ABOUT The project
ExportAR: Marine is the world’s first sales application to use augmented reality (AR), immersive technology to connect UK exporters with overseas buyers and partners. The pilot project which is built for and in partnership with UK based Marine companies is funded by the Department for International Trade and delivered by Business West.
The ExportAR: Marine project is working to accomplish the following goals:
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Use immersive AR technology to support UK exporters in the marine sector, and provide potential buyers with an informative, memorable and interactive experience to enrich the sales process.
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Develop a cross-border sales solution for UK exporters which enables immersive and interactive product demonstrations whilst the seller and buyer are in separate locations.
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Optimise cross-border sales process by reducing time, cost and emissions associated with overseas travel.
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Provide a Covid-secure method for UK exporters to sell overseas.
Watch the extended promotional film
The extended version of the project's promotional film contains interviews with Mark Miles, Managing Director of Render and Jim Hodgson, Project Implementation Manager at Business West. Render are the technology partners for this project and have created the app and products in augmented reality.
The APP
ExportAR: Marine will initially be developed for Apple iPad devices powered by IOS 9 or later. Prospective buyers will be invited to download the ExportAR: Marine app from the Apple Business Store. Within the app, they’ll be able to request and schedule a meeting with one of our three participating Marine companies. Just like the meetings we’ve all become accustomed to attending in Zoom or MS Teams, it will begin with a video call between all attendees.
Once the meeting starts the seller will be able to present to the meeting attendees and, at the click of a button, they’ll be able to showcase their product using AR to display photo-real 3D models of their products. Take a look at the screenshot below to see how AR would be utilised within the app. Every user in the meeting will be able to interact with the product. Moving and rotating the product, pinching to zoom, double-tapping to reveal layers and features as well as view video and other rich content giving users an immersive and enriched sales experience. At the end of the meeting, buyer attendees will be asked to conduct a short survey about both the Export AR: Marine app and their overall experience.
The primary benefits of the app are as follows:
