The popularity of VR in 2021 has been unprecedented. With the COVID pandemic forcing us to change the way we do a lot of things, remote and virtual experiences have created new opportunities for businesses across industries. The future of virtual reality in industries like healthcare, entertainment, education and gaming is really exciting. Virtual reality in marketing and advertising is also a growing trend and will see a lot of innovation in the coming year.
Industries were forced to adapt to the rapid shift in remote working and Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality made a lot of new and interesting experiences accessible right from our homes. The possibilities are such that with Virtual Reality growing we can travel, shop, study and work from the comfort of our homes. With the need for digital solutions in 2021 bigger than ever, VR will achieve new milestones and even set trends that will impact 2021 and the future of virtual reality as a whole.
These are some of the most impactful trends in VR technology that will continue to grow in 2021 and beyond:
1. VR in Training and Education
Virtual reality can aid us in professional development and learning by simulating real life situations without any risks involved. An important example of VR in training and education is demonstrating workplace safety. Take for example a construction site. Demonstrating workplace safety to trainees on a construction site is fraught with danger. However virtual reality can help organizations produce fantastic simulations that explore, examine and explain the hazards without actually exposing the workers to any risk. Employees can view a complete virtual walkthrough of the construction site without even having to be there in person.
Another important area where the VR industry can change the game is education. Online education is forcing students to spend long hours in front of their laptops causing them to lose attention. Most often they are unable to focus, resulting in poor comprehension. Through VR technology, modern education can get a boost in interaction, focus on comprehension by transporting students to virtual classrooms and simulating that same environment.
2. VR Aided Retail Shopping (Shop from Retail Stores at Home)
The world of e-commerce is skyrocketing in popularity especially since the pandemic hit. VR has already been making great strides in the e-commerce and retail shopping world, but new innovations and integrations promise to take the possibilities even further and take it to the next level.
The possibilities of virtual reality currently make it possible for customers to virtually visit a store, walk around, and experience the dimensions, size and features of products without actually having to try them on physically. Virtual dressing rooms have also made it possible to try clothes on and see how they look on you from the comfort of your home.
3. VR in Entertainment
Entertainment was one of the earliest ways in which virtual reality was adopted by consumers. Seeing its popularity in entertainment, the demand for VR grew and resulted in large scale adaptation by different industries. This trend is booming even more, since people are stuck at home during the pandemic and have very few options for entertainment. They are looking for new and exciting ways to spend their time and experiencing simulated reality seems to be one of the most popular ways to do so.
With virtual reality, people can experience new and exciting simulated worlds and explore new realms without even moving from the comfort and safety of their home.
4. VR as a way to collaborate virtually
With remote working becoming our new reality, organizations have had to come up with new and innovative ways to encourage teams to collaborate with one another remotely. VR can significantly augment the quality of online interactions both in professional and private capacities. Virtual Reality has become a social norm making it one of the leading innovations in digital cooperation.
5. Tourism and Travel – Experience Destinations with Virtual Reality
The pandemic made international travel and in some cases even local travel impossible due to several restrictions in place. This made people yearn for travel experiences and vacations to distant places. In light of this the travel industry adapted quickly and developed new innovative technology that allowed people to experience places remotely through a Virtual Reality Headset. With the popularity of VR, people can experience places remotely and start planning beforehand for their trips post pandemic.
6. Advertising and Virtual Reality in Marketing
Virtual Reality will soon be able to support native advertising and branded placements. A few big companies of the world have included VR support in their brand innovations. In this way the use of Virtual Reality Technology is on the rise, and will soon have applications in many industries worldwide. VR makes advertisements more appealing, inviting, and interactive – instantly giving them a lot of value.
7. VR makes Gaming better
Gaming continues to be one of the biggest use cases for Virtual Reality at the moment. Most of the investments in the VR industry come from big players in the Gaming Industry. This trend is expected to continue.
VR is an exciting new innovation in the world of games, because the level of immersion possible with Virtual Reality is unmatched. Game designers can use these possibilities and innovations in exciting and promising new ways bringing a whole new dimension to the world of video games.
Conclusion
There seems to be an endless number of possibilities with virtual reality technology. There is no doubt that Virtual Reality is blooming and there seem to be new developments, use cases and applications in the world of VR. We will have to continue to watch this space to see the new use cases that emerge – as it shows no sign of stopping.