Signals for Strategists

For more companies, new ways

of seeing
Momentum is building for augmented and virtual reality
in the enterprise
By Ryan Kaiser and David Schatsky

W
EARING a computer screen on your face The technology is getting so effective—and sufficiently
seems like something only a gamer or tech user-friendly—that more companies should consider
enthusiast could love. But headsets, and other incorporating AR/VR solutions into their workflow.
devices that create mobile virtual or augmented reality
experiences, are showing up in places other than labs
and gaming centers. Big companies far outside the world Signals
of consumer entertainment are testing and deploying
• More than 150 companies in multiple industries,
augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) equip-
including 52 of the Fortune 500, are testing or have
ment in a wide range of work-related applications, and
deployed AR/VR solutions1
improving capabilities are inspiring more potential uses.

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Signals for Strategists For more companies, new ways of seeing

• VC and corporate investment in AR/VR start-ups Our analysis of more than 150 AR and VR pilots and
totaled $2.3 billion in 2016, an increase of 230 deployments suggests that they can be grouped into four
percent over the previous year2 categories.

• A consortium of 28 venture capital firms

GUIDANCE AND COLLABORATION
formed last year and pooled $10 billion for VR
technology investment3 Workers in factories and warehouses, along with those
• New AR/VR hardware from at least five companies, who perform service in the field, can benefit from AR/
including Microsoft and HTC, hit the market in the VR devices that streamline workflow by providing access
last year, with some of these products targeting to hands-free information while completing a manual
enterprise use4 task, such as maintenance or repair. Smart glasses or
head-mounted displays can overlay instructions, maps,
• Market researcher IDC projected worldwide revenue system information, or real-time feedback over a work-
from AR/VR would grow from $5.2 billion in 2016 to er’s field of view. Some of these applications also offer
$162 billion by 20205 the ability to collaborate with colleagues from remote
locations who can see what the user sees and can guide
him to troubleshoot any issues.
Enterprises are now exploring
multiple applications of AR/VR Guidance and collaboration applications can be found in
sectors such as aerospace, process and discrete manu-
A growing number of enterprises—even those outside facturing, and oil and gas. The goal of these applica-
of gaming and other consumer entertainment subsec- tions is to increase worker productivity or accuracy by
tors—are testing and adopting AR and VR technolo- reducing time spent accessing and cross-checking data,
gies.6 Last year, Deloitte suggested that the time had or consulting with teammates for advice. In some cases,
arrived for enterprises to begin experimenting with the productivity increased the first time workers used the
technologies. Many companies have since begun to test technology.7 Companies hope that the hands-free access
and deploy the technology, and our conversations with to information and remote collaboration offered by AR/
hundreds of executives have surfaced strong interest in VR can reduce the risk of error, injury, or fatigue.
AR/VR.

WHAT IS AUGMENTED AND VIRTUAL REALITY?

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies have been around for quite some time,8 yet many
remain unclear about the differences between the two. We define these concepts as follows:

Virtual reality: a technology that allows a user to perceive and interact with a simulated environment. The
environment may be either realistic or fanciful.

Augmented reality: a technology that overlays information onto a user’s field of view as she perceives the
real world. The information typically informs the user about an object or place at which she is looking.

Mixed reality: technically a subset of augmented reality, this technology enables the perceived merging of
real and virtual worlds to produce new environments and visualizations in which simulated digital objects and
information and real objects can co-exist and interact with one another.

Users experience AR/VR via a variety of types of hardware, including common mobile devices such as
smartphones and tablets, smart glasses, and head-mounted displays. Smart glasses typically look like
oversized spectacles and can either be monocular, in which information is displayed over one eye’s field
of view, or binocular, in which it is projected over both. Head-mounted displays are headsets designed to
provide the most immersive experience possible. Some are tethered via wire to a physical computer to draw
upon the immense computing power required to render immersive environments, which limits their mobility.

