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1
WeChat’s Next
Frontier: Time to
Jump on the
Augmented Reality
(AR) Train?
V 1 , N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 7
2
Why This Whitepaper? Executive Summary
Augmented Reality developments in China have been a hot
topic in 2017. This document is providing a picture of the
current marketing possibilities landscape of AR within
WeChat, from a technical and user experience perspective.
It also brings a tentative analysis of what the world of
augmented reality in China might look like in 12 to 24
months’ time.
WHO IS THIS PIECE FOR?
o Digital creatives, producers/technologists and project managers
to support their work designing and building their next
applications and consumer engagement experiences
o Marketing executives looking for a reference state of
technology document to support their campaign and
consumer engagement decision making
WHAT BENEFITS CAN YOU EXPECT FROM THIS
DOCUMENT?
√ A thorough understanding of the current state of AR
technology available through WeChat and its main use
cases
√ Understanding most probable mid term evolutions of AR in
China for better planning its integration into marketing efforts
ABOUT 31TEN
31Ten is a Shanghai based digital agency
helping established brands and startups alike to
leverage the ever changing innovation
landscape in China and reach and increasingly
connected consumer. We specialize among
other things in exploring the boundaries of
innovative interactions through a smartphone.
Follow our official WeChat account below to
access the history of our research content, and
to be among the first to know when we publish
new guides.
3
AR Is Very Likely to Be the Next Big Platform for Brands for to Gain
Viewership Dominance in WeChat's Highly Competitive Environment
o With the arrival of iOS 11 in fall 2017, AR is set to reach
every Chinese smartphone by the end of the year
o Both Apple and Google released kits - ARKit and ARCore -
enabling developers to quickly and easily create AR-based
app experiences
o Alibaba and Tencent bringing their red envelope (红包) war
for CNY 2017 into the AR world is a key indicator that we’re
facing the beginning of what could be the next user &
consumer experience revolution in China
o Although most analysts predict that the enterprise AR
market will lead the consumer market in the West, it would
not be a surprise if the AR revolution begins with the
consumer in China, starting from marketing and social use
cases
o The initial novelty of AR will offer excellent virality to the first
wave of campaigns and experiences
o As with most new interaction innovation, the novelty effect or
AR-based campaigns may die out quickly
2017 CNY red envelope
campaigns made a leap
into AR.
Top: Alipay’s red
envelope AR map
Bottom : Tencent QQ’s
4
WeChat AR Is Currently Limited to Web Based AR Technologies, But
It Compensates With Its Massive Reach
WECHAT MAKES MASS AR ENABLED CAMPAIGNS AVAILABLE, BUT
DOES NOT OFFER YET FULL MODERN AR RECOGNITION
CAPABILITIES
o At the moment, limited to browsing AR-enabled web pages (“Web
AR”) except couple narrow AR features built into the app (e.g.
real-time translation)
o Still far from the full capabilities of modern mobile AR (objects,
depth, surface, positioning and lighting condition recognition). In
other words, limited to Location Based AR where an object floats
in 3D space regardless of other objects
o But already offering a wide range of creative use cases for
consumer activation
o Currently limited to WeChat on Android devices - on the iOS
version we need to prompt users to open the AR experience
using Safari (might be fixed soon)
o With WeChat’s 900M+ users, brands can reach a large portion of
their audience through AR campaigns, making AR far more viable
than VR for mass consumption potential
WECHAT AR WILL FURTHER IMPROVE OVER THE NEXT 12-24
MONTHS, AND AN OPEN NATIVE AR PLATFORM BY TENCENT IS STILL
TO BE EXPECTED
o Behemoth third parties such as Tencent may pressure Apple to
allow their apps’ browsers access to camera and audio feeds. We
believe there’s a moderate possibility of this limitation being
removed within the next year- meaning Web AR will be
accessible directly through the WeChat browser on iOS
o Android WeChat Web AR is expected to improve steadily with the
growth in number of experiences released and developers
improving the software libraries available
o We believe trend of close collaborations between B/A/T and
brands is likely to continue with more opportunities for
multinationals and major Chinese companies to leverage ties with
Tencent to access WeChat’s app-specific AR capabilities
o Although Tencent is allegedly abandoning its own QAR platform
project, we believe the priority may have shifted to integrating
ARKit and ARCore SDKs as a base for it. We forecast Tencent
could start to open an AR framework to third parties in the next
12~24 months
5
Should You Go for Web AR on WeChat Now?
o Using an AR Marker is an acceptable limit
o You can live with pure location Based AR where an
object floats in 3D space regardless of other objects
o Your target audience fits with the compatibility
requirements or if you can design a fallback, non-
AR experience for people who do not have a
compatible browser
o Redirecting users from the WeChat browser to the
native browser using the “open the website in
native browser” functionality is acceptable
o You cannot use a physical marker
o Targeting a very wide, heterogeneous audience with
no homogeneity in device type
o You need to include complex 3D and animations
o The user flow strictly requires staying within the
WeChat browser
o The experience needs a very reliable tracking system
√ Go for it if... × Wait for WeChat native AR platform if...
