Extended Reality (XR): A New Way of Persuasion

Have you ever asked how many realities exist? Or how augmented reality (AR) can help you tell your story? If not, no worries. I have got your back.

This article shares how extended reality (XR) is used today. We look at how it shapes our view in medicine, speeds up work in the car industry, and boosts product discovery in e-commerce.

Before we jump in, it helps to get familiar with a few concepts. So let us dive in.

What is reality?

Reality itself has time, space, and matter. Other realities differ in some way. Let us look at the main types. We will use simple terms and definitions so it is easy to follow.

• Augmented reality (time, space, no matter) — AR expands our view of the real world. It lays digital content on top of what we see.
• Virtual reality (no time, no space, no matter) — VR builds a world that is fully separate from ours. It is not digital content laid on top of the real world. It is a new space of its own.
• Mixed reality (no time, space, no matter) — MR sits between AR and VR. It blends both and merges them into one.
• Extended reality covers all of the above. It is the umbrella term for every tool that improves or replaces our view of the world.

Now that we know each type, we can look at real examples. These show how new realities are already changing industries and improving our lives.

Augmented reality in retail and e-commerce

Since web 3.0, e-commerce has grown fast. In the US alone, retail e-commerce sales topped 1.2 trillion dollars in 2025. They are set to keep rising.

The way we buy goods leans heavily on group feedback, not just personal needs. Customer experience and retention matter more than ever. Build trust and a better shopping trip, and you can keep sales growing.

But how do we improve customer experience? Are traditional analytics and customer data enough to understand your customers?

They cover the basics well. You can learn who your customer is, and you can track how a product sells. But you may hit a blank space when you try to grasp the full shopping trip.

Big retailers, such as Amazon, use the digital trail we leave to improve the shopping trip. This includes user input, sensor data, and both passive and active data.

Here are some practical ways e-commerce businesses use augmented reality to boost customer experience, lift sales, and gather better research.

• Virtual try-ons
• Preview placement
• Interactive user manuals
• Social media filters

Preview placement apps, like the IKEA app with its Kreativ tools, show how to raise your store conversion rate and keep users engaged. They let the user pick and try a product inside their own home with little effort.

Another great example is L'Oreal. It blended virtual try-on tools with social media filters to boost engagement. It gives customers many ways to try products. This cuts returns and makes product discovery more sustainable and easy.

Becoming a reality before it happens

How we design and build new products has already changed. BMW uses augmented reality to design new cars and test the customer experience before the build phase. You can show the latest design, inside and out, go for a ride, and mimic a drive through a city before the build. This gives engineers the feel of a real road inside a real car, so they can spot issues early.

The team behind Smart Docklands in Dublin also used AR and VR to show their concept. They showed it to Dublin city council to win approval for a smart city testbed in the heart of the Docklands.

I had the pleasure of trying this firsthand. In Dublin, I saw their early city plan in VR, the same one they showed the local government. I loved the approach. Local governments, tech and startup groups, business owners, universities, research centres, and citizens all worked together. Most of all, I was struck by how they used VR to make their case to public decision-makers.

A perspective that serves the patient

Extended reality is already making an impact in healthcare too. A simple VR model of the body can make a big difference. It helps with a diagnosis, or with explaining how the body works.

Surgeons already use AR and VR to plan ahead, so surgery is safer and faster. Patients can also view their surgery plan in VR to see how it will play out. This eases anxiety and builds confidence before surgery.

A great example that teaches both doctors and patients is HoloAnatomy. The tool helps staff view any part of the body, such as the heart and organs. Tutors can guide trainees through tasks while showing a full 3D view of the body.

Conclusion

Extended reality and other new tools that stretch how we sense the world have already started to shape how we see it. They show the huge promise these tools hold.

XR is creating many chances across healthcare, e-commerce, cars, and more. In every example above, we see a common pattern. XR is not the single source of truth. It is a way to sway and win over your audience, so they grasp your reality better.

There are real gaps between an IKEA sofa and a local one, or L'Oreal make-up and a small brand. But IKEA and L'Oreal are ahead of their rivals. Their XR options are already a step closer to the customer.

BMW used VR to help its engineers accept and understand new car designs in depth before the build phase.

In healthcare, XR helps explore the body in depth. Doctors can show their view and walk patients through likely outcomes after treatment. This eases stress and anxiety before surgery.

As you can see, extended reality closes small gaps and opens room to tackle big ones. Have you thought about using extended or augmented reality in your business?

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