Corona becomes a booster for augmented and virtual reality

The Corona pandemic is likely to give a significant boost to augmented and virtual reality. This is suggested by the results of a joint study by Deloitte and Snapchat operator Snap.

For the research, the two companies asked more than 15,000 people in over 15 countries about their attitudes towards AR and their actual usage behaviour. About half of the respondents use Snapchat. The countries considered included Germany, the USA, Japan, India and the United Arab Emirates.

AR becomes more relevant with Corona

More than half of the respondents (56 per cent) said that the Corona pandemic made AR experiences more relevant, and the same was true for innovations in this area (59 per cent). A full 74 percent also say that augmented reality will play a more important role in their lives within the next five years.

This is said to be particularly frequent in the areas of media (50 percent), shopping (46 percent), gaming (41 percent), communication (35 percent) - all four areas are already the areas in which the majority of respondents (67 percent) use AR particularly frequently. The technology is seen as a practical tool for everyday life, although AR has so far been considered more of a toy.

Deloitte and Snap conclude that this development holds great potential for brands. Interaction with products including an AR experience leads to a 94 percent higher completion rate, and consideration increases by 41 percent. And: Almost three quarters of respondents say they would pay more for a product if a full AR experience was guaranteed.

Already, the predicted AR boom can be seen in the investment in the technology. According to the study, global spending on AR and VR is expected to increase from around $12 billion this year to around $73 billion in 2024.

Source: Horizon