What does the future hold for augmented reality? Global augmented reality specialists Zappar outline their AR predictions for 2019.
In 2018 Zappar successfully predicted 5 changes in the AR industry surrounding bigger players entering the AR space, content becoming more targeted and contextually relevant, the rise of connected packaging and active learning, as well as the evolution of AR strategy.
This year Zappar teamed up with Mindshare and Neuro-Insight to produce its Layered report to explore user behaviour, identifying key trends shaping the future of AR and highlighting implications for brands. This report has helped shape the 2019 predictions.
Zappar 2019 Predictions, from Max Dawes, Partnership and Marketing Director at Zappar:
- The advancement of mobile-web AR
We’re entering an interesting phase where native apps will generally become the preserve of services and utilities that add genuine value to a user’s life (your banking app, retailer loyalty app, music subscription service etc.) as well as games. For everyone else, there’s the mobile web.
Enabling rich mobile AR experiences to be delivered directly on a mobile web page will give businesses much more control over the distribution and marketing of their content, while still being instantly available for users to experience without the requirement for an app download.
- FMCG brands needing to tell their stories better and more memorably
Getting creative with connected packaging is just the first step. FMCG brands now need to tell their stories that add value. This comes in the face of the “un-branding” of the consumer world through (for example) Amazon Prime customers, and other data-and-voice-integrated retail giants, encouraging consumers to ‘buy the product’, not the brand. Connected packaging through AR helps create memorable experiences and provides utility for customers both pre and post-purchase. This is passive print transforming to digital discovery channel.
- AR becoming an always-on communication channel
The widespread adoption of AR could very well lead us to a shift away from single-instance marketing campaigns, and more toward a consistent communication channel that drives contextually relevant dialogue with end users. AR specialists and enthusiasts in the growing “experience economy” have a serious opportunity to create lasting experiences that go beyond one-off AR campaigns. Before we know it, AR could be part of a world of permanent digital discovery driven by daily information and utility – not just transient moments of surprise and delight across print, point of sale, packaging, products and places.
- The Development of Consumer MR
The hype around consumer Mixed Reality has come up against a hard dose of reality now that Magic Leap has released their first developer-focussed hardware to somewhat mixed reviews. This demonstrates the gap between lofty ambition and the current limitations of available technology. With both Microsoft and Magic Leap helping develop this new market, we believe immersive Mixed Reality experiences offer enormous potential for both education and business alike, but the consumer proposition is just not there yet given the price-point of dedicated hardware devices. It’s certainly an area we will be focusing on and look forward to the next generation of hardware in the sector.
By Max Dawes
Partnership and Marketing Director
Zappar