Modern Retail Research: How brands and retailers are actually using AR and VR

This is the first part of a research series on the most popular emerging technologies. The series follows up on a report Modern Retail’s sister publication Digiday produced five years ago to discover how technologies previously reported on have evolved and to explore new technologies that have since emerged, including blockchain and robotics. In this segment, we look at how marketers are using virtual reality and augmented reality.  Five years ago, marketers were more eager to invest in virtual reality than in augmented reality. But since that time, their priorities have shifted. In 2022, more marketers are using augmented reality for brand engagement and sales than are still dabbling in virtual reality.  The pandemic propelled usage of both technologies: Virtual reality (VR) offered the ability to remotely gather in virtual spaces when in-person events were canceled; and augmented reality (AR) offered the means to sample household or personal products virtually from home. “As a result of time, the technology is becoming more accessible and, partially as a result of Covid, there has been a big uptick in people becoming more reliant on AR in their daily digital life,” said Fred Gerantabee, chief experience officer at FGX International, an eyewear company owned…
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