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Signals for Strategists For more companies, new ways of seeing

Examples of guidance and collaboration applications of users in virtual environments that simulate real-life
AR/VR: A global logistics company’s expanding smart scenarios. We see exploration in health care and higher
glasses program, which guides warehouse pickers in education and deployment in industrial and consumer
assembling shipments, resulted in reduced error rates. products.
Boeing engineers decreased wiring production time by
These applications may allow organizations to train staff
25 percent after replacing assembly manuals with smart
at lower cost and reduced risk.11 The technology may also
glasses displays.9 And GE is testing a “smart helmet” that
help learners retain more information than traditional
enables technicians at natural gas plants to view instruc-
training methods: In one test, surgeons retained approx-
tions or receive remote assistance from their colleagues
imately 80 percent of training material presented via VR
while performing maintenance tasks.10
compared to 20 percent when listening to a lecture.12

IMMERSIVE LEARNING AND TRAINING Japan Airlines is experimenting with training co-pilots
in a virtual cockpit.13 California and Florida public
AR/VR also lends itself well to applications in education schools have deployed VR to send students on virtual
and training, including therapies that train patients how field trips,14 medical schools are experimenting with
to cope with conditions such as post-traumatic stress teaching surgical techniques on simulated cadavers,15
disorder (PTSD), to manage their pain, and to engage and University of Southern California researchers are
in rehabilitation. For these applications, organizations exploring the technology’s use in reliving traumatic
generally employ head-mounted displays to immerse memories to help veterans better cope with PTSD.16

Table 1. Applications of AR/VR technologies

Enterprise
category What Where Potential results

Guidance and Provide a worker with visual Aerospace and defense, Improved productivity,
collaboration cues to help her perform tasks automotive, construction, streamlined work processes,
such as maintenance, repair, or health care providers, industrial reduced risk, cross-geographic
assembly products, oil and gas, power collaboration
and utilities, technology

Immersive Immerse the user in realistic Consumer products, health Stronger retention of
learning training environments that care providers, higher material, reduced risk, cost
are normally either high-cost education, and industrial savings, improved therapeutic
or high-risk to personnel; products outcomes
variations include addressing
PTSD, phobias, and other
medical issues

Enhanced Enhance customers’ experience Automotive, banking and Better customer engagement,
consumer by providing customized or securities, consumer products, increased marketing
experience unique methods to interact health care providers, opportunities, increased sales,
with the company, brand, or its industrial products, media enhanced brand positioning
products and entertainment, and travel,
hospitality, and services

Design and Enable knowledge workers to Aerospace and defense, Cost savings, increased
analysis assess design ideas virtually automotive, construction, efficiency, earlier detection of
and/or analyze data in new higher education, industrial design flaws, new methods
formats products, real estate, and to analyze data and generate
technology insights

Source: Deloitte analysis. Deloitte University Press | dupress.deloitte.com

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Signals for Strategists For more companies, new ways of seeing

ENHANCED CONSUMER EXPERIENCE

Innovative marketers are deploying AR/VR technology

to enhance customers’ experiences with their company,
products, and brand, particularly in the adtech, martech,
and commerce spaces, which some analysts expect will
account for a significant share of AR/VR revenue over
the long term.17 Applications typically allow customers
to virtually interact with brands to visualize and tailor
products to their preferences. Companies exploring AR/
VR for consumer experience can be found in the automo-
tive, banking, consumer products, retail, and travel and
hospitality sectors.

The benefits may include better brand positioning,

more effective marketing campaigns, and fewer product
returns. Some companies have seen sales boosts, partic-
ularly in e-commerce.18
VR to design and prototype virtual automobiles, making
One example of this application of AR/VR is Sephora’s
the design process faster and cheaper, while NASA is
Virtual Artist tool, which allows consumers to sample
using AR/VR to design the next Mars Rover.22
makeup without physically touching the product. Using
a customer’s smartphone camera, the app can project AR/VR also brings greater insights into traditional
various shades of makeup on an image or video of her workflow by providing enterprises with new techniques
face and will even stay in place if she moves the camera to analyze data. Citigroup developed a proof-of-concept
around.19 Several real estate companies are experi- virtual workstation to visualize trading trends and
menting with VR prototypes that allow customers to manipulate complex data sets within the user’s field of
remotely view properties, both built and planned, view.23 Fidelity Investments has a virtual-reality equity
more comprehensively than via online photos.20 Other management tool that generates a 3D rendering of an
companies are boosting their marketing efforts by investment portfolio.24 Sectors testing new types of data
tapping into consumer-facing AR/VR applications, visualizations include banking, higher education, invest-
such as PokemonGo, to physically guide customers to ment management, and technology. As AR/VR tech-
the company’s location, a strategy that has sometimes nology evolves, data analysts will benefit from new types
increased sales.21 of analysis that will allow more intuitive graphs, better
insights, and novel methods of communicating findings.
DESIGN AND ANALYSIS

