When it comes to sales and marketing, you'd think that we'd have figured it out by now. But that couldn't be further from the truth. 

Yes, there are best practices that industries rely on. But the river of marketing rarely makes for gentle sailing. Customers are canny individuals, who can turn on a brand in a second if they don't like what they see. 

Equally, a competitor can sink your flagship with a single marketing campaign. Customers like to move with the tide and may leave you at sea if you don't move with them. 

Enough maritime analogies. What we're saying is that there are always new ways to engage your customers – and a surefire way to keep things fresh and exciting is to pay close attention to their media habits and the technologies they're engaging with. 

Of course, social media has been hugely successful for sales and engagement, providing businesses with big data and deeper insights into their customers' wonts and whims. 

However, extended reality (XR) is likely to be a key player moving forward, with PwC estimating that the technology will likely increase global GDP by $1.5 trillion by 2030.

But how, exactly, is XR helping businesses connect with their customers and drive sales? The economy is shifting around like a restless eel these days, thanks to COVID-19 and the ongoing tectonic shift from brick-and-mortar business to eCommerce. In the US alone, there are almost double the amount of online stores as there are brick and mortar.

XR has positioned itself in recent years as an effective and profitable sales mediator. The technology is helping businesses engage and collaborate with their customers through innovative, experiential marketing campaigns.

However, there's a lot more XR can offer your sales team. Let's take a look at some more avenues for growth and collaboration.

Product demos

Product demos of the past were clunky affairs. Many retailers didn't offer them – and if they did, customers needed to book and were given just a brief window to trial the product. 

If only the equivalent of a test drive were available for all things. We could do away with receipts forever!

Well, XR promises just that. (But keep the receipts, just in case.)

Using VR (virtual reality) or AR (augmented reality), retailers can create realistic, immersive demonstrations of their products.

On the subject of test drives, Volvo did just that when it began offering virtual test drives of its XC90 on a mobile phone app. Customers were invited to take a weekend trip in the car without needing to step outside their houses.

These ideas have even been extended to the property market, giving potential first-time buyers a chance to walk around their future homes without time limitations.

Of course, nothing can replace seeing the real thing. But a hybrid approach can add meat to the bones of the sale. 

Imagine you're looking for a new three-piece suite for your living room or a new centrepiece cabinet for your dining room. Traditionally, you'd visit a showroom and view the furniture in a mock room designed to showcase the item. 

But these showrooms rarely reflect consumers' actual living spaces. The customer would need to imagine the furniture in their own space and hope that the reality lived up to their mental image. 

However, with VR- and AR-enabled devices, consumers can project their three-piece or cabinet onto their living space, giving them an accurate representation of how it would look in real life. 

Giving the consumer more confidence in their purchase increases the likelihood of a sale.

Creating memorable customer experiences

Utilising XR can help bridge the gap between your customers and your brand. Creating memorable shopping experiences is one thing, but also creating a story that highlights your passion and brand identity can boost engagement. 

Many of the techniques now being adopted were explored during the pandemic when high-street shopping ground to a halt. Retailers used XR to create virtual shopping experiences to engage their sedentary consumers.

Today, this is a common practice and an extremely effective way to add value to your brand experience. 

For example, UK beauty company Estée Lauder offers virtual tutorials that teach customers how to achieve certain looks and make-up effects.

On the brand storytelling side, Tequila company Patrón launched a virtual reality experience called The Art of Patrón, which gave customers an insight into how the beverage is crafted. 

Using XR, businesses can craft personalised and memorable interactions by creating apps that customers can download anywhere in the world. This is especially good for online retailers and businesses looking to tap into new markets. An easy-to-use and – critically – useful AR app could help you reach more customers than ever before.

Training your sales team through XR

Sometimes, knowing exactly what you're selling can be the most difficult part. Your sales team is responsible for guiding customers from whim to wallet. But if they're not completely clued up on the ins and outs of the product, they're liable to fumble the sale.

With XR, you can test drive your customer-facing product demonstrations with your sales team.

Need your team to get a feel for how a piece of machinery works? Create a simulation that your staff can interact with and train on. This is a great tool for industrial equipment, which your sales staff are unlikely to have experience with. 

Creating a more confident sales team who can answer product queries (with personal experience to boot) is only going to boost your chances of a sale. 

This can also create fruitful collaborations across your business that may engender novel and creative marketing ideas. Your sales team will begin learning more about the product which, in turn, will inform the way they pitch to clients and customers. 

SimplyVideo is an XR-enhanced alternative to Zoom and other common videoconferencing apps. With features like in-call annotation and 3D asset visualisation, it empowers sales teams to collaborate and innovate like never before. Sign up today for your 30-day free trial.