Blippar, the AR-advertising company that lets users scan real-world objects to bring up extended augmented reality content, has today released a huge update that not only increases the speed of the technology, but allows for enhanced social sharing features for users.
Blippar was launched in 2011 in the UK, and has since expanded to the U.S. as well. The technology works by letting users scan things like a magazine page, a ketchup bottle, or anything that has the Blippar tag to see all kinds of extra content, like promotions, suggested recipes, coupons, and more. In fact, it’s entirely up to the brand what kind of Blippable content they’ll include in their campaign.
According to founder and CEO Rish Mitra, the update has made the image recognition technology ten percent faster. But perhaps more important to the brands Blippar is working with, the app now allows users to share Blippar content.
Before, Blippar users were only able to like or follow a brand’s social media pages on Twitter or Facebook. With the udpate, users can sign in to their own Facebook and Twitter accounts to spread the Blippar content virally.
The update also includes an in-app catalog, allowing users to browse through Blippable content that is trending, but may not be accessible at the moment without access to that Blip tag on the real-world object.
On the brand side, Blippar is offering more in-depth analytics. Alongside location, dwell time, overall blips, and in-app interactions, brands will now receive analytics on anonymized demographic data thanks to the new integration with Facebook and Twitter.
Blippar has been cash-positive since three month’s after its 2010 launch, but Mitra tells TechCrunch that Blippar has “a strong lead velocity and over 70 percent client retention as a business proving value of the medium.”
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The UI has also gotten a revamp, allowing for 3D modeling, which will be identical across all platforms, including iOS, Android, and BlackBerry Z10.
