November 09, 2023
November 09, 2023

Uncovering the Value of Augmented Reality in Travel

Travel is one of the few high dollar products where consumers can't "try it" before they buy. Augmented reality helps solve this problem - it allows travel brands to get travelers to experience their product before they purchase it, providing inspiration and ultimately instilling confidence to book. Snapchat and Kantar partnered together to better understand the role augmented reality can play for consumers in the path to purchase for travel - from initial inspiration all the way to sharing their experiences once at their destination. Kantar conducted a quantitative survey among 1004 current and intended travelers in the US who are 13-49 years old and the study revealed some key findings when it comes to the role augmented reality plays in the travel journey.


Augmented Reality and Travel — a Perfect Match

The study revealed that consumers are inclined to engage with AR during their travel journey, with 93% of consumers stating that they would use AR during at least one point in the travel journey in the future.¹ Consumers also find AR helpful during their travel journey and feel motivated to take action once they engage with AR:

  • 84% of consumers consider AR filters/lenses to be at least somewhat helpful during at least one point of their travel journey.¹

  • 91% of consumers claim that they are at least somewhat likely to find inspiration for a personal trip after engaging with a brand within any travel category via AR.¹


Snapchat AR for the Win in Travel

Snapchat is a leader in augmented reality with nearly 250 million Snapchatters engaging with AR every day on average. The study revealed that Augmented Reality on Snapchat is especially effective at impacting the consumer travel journey, with 68% of Snapchatters having used AR during at least one point in their travel journey in the past, compared to only 41% for non-Snapchatters.¹


Snapchatters use AR across their entire travel journey and are more likely than non-Snapchatters to have used AR across all stages


Snapchatters are also more likely to use AR across every phase of their travel journey compared to non-Snapchatters. This is because Snapchatters find AR to be more helpful than competitors across all stages of their travel journey.


Snapchatters are more likely than non-Snapchatters to consider AR filters/lenses at least somewhat helpful across all stages of their travel journey


75% of people come to Snapchat to interact with their closest circle of family and friends and we see these interactions are also super impactful when it comes to travel AR.² 77% of Snapchatters are likely to take action during their travel journey after viewing Snapchat AR through chat with friends/family.¹


Leverage Power of Video + AR to Drive Results

So how can you get involved with AR on Snap and what’s the most impactful way to incorporate AR into your Snap media mix? While AR is a powerful tool for driving travel consideration and intent, the study showed that the biggest impact can come when leveraging both video ads and AR as part of a multi-product ad approach on Snapchat. When AR ads are used in combination with video ads, they are more likely to drive Snapchatters to take action than either AR ads or Video ads on their own.


AR ads in combination with video ads are more likely to drive Snapchatters to be at least somewhat likely to take action than either AR ads on their own or video ads on their own


So, are you ready to incorporate Augmented Reality to bring your travel brand to life?
To find out how, click here.

To learn more about how AR helps build brands, please read our blog here.

1 2023 Kantar Study commissioned by Snapchat.
2 2022 Neuroinsights Study commissioned by Snapchat.
1 2023 Kantar Study commissioned by Snapchat.
2 2022 Neuroinsights Study commissioned by Snapchat.