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Industry rhetoric about AR’s world-changing status sometimes outweighs evidence that it’s captivating consumers today. Though we see some signals, such as lens engagement figures from social AR players, we’re often flying blind when it comes to consumer AR sentiment.
Looking to fill that gap, AR Insider’s research arm ARtillery Intelligence has completed Wave 8 of its annual consumer survey report. Working with consumer survey specialist Thrive Analytics, it wrote questions to be fielded to 52,000+ U.S. adults and produced a report based on the results.
Among the topics: How is mobile AR resonating with everyday consumers? How often are they using it? How satisfied are they? What types of experiences do they like most? How much are they willing to pay for it? And for those who aren’t interested in mobile AR, why not?
After the last installment of this series looked at top AR use cases, we now drill down into one of those use cases: social AR. When looking at social apps that offer AR, which are the most popular among users? And extracting insights from those figures, which players are best positioned?
AR-Forward
Earlier in this series, we examined the most popular types of AR experiences, as well as the most desired forms of AR for future use. On both counts, social AR scored high. By social AR, we mean filters and lenses that enliven 2D media that’s shared with friends or followers.
Drilling down, the next question becomes which social AR apps are used most. Snapchat took the top spot with 26 percent of survey respondents reporting engagement with its Lenses, followed by Instagram (23 percent), TikTok (17 percent), and Facebook (16 percent).
These results weren’t surprising given Snap’s leading position in the social AR world. Snapchat isn’t the biggest social app in terms of sheer reach, but it’s the most AR-forward. This is a result of its commitment to AR as a core driver of its user experience and business.
That contrasts Meta, which has greater global reach – Facebook + Instagram – but its mobile AR efforts aren’t as central. Of course, AR is broadly a massive emphasis at Meta, including hardware. But it has de-prioritized mobile AR effects, including killing its developer platform.
Back to Snap, its efforts have been propelled in new directions given the convergence of AR and AI. Snap has leaned into those points of synergy with things like AI Video Lenses and Sponsored AI Lenses. And in our discussions with the company, it’s only getting started.
Feedback Loop
The two main drivers noted above for Snap’s work in AR are user experience and business. The former was covered, but what about AR’s role as a revenue generator? Snap isn’t just investing in AR because it’s cool. There’s a feedback loop of execution and business results.
That plays out in a few ways. For one, AR can boost user engagement. When done right, it can elevate things like user dwell time and usage frequency, as shown in several of the AR marketing case studies we publish. That engagement is the foundation for monetization.
And that’s what comes next. According to the market sizing and forecasting of our research arm, ARtillery Intelligence, immersive brand marketing drove an estimated $6.13 billion last year, growing to $11.2 billion in 2029. Snap is the market share leader for all the reasons above.
Back to the AR/AI convergence, it will factor into the monetization discussion as well. In other words, AI doesn’t just enable intelligent and interactive lenses but ad optimization (just ask Meta). Snap previewed its efforts at NewFronts last week, and things will develop quickly.
We’ll pause there and pick things up in the next installment with more consumer survey results and insights…
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