Forecast: Growth of Mobile AR in Enterprises

Many large research and analytics companies have released market forecasts for artificial reality (AR) use. Reports compile consumer usage, enterprise deployments, use on multiple devices, and often combine AR and virtual reality (VR). 

From ar insider

ARtillery released forecasts that focus on AR revenue use on mobile devices and doesn’t include head-worn tech. According to the ARtillery report, global mobile AR revenue under this definition is projected to grow from U.S. $3.98 billion in 2019 to U.S. $21 billion in 2024, a 39 percent CAGR.

ARtillery’s outlook is cautiously optimistic, especially when compared to large research firms that publish eyepopping revenue estimates in the hundreds of billions of dollars. ARtillery’s study zooms in specifically on AR (not VR or XR) and on mobile usage, which further makes the forecasts harder to compare apples-to-apples to other estimates. 

While this report includes both consumer and enterprise revenues, enterprise is showing strong growth, especially in the short term.

From ARInsider

Enterprise spending includes visualization software that enables line-of-sight or live-guided support for assembly, maintenance, or field service. It also includes software that helps enterprises build those AR experiences.

AR Insider reported that enterprise “spending will grow from $1.95 billion in 2019 to $3.78 billion in 2024, a 14 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR). This growth slows in later years as the field transitions to head-worn AR.” 

From AR Insider

Enterprise AR adoption could follow a similar pattern, but on a smaller scale, as enterprise smartphone adoption. Timing of the industry tipping point, which is expected to be followed by accelerated adoption, will determine whether mobile AR or head-worn AR see the greatest growth. An early tipping point would favor mobile, while a later tipping point with more time for wearable development would benefit head-worn AR.

Many enterprise AR projects are in a pilot phase, and enterprises are still struggling to scale, even as COVID has made its benefits even more top of mind.

While we can’t see the future, these reports help us visualize future reality.