NK - Christmas app
For many residents of Stockholm, the festive season feels incomplete without the iconic window displays at the renowned department store NK. Each year, in mid-November, crowds gather to witness the unveiling of that year’s enchanting scenes. For the 2018 holiday season, NK enhanced the experience by integrating advanced AR technology, which allowed both children and adults to explore an alternate world filled with captivating Christmas decorations and whimsical characters, all connected to the theme of the behind-the-scenes preparations for the holiday. The initiative included adding an AR experience layer to two of the windows, a full AR version for the entire atrium in both Stockholm and Gothenburg, and a daily event calendar leading up to Christmas.
Due to the limited number of AR apps available for “in-store” campaigns, our research on best practices was somewhat restricted. Here’s what we discovered: White is typically the preferred color for text, icons, and guide elements, and colors are used sparingly, if at all, within camera frames. Fixed elements are typically positioned at the top and/or bottom of the screen to allow users to focus on the camera view and AR composition. Icons are often outlined or shadowed to enhance visibility. One challenge was ensuring users understood the necessity of being physically present at NK to experience certain AR features (like the augmented reality windows and atrium). Since people don’t tend to read text instructions, we opted to create a brief animation demonstrating where the user should stand to access the AR experience.
In terms of results, we successfully launched by the deadline of November 18 and achieved our target of 10,000 downloads in just 10 days, reaching number 7 on the App Store's Top Chart for Entertainment.