Virtual reality (VR) has been building its consumer image for several years now, and 2016 especially has seen its worldwide presence grow. For those involved in the industry it can sometimes be difficult to see what the average member of the public sees, and their impressions of VR. Which is where companies like Greenlight VR come in. Specialising in business intelligence for the global VR market, Greenlight VR has today released its 2016 VR Consumer Adoption Report, highlighting the impact VR has had.
Surveying almost 1,300 US consumers, aged between 18 – 60 over the course of June 2016, Greenlight VR found that 91 percent of respondents who hadn’t previously used VR, had positive feelings towards the technology when exposed to informational videos about VR in the survey.
The company’s findings also show that 71 percent agreed that a brand that sponsors VR is forward-thinking and modern, while 52 percent would like to be associated with that brand. To add to that, 62 percent would feel engaged with a brand that sponsors a VR experience, and 53 percent say they are more likely to purchase from a brand that sponsors a VR experience.
“Greenlight VR has been researching consumer sentiment toward virtual reality since 2014, and this is our most conclusive study yet, tying together attitudes and intended action with branded experience exposure,” said Clifton Dawson, CEO of Greenlight VR. “If the recent success of Pokemon Go isn’t enough, this data provides concrete evidence to experience marketers who are currently designing for the new experience economy.”
“We’re seeing specific VR activities have unique emotional footprints, offering fascinating insights for those who are considering their VR strategies,” said Steve Marshall, senior vice president of research and consulting for Greenlight VR. “For example, among our sample, watching a live broadcast event in virtual reality generates significantly higher ratings of positive emotions such as ‘happy’ and ‘energetic’ when compared with playing a VR video game.”
Among the respondents who hadn’t tried VR, 65 percent said they were interested in VR; 58 percent were amazed; 49 percent felt excited; 32 percent were surprised; 25 percent felt happy; and 19 percent felt energetic.
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