Augmented reality is thriving and set to become the number one medium for interactions between consumers and brands. This is the key finding of a recent survey conducted by Vertebrae, an AR/VR agency. The survey included over 200 US consumers and focused on how they perceive AR experiences.
Most American Consumers Prefer AR Experiences
The results of the survey indicate that augmented reality is already very popular among individuals in the United States. Three out of four respondents said that they prefer an augmented reality experience over a 30-second video related to shopping, gaming and entertainment.
Vincent Cacace, the CEO of Vertebrae, explained this result:
“AR offers a tremendous opportunity for any brand, especially retailers. While most of today’s AR experiences are on Snapchat and Facebook, consumers said they would prefer to use AR to help them with purchasing decisions.”
Another finding of the survey supports this statement. More than half of the respondents mentioned placing items in their home before purchasing them as one of the most interesting AR experiences.
A Growing Interest towards AR in Various Aspects of Life
The survey also revealed that 63% of the respondents have already tried augmented reality. The types of AR experiences they had are:
- 37% non-branded
- 37% video games
- 24% entertainment
- 20% retail
Most of the survey participants experienced mobile-based AR: 80% of them using the front-facing phone camera and 79% using the rear-facing camera. Only 22% of the respondents tried augmented reality experiences on the web.
When it comes to the types of AR experiences they would like to try, the most popular choices were:
- 45% games;
- 43% placing holographic products in their home;
- 34% trying on pieces of clothing and footwear.
AR Experiences Create Positive Emotions
The survey also focused on how AR influences people. The respondents’ answers indicated that they had an emotional response to the augmented reality experiences:
- 90% said that AR is fun
- 86% responded that the AR experience made them smile
- 60% said that the AR experience improved their mood.
This positive emotional response also prompted them to share it with family and friends (66%) or to take a picture to remember the experience (52%).
Retail Augmented Reality Experiences Are Still Limited
Despite the overwhelmingly positive responses, only 1 in 5 respondents had an AR experience created by a retail brand. This indicates that companies need to work harder and take advantage of the momentum of consumer excitement. The survey shows that people are open to this new technology and find it more relatable than other content mediums.
Thus, the retail industry needs to speed up its adoption process for AR and give consumers what they demand. And that is immersive and interactive augmented reality experiences.