AR/VR is also enabling some companies to digitize the What to watch

product-design process. Designers wearing headsets can
now construct, model, and test products in realistically As we’ve seen, a good number of organizations are
simulated environments, which enhances quality and already exploring enterprise applications of AR/VR. As
accelerates design workflow. Sectors exploring AR/VR the technology continues to improve, the case for testing,
technology for design include aerospace, automotive, adoption, and deployment will become stronger. Here
industrial products, real estate, and technology. are some indicators that can help determine the right
time to dive in.
Because AR/VR enables designers to model and test
detailed virtual prototypes without physical construction, Computational power: AR/VR requires substan-
it can cut development time, reduce production costs, tial computing power to create high-quality graphics,
and yield better products by increasing understanding reduce lag between a user’s movement and the display’s
earlier in the process. For example, BMW has deployed response, and increase the visual frame rate to more
than 90 frames per second (FPS), a rate that won’t

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Signals for Strategists For more companies, new ways of seeing

induce motion sickness. The development of dedicated NUMEROUS OPPORTUNITIES IN

processing units that can increase computing power and THE ENTERPRISE
speed, while reducing power consumption, will allow
AR/VR hardware to do more. Companies that employ workers for maintenance,
repairs, or inspections, particularly in remote locations,
Battery life: Many guidance and collaboration applica- may want to explore integrating AR/VR technologies
tions will remain impractical until the batteries in AR/ into their workflows. Providing workers with hands-free
VR headsets can last an entire work shift—at least eight access to information and assistance from colleagues
to ten hours. Most devices on the market currently last while they work promises to increase efficiency in
less than half that time. As battery life increases, so will sectors such as construction, manufacturing, logistics,
the appeal of these applications. and oil and gas.
Field of view: The human field of view can extend to Organizations that conduct high-risk or costly training in
approximately 180 degrees, the middle 114 of which is sectors such as aviation, medicine, and industrial prod-
considered to be binocular in which humans use both ucts should also consider exploring AR/VR technologies.
eyes and can perceive depth and distance.25 Although AR/VR training may lower the cost, reduce the risk, and
many devices have fields of view just higher than 100 increase the effectiveness of training to perform exacting
degrees, increasing the field toward 180 degrees will physical tasks.
expand a worker’s observable environment and enable
more immersive experiences. The time is also right for marketing leaders in consumer
products, retail, and real estate to begin testing the
Eye tracking: Many devices today already use gestures technology for their businesses. As always, clear perfor-
and voice commands, but advances in new eye tracking mance measures will tell the tale.
techniques, such as foveated rendering—which decreases
system demands by tracking a user’s eye and rendering Many organizations have incorporated AR/VR into their
only what he looks at versus the entire field of view—may design processes, but there is so far limited data about
soon reduce power consumption and increase the inter- the impact of AR/VR in other types of analysis and
face’s responsiveness.26 data visualization. Despite this, sectors with numerous
knowledge workers may want to experiment with AR/
New entrants and sensors: Some analysts predict VR, but with tightly scoped use cases until the technology
that big names such as Apple Inc. and Samsung will improves. The next few years will likely see advance-
enter the mobile AR market in the next one to two ments that can enable sophisticated data visualizations
years.27 If true, they could enlist an army of developers that will amplify current analytical techniques.
to create new content and, then, introduce new sensors28
that could better track a user’s location, gauge proximity
to other objects, and perceive depth. Making AR/VR a reality
Price point: Most AR/VR hardware is still expensive, AR/VR is rapidly evolving from a curiosity, to a subject
with costs ranging from several hundred to several thou- of experiments, to an enterprise tool that can offer broad
sand dollars per user setup. With many new technologies, benefits. Ongoing improvements in performance and
price influences consumer adoption, and a decrease may cost will inevitably broaden the applications of this tech-
drive enterprise adoption as well. As prices fall, expect nology. The time is right for senior executives, including
enterprise experimentation and deployment to increase. enterprise strategists, operations leaders, product
owners, and marketing heads, to map out how they
Comfort/weight: Some devices, weighing over a
might put this technology to use.
pound and uncomfortably bulky, can be tiring for
workers to wear for an extended period. As lighter and
sleeker devices become available, adoption will grow.

