Snapchat
recently conducted a survey-research with over twenty-five thousand people, in
collaboration with Ispos, on how AR and its potential value is perceived by social
and digital media users, including brands and consumers.
The main conclusion
that Snapchat derived from the research suggests that people are only aware of
the superficial value of AR, while there is actually a wide range of benefits
that AR could offer. Snapchat estimates that around 60% of people in the
US, and almost all social/communications apps users will be frequent users of
AR by 2025.
The report
gathered key points in relation to people’s opinions of AR. This includes the potential
of AR in online shopping experience, as every 6 out of 10 people identified
shopping as their main reason of using AR, 84% of consumers expressed interest
in using AR to interact with a product before purchasing it, and 73% were of
the view that AR made their shopping experience easier. Snapchat also adds how
AR helps consumers to make better purchase decisions by allowing them to visualize,
share, and gather feedback before making purchases.
In addition
to that, 73% of the consumers showed interest in experiencing AR at events and
conferences, while 79% of them were keen to experience AR as a means of
entertainment, like concerts and sport events.
Another major
finding by Snapchat shows that there is a considerable difference between what
consumers want from brands in relation to AR experiences, and what brands are
currently offering them. More specifically, brands don’t seem to be as interested
in delivering AR experiences to consumers, whereas consumers are significantly
intrigued to experience a broad range of AR services or features. Moreover,
every 4 out of 5 brands that have already incorporated AR into their business were
of the view that AR allowed for a more deep and meaningful engagement with buyers.
Lastly, building
on these findings, Snapchat has shared a variety of useful tips on how
businesses can effectively integrate AR into their marketing process.
