Augmented reality is gradually taking off and more marketers are turning to the technology to bolster engagement. L’Occitane tapped Moodstocks to help power the campaign.

“L’Occitane wants to provide consumers with a very easy way to buy the products they love thanks to their mobile phones,” said Denis Brule, co-founder/CEO of Moodstocks, Paris. “Say you just discovered a L’Occitane product showcased in a catalog or a TV ad.

“You should be able to buy it right here, right now,” he said. “That’s why we built the L’Occitane scanner.”

New technologies
L’Occitane dedicated the first page of its catalog to the app. The call-to-action explains how it works and invites consumers to try it out.

Furthermore, other calls-to-action were inserted into all scannable pages to further build engagement.

When consumers scan a page, the content instantly appears. From there, consumers are able to access the product datasheet, add it to their purchase list for online shopping or find the closest retail location.

Moreover, consumers are able to watch product videos after scanning.

“We actually leverage our on-device image recognition platform in order to deliver the best experience to end users,” Mr. Brule said. “The recognition literally occurs in the blink of an eye as we avoid network latencies.

“All you have to do is launch the scanner and point your device to any page in the catalog to instantly access product details. It’s the best experience ever,” he said.

Past efforts
L’Occitane’s new initiative is further proof the company is making mobile a focal point of its overall strategy.

Last year, the company targeted mobile users with an interactive digital catalog that consumers could have viewed on tablets.

The interactive digital catalog was available in 64 versions for L’Occitane’s numerous Web sites and Facebook pages across 28 different countries (see story).

“So far the L’Occitane scanner only works with catalogs, but its reach will soon be extended to flyers, packaging as well as TV spots,” Mr. Brule said.

“All in all it’s the easiest way for consumers to buy the products they love wherever they’re being advertised,” he said.

Final Take
Rimma Kats is associate editor on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York