68% of businesses ready to bet big on the Apple Vision Pro

Exactly 49.55% of business owners are planning on investing in marketing within the Apple Vision Pro, while 18.62% have already begun to do so, adding up to a total of 68.17%.

Only a third of business owners surveyed (31.83%) said they would not invest in marketing for this platform.

The industries that are inclined to invest in immersive Vision Pro experiences

The main sectors that are bullish on investing in immersive experiences for the Vision Pro are E-commerce (78.85%), Fashion (77.08%), and Hospitals & Healthcare (71.96%).

Below we’ll dive deeper into these industries and their expectations for immersive experiences.

Budget breakdown: How much are companies spending for Vision Pro experiences?

Of those bullish on investing, 22.42% are planning on spending between 10k and 30k euros, while 21.82% would not spend more than 10k euros.

But that is less than the amount spent by those that have already invested in Vision Pro experiences: between 30k and 50k euros (14.52%).

This indicates that businesses who haven’t invested yet are underscoring the potential costs of creating immersive experiences for virtual worlds.

Virtual networking: #1 priority for UK businesses marketing in the Vision Pro

Our study reveals that virtual networking is UK businesses’ top priority when deciding to invest in marketing within the Apple Vision Pro, as 29.96% plan to create experiences for that purpose alone.

Virtual networking is not a new concept, but with devices like Meta’s Quest 3 and the new Apple Vision Pro, it now allows companies to offer a seamless experience that drives productivity with ease and comfort.

When looking at the global results of our survey, it becomes clear which industries are most enthusiastic about investing in marketing for the Vision Pro.

26.83% are also planning to invest between between 10000 and 30000 euros for marketing in the Vision Pro.

While keen on creating immersive experiences, the Fashion industry is more tight on budget: 24.32% expect to invest less than 10k euros.

Fashion business owners think that Vision Pro immersive experiences will become mainstream in the next 5 years (64.58%), while a quarter think it’s mainstream now.

35% of these healthcare business owners say they plan to dedicate between 10000 and 30000 euros to these immersive experiences, by far the preferred range.

For 63.55% of business owners in this industry, immersive experiences like the ones that the Vision Pro enables will go mainstream in the next 5 years, doubling down on that optimism that makes them keep their eyes (and pockets) on the Vision Pro.

Our survey indicates that the first experiences for the Apple Vision Pro from brands will take many forms. Here’s what we can expect:

Virtual product testing/demos

Our study shows that 25.80% of business owners have invested or plan on investing in virtual product testing for the Vision Pro.

Healthcare is a big industry currently working on applications for the Vision Pro – and 30% of those companies are looking to use them for virtual testing, such as diagnostics.

The Fashion industry is another big player in the virtual testing arena, expecting to use it as a testing lab for new products. Our study reveals that 27% of those SMBs will invest in virtual product demos.

Other big brands, like Nestlé, are also jumping into the virtual demo trend.

Virtual networking

Virtual networking is among business owners’ priorities when it comes to the Vision Pro, as 24.12% plan to create experiences for that purpose alone.

Particularly in an industry like e-commerce, networking is an essential part of diversifying and growing businesses.

The advantage that networking has is its overextending influence; every business has a need for it, regardless of industry or target market.

And the benefits of VR networking are multiple, from faster access to experts and answers to better participation of in-house teams.

VR games

20.92% of the business owners surveyed agreed that creating VR games would be part of their investments in branded experiences for the Vision Pro.

This is an area that’s been overly explored in the gaming industry, with Sony’s Playstation VR and Meta’s Quest 3 quickly dominating the market.

Virtual showrooms

12.21% of business owners said they would invest in creating virtual showrooms for their brands.

Another one of e-commerce’s favourites, virtual showrooms allow businesses to showcase their products in an interactive way.

Vision Pro-optimised advertising

Similarly, 13.44% of respondents said they would invest in Vision Pro-optimised advertising. That is to say, regular advertising that is adapted to the Vision Pro.

The capabilities of VR headsets like the Vision Pro and the Quest 3, along with technologies such as AR Code, allow companies to display AR Videos in users’ environment, enhancing the experience of viewing dynamic content (such as video ads) in attractive and innovative ways.

Branded virtual experiences

Only 9.62% of business owners are thinking about creating branded virtual experiences for the Vision Pro.

This is branded content that is adapted to the Vision Pro platform, similar to what you would see on a virtual reality experience at a theme park.

A third of UK business owners won’t invest in virtual experiences for the Vision Pro because they “have no interest in creating immersive experiences for my business” (31.83%).

Of those not investing, 29.25% say they’re not interested in creating virtual experiences for their businesses, while 22.64% say it’s too expensive.

84% of businesses not investing in the Vision Pro say their customers are not ready for virtual experiences.

Education

The education industry is not too confident about the Vision Pro: 50% would not invest at all in creating immersive experiences.

That’s impressive, considering that in our previous Metaverse for Business study, the Education sector was the 2nd industry investing the most in the metaverse.

The main reason these companies won’t invest is because they lack a dedicated team to develop experiences for the Vision Pro (28.21%).

It makes sense, since education professionals are not expected to be tech-savvy or specialists. As is the case for other industries, it relies on outsourced providers like those found on Sortlist to solve their digital needs.

And 26% of business owners in education say they have no interest in creating immersive experiences for the Apple device.

Exactly 71.79% of business owners in education think their customers aren’t ready for virtual experiences such as those brought about by the Vision Pro.

Still, 67% of business owners in this industry think that virtual worlds, as a mainstream platform, will boom in the next 5 years.

For all the talk about the many use cases that virtual worlds can provide for this industry, business owners aren’t convinced yet.

Consulting

Consulting businesses are also not interested in marketing to users inside the Vision Pro; 54.35% say they aren’t planning on investing in it.

More interesting is that a great 60% of those SMBs also have no interest in creating virtual experiences for their customers.

A reason behind this low confidence in marketing investment for the Vision Pro is outlined by another shocking statistic: 80% of respondents think their customers are not ready for immersive experiences.

Most business owners in this sector agree that the metaverse will become mainstream in the next 5 years (64%).

It also highlights the contrast between the sentiment back in 2021-2022 when the metaverse presented itself as a new marketing channel for consulting firms.

The anticipation surrounding the Apple Vision Pro transcends mere gadget fascination,

signalling a new era for business marketing strategies. Our survey shows that businesses are not just ready but eager to embrace the Vision Pro, especially for creating product demos and using it for virtual networking.

Nearly three years post-Meta’s rebranding, the use of Apple’s virtual new product is being eyed by industries far and wide, including e-commerce and healthcare, and dismissed by others, such as education and consulting.

The Vision Pro emerges not just as a device but as an indicator of the metaverse’s integration into mainstream business marketing, challenging previous hesitations and setting concrete use cases.

This report is the result of three surveys carried out between February 12th and February 16th, 2024, across the United Kingdom, Spain, and France. We surveyed 333 business owners in each country, asking them about their marketing plans for the Apple Vision Pro, what type of experience they hope to design, and what budget they would allocate for those efforts. The responses are anonymous.