How XpertVR Is Changing The Face Of Traditional Research With Virtual Reality
Virtual reality has gotten more sophisticated over the years. Although its well-known applications lie in gaming[1] and entertainment[2], its potential isn’t limited to these industries. Market research, for instance, is an avenue that has yet to be explored fully.
Tech startup XpertVR is perhaps one of a handful of companies pushing the boundaries in this field, providing businesses with unique immersive solutions.
What Is XpertVR?
XpertVR[3] was founded by Drew MacNeil and Evan Sitler. They met through entrepreneurship programs at Goodman Group Venture Development. Their shared fascination with XR brought them together. Over the years, they considered 360 video marketing, VR entertainment booths, and training simulations before settling on XR tools to aid with research.
MacNeil and Sitler, driven by their interest in marketing, began consulting market research firms in 2018. They immediately learned how outdated the industry was. At the same time, they realized the potential for innovation in the market research industry.
From then onwards, they started making retail environments for clients. Eventually, they landed a deal to manage, as well as consult, the Brock University R3CL facility. They haven’t stopped innovating since.
Using Virtual Reality for Market Research
One of the biggest challenges in traditional market research is creating realistic test environments. Due to budget and time constraints, companies often fail to deliver ideal testing scenarios, which leads to less than accurate data.
That’s where virtual reality comes in.
XpertVR uses immersive solutions to simulate stores, retailers, and many other user experiences, without having to build physical assets. From consumer behavior research to product A/B testing, the startup can create a variety of simulations to fit the needs of their clients.
“VR has made the data research traditionally collected much more abundant as well as less cost-prohibitive,” Sitler said in an interview. “Because of this and the far wider range of ideas that can be tested in VR, researchers are starting to focus more on the consumer’s experience.”