Lego Is Using Augmented Reality and More to Enhance Its Omnichannel Strategy

Brought to you by WBR Insights

As the lines between the digital and physical world become ever more blurred, retail brands are discovering new ways to leverage technology to augment the shopping experience for their customers.

According to Google, omnichannel strategies lead to an 80% higher rate of incremental store visits, so using technology to draw customers in clearly works. Meanwhile, 59% of shoppers have stated they like to research a product online before they make a purchase, and 70% say the ability to shop in person at a physical store is important when deciding which retailer they want to spend their money with. Technologies such as augmented reality are also seeing massive growth, with the AR/VR market size sitting at $18.8 billion as of 2020.

One brand which has long been championed for its ability to create amazing experiences for its customers is Lego, and the famous toy company is investing heavily in omnichannel growth.

Lego

Lego has recently announced ambitious plans to expand its online and physical store presences in a move to bring its innovative toys to more children than ever before. Lego believes that, as children are drawn ever closer to digital toys and video games, the need to foster the kind of creativity its brightly colored plastic bricks do is even greater.

To achieve this, Lego planned to open 140 stores in 35 Chinese cities by the end of 2019, while opening more than 70 stores in other markets. In 2020, it plans to open an office in Mumbai, India as a jumping-off point for that market. This new army of physical stores will be supported by a significant upgrade to its ecommerce presence designed to improve the buying experience for online shoppers and its wholesale partners.

"At the same time, we're making upfront investments to create a strong foundation from which to grow in the long-term and inspire future generations," said Lego Group Chief Executive, Niels B Christiansen. "This includes opening new markets, expanding in China, creating innovative retail experiences and developing exciting new products and play experiences."

Backing this investment up is a brand-new marketing campaign, designed to leverage the best of digital technology to inspire children. The 'Rebuild the World' campaign follows the chase between a clever rabbit and an unlucky hunter. Each character, animal, and vehicle featured in the campaign is based on an existing or past Lego toy, including a life-size replica of the Lego House in Billund and heads that spin 360 degrees.

"The World Economic Forum identified creative problem solving as one of the top skills children will need in a future job market that will be turned on its head by automation and digitization," said Lego Chief Marketing Officer, Julia Goldin. "To address this, we're launching Rebuild the World, a campaign that aims to fire-up children's creativity so that they have the skills needed to succeed in tomorrow's world."

Augmented Reality

Lego is also leveraging the power of augmented reality technology to add another layer of experience to its toy sets. The new sets are called Hidden Side, and all follow a spooky theme. There's a graveyard, a haunted high school, a ghostly fairground, a lighthouse and more, and each comes with innovative augmented reality functionality to bring the adventures to life.

Customers can download the Lego Hidden Side app and hold it over their sets to hunt ghosts and discover other hidden features. Hidden Side even has multiplayer functionality where one player acts as the ghost hunter, while up to three others assume the role of their spectral prey. There are also mighty boss ghost characters to give players an additional challenge and even puzzle elements that require you to manipulate objects in the physical environment and on the app.

There's a story running through the whole experience to keep kids (or adults) glued to the action. The long-term success of the product will probably rely on whether Lego continually updates the app with new features and games for each set and gives players exciting experiences to enjoy when out and about. Otherwise, the attraction may be short lived. However, the recent addition of the aforementioned multiplayer mode suggests that Lego is committed to supporting this endeavor far into the future.

Final Thoughts

With significant omnichannel investment, a new innovative marketing campaign, and the use of amazing technology such as augmented reality, Lego seems committed to crafting incredible new experiences for its loyal customers. Many other brands could stand to take a leaf from Lego's book and innovate in this space for themselves.

---

For more insights, join us at eTail Boston 2020, taking place at The Sheraton, Boston.

Download the agenda today for more information.