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Signals for Strategists For more companies, new ways of seeing

AUTHORS

Ryan Kaiser is a manager in Deloitte LLP’s US Innovation group, where his efforts focus on the intersection of
innovation, strategy, and technology. He frequently evaluates emerging technologies and business trends to
support strategic initiatives for Deloitte’s leaders and clients.

David Schatsky is a managing director at Deloitte LLP. He tracks and analyzes emerging technology and business
trends, including the growing impact of cognitive technologies, for the firm’s leaders and its clients.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors would like to acknowledge the contributions of Sherean Ali, Meera Valliath, Ragu Gurumurthy,
Craig Muraskin, and Peter Gratzke of Deloitte LLP; Allan Cook, Joseph Fitzgerald, Emily Kashare, Jiten Dajee,
Thomas Schoenwaelder, Siva Kantamneni, Chatterjee Amitava, Kenneth Abrams, Bryan Sung, Shantaram
Rangpappa, Mitchell Morris, Kenneth Meyer, Joseph Zale, Martin Hartigan, Kerry Millar, Jeffrey Bradfield,
Scott Friedman, Gregory Mitchell, Donald Brady, James Rose, Steven Soechtig, and Nelson Kunkel of De-
loitte Consulting LLP; and Guy Langford, Robert O’Brien, Trina Huelsman, Yang Chu, and Barbara Mroczynski
of Deloitte Advisory LLP.

ENDNOTES
1. Deloitte LLP internal analysis.

2. Digi-Capital, “Record $2.3 billion VR/AR investment in 2016,” February 2017, www.digi-capital.com/news/2017/02/
record-2-3-billion-vrar-investment-in-2016/; additional analysis by Deloitte LLP.

3. Lucas Matney, “HTC Vive announces $10 billion VR venture capital alliance,” TechCrunch, June 29, 2016, http://tcrn.
ch/29gx3eM.

4. Conner Forrest, “HTC Vive ‘Business Edition’ targets enterprise with $1200 VR kit,” TechRepublic¸ June 10, 2016, http://
tek.io/1UkQYuB.

5. IDC, “Worldwide revenues for augmented and virtual reality forecast to reach $162 billion in 2020, according to IDC,”
August 15, 2016, www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS41676216.

6. Nelson Kunkel, Steve Soechtig, Jared Miniman, and Chris Stauch, Tech Trends 2016: Augmented and virtual reality go to
work, Deloitte University Press, February 24, 2016, https://dupress.deloitte.com/dup-us-en/focus/tech-trends/2016/
augmented-and-virtual-reality.html.

7. Magid Abraham and Marco Annunziata, “Augmented reality is already improving worker performance,” Harvard Busi-
ness Review, March 13, 2017, https://hbr.org/2017/03/augmented-reality-is-already-improving-worker-performance.

8. Economist, “The promise of augmented reality,” February 4, 2017, www.economist.com/news/science-and-

technology/21716013-replacing-real-world-virtual-one-neat-trick-combining-two.

9. Fleet Owner, “DHL rolls out global augmented reality program,” September 8, 2016, http://fleetowner.com/tech-
nology/dhl-rolls-out-global-augmented-reality-program; Al Sacco, “Google Glass takes flight at Boeing,” CIO, July 13,
2016, www.cio.com/article/3095132/wearable-technology/google-glass-takes-flight-at-boeing.html; Upskill, “Upskill
and Boeing: Reinventing wire harness assembly,” https://upskill.io/landing/upskill-and-boeing/.