6
TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S
1 Native AR ≠ Web AR
2 AR in WeChat: Features, Main Limitations and Workarounds
3 What is Possible Today for Marketers and Creatives?
4 Forecast: What to Expect in Terms of AR Developments in China Over
the Next 12~24 Months
01.
Available in Apps as a SDK
o Markerless
o Full SLAM capability
Native AR
≠
Web AR
Only AR widely available in WeChat for now
o Marker based
o Limited to Location Based AR where an
object floats in 3D space regardless of
other objects
8
Augmented Reality is Inserting Content (2D/3D) into the User
Surroundings in Real Time
o Surroundings are captured via the phone camera feed and
augmented content is added in real time, based on user
interactions and device positioning (as opposed to
recognition based on image captured as snapshots,
which is already widely available and mature on
smartphones)
o AR has already been available on computers since 2000
with Flash; however, the low performance standards of
phones and other devices back then could not allow AR to
escape from a fixed, desktop setup - considerably reducing
its reach & usability
o Pokémon Go, launched in 2015, was the first mainstream
AR app success on mobile, reaching 60 million active users
at its peak and becoming a worldwide cultural phenomenon
o Building AR experiences will be much more accessible in the
future, thanks to ARkit and ARCore, and the larger support
of Web AR
Example of a flash-based AR experience
released in 2008 using the computer webcam
Pokémon Go, 500 million downloads to date
9
AR Marker & full Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM)
are the Main Experience Difference Between Web and Native AR
NATIVE AR: NO MARKER NEEDED
- Very powerful understanding of the
environment : object, depth, surface
and lightning recognition
- High user friction due to requirement
of app download
WEB AR: MARKER REQUIRED
- Limited to Location Based AR
displaying floating objects in 3D
regardless of the surrounding objects
- Can be instantly accessed by loading
a web page
≠
AR shopping : The ‘Ikea Places’ app places
virtual furniture in your home
Draw any picture on a piece of paper perfectly,
just by following a projection of the picture
made by your phone
10
Native AR vs. Web AR
NATIVE AR WEB AR (WECHAT)
Availability
Solution Maturity
Compatibility
Accessibility
3D Quality
3D Animations
Lighting Recognition
Depth & Object Recognition
o Late 2017 for iOS and Android
o Early stage
o iOS 11 (ARKit), Android 7+ (ARcore), one codebase
per platform
o Need to download a separate application including
all 3D models (heavy ~ >100MB).After download,
experience is instant
o Can be very complex with high-quality textures,
high-polygon models due to no size limitations and
optimized processing of power usage
o Yes
o Yes
o Yes, using visual odometry
o Already available, wider support with iOS11
o Experimental
o iOS11 + Android + Desktop, one codebase for all
platforms
o Accessible from ANY web browser, simple
webpage, 3D models ~ 2MB to 10MB
o Requires the user’s consent to access the camera
o Texture stays in a low-mid quality range, relatively
low polygon models (less than 100K polygons)
o Yes
o No
o No, only shape that can be tracked is a specific
marker (can be displayed on screen or paper), not
fast and powerful enough for visual odometry
11
Native AR (App-based): Full Modern Capabilities but Highly Frictional
Native App-based AR is based directly
on native mobile applications. Their
deep, or “native” access to the mobile
phone’s capabilities and sensors allows
such AR technology to be sophisticated,
precise and powerful using a
Technology called Visual Odometry.
The largest pain point for advertising &
marketing use cases is the necessity of
an initial download. To solve that
problem, some campaigns piggyback
popular applications like Shazam or QQ
Mobile.
The iOS ARKit out in September 2017,
to be followed by the Android Google
ARCore, are development tools that are
a massive technological improvement
for AR technology commoditization,
allowing small development teams to
create AR experiences similar to or even
more advanced than Pokémon Go.
