS and Android.
