Around 35 percent of businesses plan on implementing virtual or augmented reality technology in 2021 according to a recently published research report by GetApp, involving 700 small and medium business leaders from around the world.
According to the new report, small businesses will adopt virtual technologies to respond to new customer behavior mainly to enhance remote work solutions.
“Augmented reality and virtual reality are also revolutionizing how employee training efforts are designed and carried out by fostering interactive learning environments,” senior analyst Zach Capers wrote in a post. “These tools are particularly beneficial for jobs that involve dangerous situations such as power line maintenance or distant environments such as remote pipelines.”
Companies plan to invest between $10,000 and $50,000 in the next year for virtual and augmented reality, the survey showed.
More customers are turning to virtual reality shopping and need tools to support them. GetApp found in a different research report that 59 percent of consumers surveyed in Australia said they desire to try 3D or virtual reality shopping even though just 12 percent have done it before.
Additionally, companies need ways to survive hard times like COVID-19 pandemic. In June this year, GetApp found out from a survey of 577 small business leaders that 40 percent of small businesses created a new virtual service to respond to changes in business models, customer behaviors, and management issues brought about by COVID-19.
Research firm Gartner supports these findings, predicting that 40 percent of organizations will implement virtual experiences. This, according to Gartner report, will help companies increase productivity among its workforce and also help them reach more customers.
Edited by Maria Korolov
David Kariuki is a technology journalist who has a wide range of experience reporting about modern technology solutions. A graduate of Kenya's Moi University, he also writes for Hypergrid Business, Cleanleap, and has previously worked for Resources Quarterly and Construction Review. Email him at david@metastellar.com.