As everyone goes social online and uses mobile devices, AR and VR have taken the spotlight. Today, there are around 1.96 billion people who use AR & VR all over the world. With the rapid technological advances, AR glasses, smartwatches, and VR headsets have also come to the market. Facebook is top-notch among social media networks when it comes to AR & VR development. It has a team of developers, engineers, and researchers working on such advances. This team is under Facebook Reality Labs. Let’s have a peek at the future of AR & VR on Facebook!
What Is AR?
AR stands for augmented reality. A digital marketing speaker Hong Kong defines AR as an immersive experience by combining the world of reality with computer-generated elements. AR overlays custom backgrounds, graphics, and text overlays to real objects in real-time. At Facebook, using AR smart glasses and smartphones, AR can manipulate the world in front of a user or viewer.
Perhaps the most practical application of AR on Facebook is through advertising and marketing. Michael Kors is the very first brand to test Facebook AR ads. This is by enabling sunglasses try-on among users on Facebook. Sephora followed suit enabling AR try-on among cosmetics. Soon, entertainment, furniture, and gaming also followed with around 80 million Facebook users in the US tapping on AR ads.
What Is VR?
VR stands for virtual reality. A video marketing agency Hong Kong defines VR as the technology of creating a simulated environment. Unlike AR, VR creates a complete experience within a synthetic world. A user can move and interact with computer-generated elements as he or she is placed inside a 3D environment. Let us say AR is VR with one of the user’s feet stepping in the real world and the other in a virtual box. On the other hand, VR is moving the user’s both feet inside the virtual box.
At Facebook, the Oculus Quest VR headset is a new gaming experience. By logging in on a Facebook account, users can invite and play up to 3 friends who also have a VR headset. VR has existed for so long. But such a technology does not come with a cheap price. So, it is not yet that popular all over the world. As of June 2021, Facebook is exploring VR ads on mobile apps. This is to help developers showcase their VR applications and monetize such content.
The Future of AR & VR on Facebook
According to a social media agency Hong Kong, Facebook is looking at AR & VR as new dimensions of connections. The king of social media introduces “Hello Future” in June 2021. It is a journey into tomorrow with AR & VR bringing people closer. Facebook colleagues, partners, and visionaries join forces to invent new technologies and revolutionize the way people connect. Their main goal is to create a device that is less distracting and more intuitive. With “Hello Future,” Facebook outlines the future of AR & VR in the platform as follows.
AR & VR Move from Discovery to Community
Searches for AR & VR within Facebook grew by 44%. But what’s trending is the growth of membership among Facebook groups that are related to AR & VR. The number of memberships grew by 74%. Facebook has also noted a 75% increase of people messaging sellers at Facebook Marketplace about AR & VR year over year. As the demand for AR & VR rises, the global spending of people for such technologies also increases by 6x. AR & VR solutions have closed the gap between an in-store shopping experience and online checkout. It has been a key way for brands and businesses to connect to their customers online and help them discover their products and services. This means that AR & VR will continue to be a marketing solution in the future.
Facebook Users Are Already Welcoming AR in Their Lives
Facebook users find AR & VR as a fun way to engage with brands. They believe that AR & VR bridge the gap between the offline and online worlds.
Facebook has noted that 1 billion users across the world tap into AR & VR through Spark AR Studio. They have been steadily growing year over year all over the world. Here are the recent data for 2020:
Country | Growth Percentage | Country | Growth Percentage | Country | Growth Percentage |
| South Korea | 649% | Germany | 89% | South Africa | 66% |
| Philippines | 458% | Brazil | 80% | USA | 52% |
| India | 168% | UK | 67% | Mexico | 49% |
| UAE | 113% | Japan | 67% | Australia | 38% |
| Nigeria | 122% | Canada | 66% | Hongkong | 27% |
This growth percentage clearly shows that Facebook AR & VR will open up more opportunities to boost promotions among brands and businesses and connect to modern consumers.
The Bottom Line
Imagine a world where everyone can be present at every moment – a world not restricted by distance and time. That is the future of AR & VR on Facebook. “Hello Future” will expand the use of AR & VR among education, healthcare, productivity, and services. As such, AR & VR not only connect people through mobile phones, social media, and video calls. It will also foster a physical presence in learning, medicine, work, etc.