Study: AR’s Future Is Linked to TV, Shopping, and Sports
5G will be a key enabler to AR market adoption; eyecandylab, market researchers Dynata, and noted XR scholars collaborated on research project
San Francisco(02 Oct 2019)
Augmented Reality is poised for a significant consumer breakthrough, concludes a major new study issued today. The study, based on an online survey of more than 1,000 U.S. consumers, revealed substantial consumer interest in video-triggered AR.
The technology uses video signals, e.g. TV broadcasts to launch relevant AR content and enable interactivity through a mobile device synchronized with the TV program. For example, sports fans could point their phone at a game to get additional statistics, while shoppers could point their phone at a product featured in a program to get more info or make a purchase.
The online survey was conducted in September 2019. Randomly chosen participants viewed a video showcasing video-triggered AR and its application in use cases including sports, shopping and education. The average age was 37.2 years, 52.2% were female, 47.8% male. All regions in the U.S. were covered according to population distribution (Northeast, Midwest, South, West).
“To this point, AR has been primarily embraced by the enterprise market for applications like field training and remote assistance,” explained Prof. Dr. Philipp A. Rauschnabel from Bundeswehr University Munich in Germany. “By contrast, consumer applications have largely failed to reach critical mass. However, this study reveals an enthusiastic consumer response to video-triggered AR for applications like sports and shopping, which suggest that the next wave of AR success may come sooner than expected.” Professor Rauschnabel, along with his colleague Katrin Brunner, U.S. market research institute Dynata, and eyecandylab, executed the collaborative research project.
“AR is a technology which benefits significantly from access to bandwidth,” stated Robin Sho Moser, CEO of eyecandylab, which offers a platform for video-triggered AR. “5G services, which enable high-speed content downloads on mobile devices, will drive the availability and adoption of high-quality AR. The study shows that in fact, consumers would pay an average of 17% more for a mobile phone contract that provides AR features.”
The benefits of video-triggered AR became particularly clear to consumers when specific uses cases were showcased. For instance, the tech lets shoppers visualize products in their living rooms before purchase, which drives sales conversion. The study showed that 53% of online shoppers would use the tech to get more information and 39% would use it to make an instant purchase - a conversion intent of 74%.
Sports emerged as another highly relevant use case, including live sports, fantasy sports and betting, all of which benefit from interactivity and create monetization possibilities on a mobile device.
eyecandylab provides a computer-vision software solution using videos as a trigger for AR content on consumer mobiles and AR glasses. Integrated into existing apps, it enables enterprises from media, entertainment, sports and commerce to drive user engagement and tap into new revenue streams by providing an interactive AR layer around screens. Customers include VIACOM, NBCUniversal, WWE, and SoftBank. Together with LG Uplus, eyecandylab will launch an important 5G service in South Korea later this year.
About eyecandylab eyecandylab’s outstanding technology augmen.tv brings augmented reality to video. The startup was founded in 2017 and has worked with customers like VIACOM, NBCUniversal, SoftBank, LG Uplus, WWE, adidas, and other major global players. eyecandylab is originally based out of Munich, Germany and is now present in the US with offices in New York City and Los Angeles.
About augmen.tv The augmen.tv platform provides AR solutions, using moving images for marker purposes with its unique, patent-pending TELEMARKTM technology. The technology can be incorporated in any existing app of media companies who want to enhance their broadcast with an interactive layer. Customers who provided engaging experiences using the augmen.tv platform saw an increase in viewer retention and sponsorship opportunities.