The new consumers, the Millennials generation and, in particular, the Z generation that follows them, have grown up in a world where the differences between offline and online are almost imperceptible. For them, there is no longer a barrier between the digital world and the physical world. It seems natural, maybe even mandatory for the online experience to continue offline and vice versa.

Just think of the hysteria caused by Pokemon GO, downloaded by more than half a billion people. Or the popularity of the Foursquare application (45 million users in the first 4 years), especially among bars and cafes, which helps you build a digital social life, depending on the locations you visit in real life.

In this context, the word "Phygital" appeared, that marketing and communication specialists must become familiar and, moreover, operate with, respectively the integration between the digital and the physical environment.

How can brands find new organic ways to connect with the consumer? Offering an integrated offline-online interaction.

By integrating the physical and digital environments, brands offer consumers new experiences and help them meet their need to live in both worlds. In addition, many times, the integration of the two environments brings a functional dimension that otherwise it would be very difficult for brands to achieve.

How can you do that? Here are some useful tactics:

1. Use Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality

Various brands, retailers and companies have started launching VR and AR technologies to allow consumers to preview products before buying them. International Data Corp. estimates that by December retailers should spend $ 1.5 billion on the development of AR and VR technologies in 2020.

2. Stay connected with Chatbots (24/7) and Live Chat

A great way to interact directly with the consumer, which becomes a must-have for the website or social media. However, pay attention to their implementation so that they do not become something mechanical, but even help the consumer and bring him added value.

3. Bring additional information using QR Codes or NFC

These are just some of the tools you can use to improve the consumer experience and cross the barrier between the two worlds.

Example: Heinz used technology to create new experiences.
Using Augmented Reality, consumers can scan the product on the shelf and automatically receive a virtual recipe book and be involved in a raffle to win items from the brand world (ketchup dispenser, wooden spoon, gloves or kitchen apron).

Example: Domino’s Pizza is a very good example of a company that uses chatbots to interact with its consumers. Just think how many times do people at Domino's get the simple question - when will my pizza arrive? With chatbots, consumers can order directly from the social messaging app and receive updates on the status of their orders.