PROS
o Powerful, no need for custom markers,
understands room structure and lighting
o Able to render very sophisticated 3D
experiences due to low level access of
phone hardware
o No limitation in size of data and models
stored
CONS
o Embedded in an app, adds friction by
requiring downloads of the app and related
3D content
o Requires custom development for each
platform (iOS, Android)
IDEAL FOR
o Frequent use
o Experiences requiring very precise
Augmented Reality capacities
o Games
o Tablet-based advertising experiences
Top : purchase experience
enhancement - testing paint color
nuances on your wall
Bottom : showing additional
interactive information based on
object recognition
12
Further Examples of Native AR
Augmented Reality Minecraft using ARKit
Scan QR code below or
click this link to access
video examples :
http://qr02.cn/FrVAhX
13
Web-based AR: Less Powerful, but Potentially Universal
Web-based AR uses browser and web technologies
with higher level languages that do not allow access to
the same power and sophistication as native AR apps.
It is based mostly on open-source projects and
technologies.
Flash made AR possible in 2000, but after it died out,
there was a gap of several years- during this time,
Web AR evolution staggered.
Several AR libraries projects have been surfacing the
last few months, the most advanced of these being
https://github.com/jeromeetienne/AR.js (4,400 stars on
GitHub, started in February 2017).
PROS
o Accessibility: Through the browser, no app download
o Spreadability /virality: Easily shareable
o One codebase for all platforms
CONS
o Use of an AR Marker is mandatory
o Much more limited in terms of resources
o Reach: Browser compatibilities issues due to the
technology’s recency
IDEAL FOR
o Low frequency usage, such as one-shot campaigns,
events, etc.
o O2O information augmentation use cases
14
Web-based AR Examples
Mobile commerce experience “Hold a
card and see it transforming into a
virtual phone”
Absolut vodka AR : The card attached to the
bottle becomes a virtual gallery with
slideshow, experiences, videos, 3D pictures
Scan QR code below or
click this link to access
video examples :
http://qr02.cn/CLAyFO
15
1. Scan QR code on WeChat
2. Point your phone at the
marker with black borders
Printed Marker
Limitations
(more on that later)
o Slow tracking rate on WeChat browser
o Needs to be opened on the native browser on iOS
See It Live on WeChat (needs an Android Phone)
Marker on screen
02. WeChat Web AR:
Features, Main Limitations and
Workarounds
17
o Web AR is a collection of already existing open source front-end software libraries and conventions
put together.
o Description: Web
protocol defining how
the camera should be
used in a browser
o Status: Implemented
on the majority of
recent desktop
browsers, (Safari
just joined in
September 2017)
o Description: Tool for
tracking and shape
detection
o Status: Latest
version can detect
simple shapes like
markers but cannot
map or understand a
room structure
o Description : Most
popular and mature
JS 3D framework
o Status : Mature, still
limited in animations,
3D format handling,
number of polygons
displayed and overall
performance when
compared to a native
AR app
+ + =
Web AR Sources and Tools
18
o On Android, WeChat’s own native web engine
powers its web browser called X5, forked from the
Blink project by Google (itself forked from Apple’s
Webkit)
o Give the heterogeneity of Android devices, X5
enables WeChat to offer a more homogeneous
browsing experience than using the Webview. Earlier
versions of WeChat had to deal with several web
engines (QQ Browser, Blink, etc) which impacted the
device compatibility of h5 pages and campaigns
o For Web AR, it is a strength and a weakness.
Strength, because the results on WebAR are
homogeneous, and weakness, because of the
current weak tracking performance
o As of now, the tracking performance on X5 is
slighly inferior to Google Chrome or Safari
=> Expect this gap to be closed very quickly with the
growth of the community of developers in China
Tencent Browser Service “X5“
Scan QR code below or click this link to access demo videos:
http://qr02.cn/D5kd3b
WeChat’s X5 Rendering Engine Makes Web AR Experiences
Uniform on Android
19
o WebRTC is implemented in Safari in iOS11
(September ‘17 release), allowing, amongst other
functionalities, the direct use of the camera and
microphone inside a web page.
