Surprising Ways Small Businesses are Using Augmented and Virtual Reality
As augmented reality and virtual reality goes mainstream, small businesses are entering the race to find practical ways to use the emerging technology.
As virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technology becomes more sophisticated and less expensive, it’s clear that VR, AR, and mixed reality are here to stay. In fact, virtual reality has been projected to be a $30 billion industry by 2020.
Small businesses that aren’t steeped in the tech and gaming industries are just beginning to experiment with virtual reality technology. That is, they’re mainly trying to understand the costs versus benefits of the investment. At Mission Data, we’re using AR and VR technology in our innovation lab to develop real-world use cases for our clients.
Increasingly, it’s not just Fortune 500 companies that are expending resources to apply virtual reality to their business needs — small businesses are jumping into the race as well and some are already gaining some amazing results.
How Small Businesses Are Using AR and VR Right Now
At the moment, many small businesses are seeing greater opportunities with AR than VR for the purposes of simulating how their products will appear or be represented if the customer were to purchase them. This includes even small boutique retailers creating enhanced experiences that allow customers to see how their wares might fit in the home, on the wall, or even on the body.
VR is very “now” and a common use of the technology in mid- to small-sized businesses is to use it as a recruiting tool. As we’ve seen the travel industry adopt virtual reality so that potential jetsetters can visit a resort, cruise ship, or destination just by putting on goggles, small companies are creating virtual and often whimsical visits for potential top talent. Besides the usual virtual walking tour of company headquarters, there are often some hidden nuggets in the experience that include overlaid information on the business, culture, or the industry, to create a memorable experience.
How Small Businesses Will Use AR and VR in the Future
One major use of AR/VR that looks very likely to expand is job training. Currently, VR training is used for high risk, high skill jobs such as healthcare and aviation and other industries in which it’s safer and more practical to simulate prior to “doing it for real.”
As AR/VR tech becomes more economically viable, as seen with Google Cardboard, training will be a major application for ramping up lower wage employees in factories, warehouses, loading docks, or even retail floors. Industrial Training International recently announced a beta version of its VR crane simulator, expected to launch in 2017 and make the high-stakes training far more accessible than it is now.
AR/VR won’t replace live and in-situation training, but spending a few minutes orienting new hires in what appears to be “real” space will help employers make the process faster and cheaper.
“as the tech to capture the visuals expands, real-time problem solving can be done.”
Solving problems without travel is another big element of AR/VR. Thinking beyond the travel industry use case and the virtual meeting experience, consider the need for teams to coordinate work that requires knowledge of a physical space: construction, utilities, and other site-specific work can very much benefit from VR. At minimum, it will allow architects and engineers to become much more attuned to a physical space and its limitations.
Beyond that, as the tech to capture the visuals expands, real-time problem solving can be done. Imagine a supplier in Singapore and an architect in France collaborating with a project engineer in Madison, Wis. using VR without anyone having to get on a plane for site visits.
In addition to the marketing and sales uses of AR/VR that are widely noted, small businesses will likely use VR to improve customer loyalty and product satisfaction. To help consumers better understand how to use and repair the products they offer, an AR/VR experience could help buyers learn to operate or fix somewhat sophisticated equipment or products. Examples of industries that might take advantage of AR/VR product support include automotive, farming, and manufacturing. At a very rudimentary level this is already being accomplished through YouTube, but for critical business to business (B2B) support of complex products and equipment, AR/VR will serve as a great enhancement.
How can small businesses decide if AR/VR is right for them?
Analysts predict augmented and virtual reality will offer the same level of economic opportunity as we’ve seen with the Internet and mobile phones. As computing power increases and barriers to entry are lowered, small businesses adopting AR/VR will have a greater ability to compete with larger enterprises. That being said, AR/VR isn’t going to make sense for every company out there. Successful ideas will be straightforward and readily shareable with a distribution channel that requires goggles or viewers that will likely become ubiquitous with some nice bandwidth. Ultimately, the benefits include immersive experiences that can revolutionize marketing, training, and collaboration, and reduced cost of revenue acquisition.
About Mission Data
We’re designers, engineers, and strategists building innovative digital products that transform the way companies do business. Learn more: https://www.missiondata.com.
