The majority of the people must have heard about Augmented Reality (or AR) back in 2016. How? The credit goes to Niantic, Nintendo, and The Pokemon Company who came up with Pokemon Go. The experience this game offered was miles ahead of its time. It showed the potential of how you can utilize technology in ways you cannot imagine.
At that time, the CEO of Niantic Inc. John Hanke stated, “[AR] is the direction that I think is far more interesting and promising — for technology and, really, for humanity. AR is designed to add, enhance the things you do as a human being: Being outside, socializing with other people, shopping, playing, having fun. AR can make all those things better.”
In the past couple of years, Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, as well as Virtual Reality has experienced exponential growth and popularity. The technology is now adapted globally due to market leaders like Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, Google, VisionX, and more.
It has affected almost all industries – from real estate to gaming and marketing, AR has the way we live, work, and shop.
It is believed that more businesses are now planning to utilize AR and incorporate it with contemporary fields such as human resources, advertising, R&D, and more. This is to stay ahead of the curve by offering value-added services to the intended audience.
Despite the boom in `, where does AR stand now and what’s the future of Augmented Reality? Let’s have a look.
Augmented Reality – Where Are We Now?
The first time people embraced this digital transformation is 2016 when Pokemon Go was released. A single game unlocked the potential of an entirely new market that businesses wanted to explore. Soon after this, market leaders started introducing applications and gadgets giving consumers a chance to experience things like never before.
How easy has it become to visualize what sofa or chair would look best in your guest room? AR and VR enabled multiple industries to connect with their target audience on a more personal level.
Currently, the technology is being used in manufacturing, learning & development, and remote assistance.
Augmented Reality – What’s the Future?
It is not wrong to say that AR technology is still in its infancy stage and has not matured ‘enough’ (in comparison to VR) to be as widespread as its counterpart.
This is mainly due to the price tag that comes with implementing augmented reality in any industry along with certain limitations. But, the same was the case with virtual reality when it resurfaced in 2014 after Facebook acquired Oculus.
Regardless, Augmented Reality is the future of design – and the latest flagship smartphones launched by Apple and Samsung already depict it.
Still, confused about where’s Augmented Reality headed in the future? Let us explain to you how the entire total immersive experience using AR will impact industries:
Digital Marketing – We have seen how individuals and businesses were reliant on Digital Marketing ever since the pandemic hit us. It was the only channel (mainly due to restrictions) that was still active and kept people stay in business. With AR, companies will seek to improve the way how their target audience interacts with the brand. Digital marketing agencies can easily implement AR to showcase marketing through applications, street signs, and more.
E-Commerce – Companies will soon integrate AR into their business websites and applications to enhance customer experience. Imagine how cool it will be for you to try a shirt on just by using your phone’s front camera! You can bid farewell to the hassle of physically visiting the store every time only because you want to see how a shirt or jacket looks on you.
Geolocation – Do you love to explore newer places or travel to different destinations? AR will change how geolocation works around you. With time, you can learn about different restaurant suggestions or get real-time travel advisories from your smartphone. Simple and easy!
Educational Resources – This is an industry that has already seen AR technology, but there’s certainly more to come. Augmented Reality can be implemented to improvise training situations within a school, college, or workplace. Different industries such as healthcare or the military can benefit from this technology using engaging AR training simulations.
The future is bright – but, there are still some remaining obstacles that may hinder the progress. Currently, not many researchers are working, so there’s very little data available. The goal is to be able to provide a more enhanced, personalized, and well-designed experience to consumers.
Even though the companies are working on it, mainly smartphones are used to offer an immersive experience to the target audience. The platform shift is imminent, but it will take some time before businesses can offer a comprehensive AR experience.
Conclusion
The AR market has grown significantly and is currently worth a staggering $15.3 billion. As per MarketsandMarkets, it is believed that nearly 598 million smartphones will have augmented reality by the end of 2020. The numbers are expected to increase by 1.73 billion in the next three years.
