When Facebook acquired the Oculus virtual reality headset developer in 2014, there were suggestions that the purpose of the social network was to generate revenue from advertising a virtual reality headset.
A survey of 11,300 people in 11 countries, recently published in a Facebook report for marketers, shows how to monetize the acquisition! Namely, Facebook wants to enable people to view purchases without physically visiting stores, and to facilitate social connections between friends and family members.
Thus, a new SMM tool appears, which will significantly expand the possibilities of selling in social networks.
The study touched upon the themes of virtual and augmented reality, but the respondents showed more interest in VR. In all 11 countries, 65 percent of surveyed users expect virtual reality to become part of their daily lives. And the results were as follows: 87 percent of users in India, 60 in the United States and 45 in France. In addition, 63 percent of users said they want to use virtual reality to test products before they buy, which seems to be the clearest example of using virtual reality in a survey.
Previewing travel destinations or hotels was the most popular destination for a virtual reality tool, which attracted more than 70 percent of all responding users. While watching immersive films and fitting clothes or make-up averaged just under 60 percent. Surprisingly, the use of virtual reality for games is perhaps the most popular direction today, only 48 percent of all respondents liked. The numbers were much higher in developing countries than in developed ones, reflecting a broader trend for VR as a whole.
Facebook has repeatedly stressed its role as a link between people from different parts of the world, so it is not surprising that the study revealed a significant interest in related virtual reality applications. According to the survey, 60 percent of people want to use VR to communicate with people who are far away, and 54 percent believe that VR will be used to participate in important events at a distance.