o However, at the time of writing, when tested on iOS
11, the camera on WeChat browser was not made
available
o It appears that Apple did not enable WebRTC
(discussed on stackoverflow and reported on Apple
bugtracker here) for its Webview components, which
is used by Tencent for its WeChat browser
o It is probably a move to avoid any potential
cannibalization of their native ARKit. But behemoth
third parties such as Tencent might pressure Apple to
allow their apps’ browsers access to camera and
audio feeds
Web AR on iOS is Limited to Safari,
Thus Forcing the User to Leave WeChat
Android
OS
IOS
Access
to back
webcam
Future:
WebRT
C
enabled
Yes
Prompting user to click
on “open on native
browser” in context
menu
Tracking
calculatio
n rate >
20 per sec
Run on WeChat
browser
No
No
Yes
Display Error: “Your phone
Browser is not compatible
with our AR experience”
Eventually : fallback to a
“degraded” experience
No
>= IOS
11
Run on WeChat
browser
Access to
back camera
+ Tracking
calculation
rate > 20 per
sec
Run on native
browser
Yes (ios safari 11 or
compatible Android
browser)
No (others)
Yes
Yes
No
Current State of Compatibility for Building a Web AR based Experience
21
Sorry, Your WeChat
browser is not
compatible with AR
yet, but you can
still open it on your
native browser by
clicking on:
Prompting the User to Open the Web AR page in the Native Browser
22
Brand
Market Share in China in %*
Model
Release Date
Android Version
Custom OS
Native Browser Name and
Version
HTML 5 Score
WebRTC Support
Back Camera Support
2.3
S8
3/29/17
7
Samsung
Experience 8.1
Samsung Internet
5.4.20.12
488
Y
Y
The browsers for 4
principal Chinese
brands, representing
more than 50% of the
total market share in
China, don’t support
WebRTC yet
Only Samsung’s
latest version of
Samsung Internet
supports it.
22.8
Mate 9
11/4/16
7
EMUI 5.0
Huawei Browser
10.7.0.2626
329
N
N
11.2
6
4/19/17
7.1.1
MIUI 8.2
Xiaomi Browser
V9.1.3
434
N
N
16.5
R9m
3/1/16
5.1
Color OS 3.0.0
Oppo Browser
4.3.9
498
N
N
<1
5
6/21/17
7.1.1
H2OS 3.5.0
One Plus Browser
3.0.13
434
N
N
Source : Top 10 smartphone brands in China in April 2017
Samsumg,
2.2%
Huawei,
21.4%
Xiaom
i,
10.5%
Oppo, 1.2%One Plus,
0.9%
Other,
49.5%
Android Native
Browser
WebRTC
Compatibility
Android: WebRTC Not Yet Supported by Most Native Browsers
03. Designing Web AR Experiences:
Best Practices & Creative Case
Studies
24
Print & packaging Screens
Optimal Marker Placement for Maximum Reach and Attention
25
o As of now, markers are mandatory for creating Web AR experiences
o They can either be printed or displayed on a screen (desktop, outdoor)
o Make sure it won't be clipped or cropped out, otherwise it won't be recognized properly
o Bes practices will surely evolve with the refinement of tracking technology, so the following points should be taken as
a starting point, knowing that there is still room for customization with custom tracking capacity development
o Customization tool example: Marker customizer app
Best practice: combining a QR Code to
access the AR website with the AR
Marker
Traditional AR Marker
QR code can be included
for easier access to the
experience
o Center part can contain
any kind of information
o We recommend
uncomplicated shapes for
better tracking reliability
o Should have a big black border
around the pattern; can be white
on black background or other
colors with custom development
Simple Marker Shapes Better for Tracking Performance
26
Jerome Etienne’s article, creator of AR.JS: AR-Code:a Fast Path to Augmented Reality
1)
Scan QR Code on WeChat
2)
AR web page opens,
point the phone at the marker
3)
AR content appears
Source : Online marker generator
Optimizing WeChat User Flow Using QR Code in Marker
(or Close to It)
27
o Design experiences which require minimal camera movement to avoid
part of the marker going out the frame during the experience, which would
result in an abrupt loss of tracking
o A low polygon-based design allows faster loading of 3D models and
smoother experiences since there are fewer polygons to calculate each
second
o Using shadow effects blends the experience into the real environment;
however, such shadows are not “intelligent”- they are fixed and part of the
3D object, and do not evolve according to the real environment’s
lighting conditions
Excellent exploitation
of the static
constraint required by
marker-based AR
Use Limited User Movements and Simple 3D Shapes
28
Descriptio
n
A poster for a movie including an AR marker, where 3D content
appears on top of it once scanned
Marketing
Use
Cases
Print advertising, mall advertising for brand awareness
User
Flow
Scan QRcode
from Wechat on
the film poster
Camera opens
and focuses on
the marker
3D model
appears and
moves
Use Case : An Ad Poster Utilizing AR
29
3D environment
AR experience
based on real
world video
content
Scan QR above ot
Click here to access
portal example videos
Descriptio
n
A “door” to another location or world;
