Britons prefer smartphones for AR based shopping: OnBuy

Over 71 per cent of Britons would select smartphones and 29 per cent would opt for a pair of smart glasses when using online shopping tools with augmented reality (AR), according to a survey by OnBuy.

A recent research by Goldman Sachs showed that AR and virtual reality (VR) is predicted to grow into a £71 billion ($95 billion) market by 2025.

Online shopping tools with AR are specifically designed to help shoppers visualise items before buying. OnBuy, a UK-based online retail marketplace, analysed findings from Mindshare, who surveyed 1,000 UK smartphone users to see whether they preferred to experience AR 'experiences' either on their smartphone or using a pair of smart glasses.

Connected packaging, which allows consumers to scan a QR code on the packaging or product itself (once purchased) to primarily get usage instructions or greater insight into the brand's story, is popular on smartphones, with 82 per cent of Brits claiming they would use their smartphone as opposed to 18 per cent of Brits who would use smart glasses.

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The report also found that about 78 per cent of shoppers in the UK would prefer to get assistance for basic tasks like figuring out the best box size for shipping items on their smartphones, while the remaining 22 per cent would opt for smart glasses to do the same.