10. Dorothy Pomerantz, “Move over Pokémon, GE is testing augmented reality helmets in Qatar’s giant sandbox,”
General Electric, November 3, 2016, www.gereports.com/move-pokemon-ge-testing-augmented-reality-helmets-
qatars-giant-sandbox/.

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Signals for Strategists For more companies, new ways of seeing

11. Gregory Babb, “Augmented reality can increase productivity,” AREA, August 20, 2015, http://thearea.org/augmented-
reality-can-increase-productivity/; Kunkel et al., Tech Trends 2016: Augmented and virtual reality go to work.

12. John Gaudiosi, “Here’s why hospitals are using virtual reality to train staff,” Fortune, August 17, 2015, http://for.
tn/1EnSeC8.

13. Angela Moscaritolo, “Japan Airlines using Microsoft HoloLens for training,” PC, July 11, 2016, www.pcmag.me/a/
2505341.

14. John Gaudiosi, “These two school districts are teaching through virtual reality,” Fortune, February 2016, http://for.tn/
1UmKYB4.

15. Nicola Davis, “Holograms replacing cadavers in training for doctors,” Guardian, November 17, 2016, www.theguardian.
com/society/2016/nov/17/medical-trainers-look-to-virtual-reality-tech.

16. Justine Quart, “Treating PTSD with virtual reality therapy: A way to heal trauma,” ABC News, July 18, 2016, http://abcn.
ws/29OXg4Q.

17. Digi-Capital, “After mixed year, mobile AR to drive $108 billion VR/AR market by 2021,” February 2017, http://www.di-
gi-capital.com/news/2017/01/after-mixed-year-mobile-ar-to-drive-108-billion-vrar-market-by-2021/#.WNVynY-cFu2

18. Trefis Team, “Why is L’Oréal increasing its focus on augmented reality?,” Forbes, March 15, 2016, www.forbes.com/
sites/greatspeculations/2016/03/15/why-is-loreal-increasing-its-focus-on-augmented-reality/.

19. Hilary Milnes, “Makeup brands are testing augmented reality to drive conversions,” Digiday, March 28, 2016, http://
digiday.com/brands/makeup-brands-testing-augmented-reality-drive-conversions/.

20. Jennifer Miller, “A new dimension in NY Times,” New York Times, February 12, 2016, https://nyti.ms/2kbYAo9.

21. Jon Martindale, “McDonald’s Japan captures its first profit in two years thanks to ‘Pokemon Go,’” Digital Trends,
August 11, 2016, www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/pokemon-go-mcdonalds-japan-profit/.

22. Aaron Mamiit, “Why and how BMW will use HTC Vive VR in vehicle development process,” Tech Times, April 9, 2016,
www.techtimes.com/articles/148466/20160409/why-and-how-bmw-will-use-htc-vive-vr-in-vehicle-development-
process.htm; Mona Lalwani, “NASA is building the next Mars rover in mixed reality,” Engadget, May 23, 2016,
www.engadget.com/2016/05/23/nasa-hololens-mars-rover-in-mixed-reality/.

23. Ian Kar, “Citigroup wants to bring Microsoft’s HoloLens and augmented reality to stock trading,” Quartz, March 30,
2016, https://qz.com/650872.

24. David Talbot, “Fidelity’s Oculus app lets you fly through your investments,” MIT Technology Review, November 19, 2014,
www.technologyreview.com/s/532676/fidelitys-oculus-app-lets-you-fly-through-your-investments/.

25. Ian P. Howard and Brian J. Rogers, Binocular Vision and Stereopsis (New York: Oxford University Press, 1995), p. 32.

26. Josh Constine, “Oculus acquires eye-tracking startup The Eye Tribe,” TechCrunch, December 28, 2016, http://tcrn.
ch/2iF386k.

27. Tim Merel, “The reality of VR/AR growth,” TechCrunch, January 11, 2017, http://tcrn.ch/2iI0NUC.

28. Patrick Seitz, “Apple iPhone 8 to get 3D-sensing tech for augmented-reality apps,” Investor’s Business Daily,
January 25, 2017, www.investors.com/news/technology/click/apple-iphone-8-to-get-3d-sensing-tech-for-augmented-
reality-apps/.

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