Augmented reality (VR) may be trying to catch up to its technological sibling, virtual reality (VR), but it isn’t lagging – or slowing – at any rate, namely thanks to its adoption through mobile devices rather than headsets. Analytics firm SuperData has just released its latest report on the mobile AR market, finding that the technology has reached over 1 billion users worldwide.
It’s a technology company’s like Apple and Google are keenly interested in, hence why they created ARKit and ARCore respectively, to further advance the industry and make it more consumer friendly.
SuperData’s report focuses on mobile AR user profiles, mobile AR advertising, and why mobile AR is the next frontier for brands, rather than the apps and videogames being developed. It looks to analyze the type of people that use AR, sentiment towards AR ads, and why this new technology offers a unique marketing opportunity for brands.
When it comes to advertising in AR, SuperData finds that 56 percent of users view AR content as a creative use of the technology, estimating that two in three AR users view AR ads at least once a month.
Brands looking at marketing in AR should know that the largest AR demographic is women between 18-34, who seem to use more apps because SuperData recommends that marketers interested in targeting men between 18-34 may want to focus on in-game advertising.
As for the apps themselves, social media AR apps tend to lead the pack with 84 percent of users, while 41 percent of users report using AR features in online shopping apps. Ikea and Wayfair are just two home furnishing retailers that have made use of AR in their apps, allowing online shoppers to view furniture in their own home prior to purchase, so they can see if an item will fit and go with the overall decor.
VRFocus also reported on IDC’s latest VR/AR report yesterday, finding that the VR headset market had significantly grown, with AR also seeing an increase. As the AR and VR markets gain more traction, VRFocus will bring you the latest results.