content responsive to user movements and
angle; video here
Marketing
Use
Cases
Tourism, art and lifestyle, event-based
advertising, mall advertising
User
Flow
Scan QR
code on
the door
using
WeChat
Camera
opens and
focuses on
the marker
The 3D
Portal
content
overlays
on the real
door
The 3D
world
shows
more
content
with the
movement
of user
Use Case : Opening a Virtual Portal
30
Descriptio
n
o An AR-based car advertisement that allows users to view the car in 3D
and interact with it; once finished customizing, the user is brought to a
web form to book a test drive
Marketing
Use
Cases
o Print/mall advertising for direct sales purposes
User
Flow
A 3D Product
appears on the
screen
Camera opens
and focuses on
the marker
Scan QR code
on advert using
WeChat
User zooms
and reviews it
User
customizes
color and
shape, is
presented with
options to go
for a test
drive/save a
picture/purchas
e it
Use Case: ‘Visualize and Customize a Car’ Print Ad
31
Descriptio
n
Testing items like watches by displaying it directly on the wrist
Marketing
Use
Cases
Accessories, clothes, furniture
User
Flow
Scan QR code on
the advert using
WeChat
Camera opens and
focuses on the
marker
A 3D version of the
product appears on
the screen; move
the marker to “try
out” watch
A 3D model of a watch is displayed on
the arm following the marker’s (on the
phone) movement; the camera used
here is a webcam
Another variant using a cellphone
camera, with the marker placed on a
paper wristband
Use Case : Virtual Fitting
32
Descriptio
n
An otherwise blank business card with only a marker + QR code
printed on it that provides information through a 3D augmented
reality experience
Marketing
Use
Cases
Print advertising for brand awareness campaigns, comic books,
flyers, etc.
User
Flow
Scan QR code on
the business card
using WeChat
Camera opens and
focuses on the
marker
3D model appears
and moves with
camera
Use Case : Augmenting Print Content With AR
33
Description
A 3D basketball hoop and ball appear, inviting the user to play for a daily
best player prize, to compete with friends etc.
Marketing
Use Cases
Brand awareness campaigns
User
Flow
A 3D hoop
appears on the
screen
Camera opens
and focuses on
the marker
Scan QR code
on the advert
using WeChat
Aim and throw
the ball towards
the hoop
Change
distance and try
from a longer
range
Use Case : AR Social Games
Top: Social mini basketball game
Bottom: : Piloting a virtual flying
car with a hand sensor
04. Forecast: AR Technology
Maturation in China
35
o For Wechat iOS
o Based on iOS10 reaching 50% penetration within a
month of its release in 2016, expect that 90% of
compatible devices will be running Apple’s
latest OS - that enables WebAR in Safari - by the
end of the year
o Probability of Access to WebRTC from
WebView: Moderate, following the release of
iOS11 mid-September, might be a voluntary choice
to restrict access to avoid competition with ARkit
applications
o For Wechat Android
o Optimization of X5 browser performances to
reach a refresh rate identical to Chrome or Safari
o Probability: High, end-2017 to beginning-2018
o For Web AR
o More widespread adoption of low-level web
languages like Web Assembly, instead of high-
level ones such as JavaScript with massive
calculations; also highlighting of reliability
improvements, especially on the tracking side
o Probability: High, over the next 2-3 years
o Native AR API within browsers
o Google is already working on a prototype:
https://github.com/google-ar/three.ar.js
o Probability: High, over the next 2 years
Short/Mid-term (1Y) Long-term (2Y+)
Evolution Forecast: Technical Maturity Within a Few Months
36
WeChat as of Now Already Offers a Couple of Limited Built in AR
Features
Street viewBook cover analysisReal-time AR translation
Source : ChinaChannel
37
o Tencent has been developing its own open native AR
framework, first introduced in December 2016
o The Framework’s ambition is to be offered cross
Tencent applications: Wechat, QQ etc.
o It would allow mutualizing recognition capacity across
a wide range of use cases, in a privacy/data sharing
trade-off with brands and businesses using the
platform
o However, in a probable strategic move to avoid
having to build and maintain their own native AR
framework up to the benchmarks set by Google and
Apple, they are allegedly abandoning its in-house
development
o The strong ambition Tencent has shown by
venturing into AR indicates that a third party-
enabled AR platform is still on the table. Instead,
the priority may have shifted to integrating ARKit and
ARCore SDKs as a base for AR projects
o It is likely this technology will be core for WeChat’s
Mini Programs, as they allow the harnessing of
device processing power over that of browsers
Top: Presentation of Tencent’s QAR platform capabilities and
integrations at the SIGGRAPH conference, December 201
Bottom: AR demo released by Tencent is from a promotional
video where we see an AR interface for finding interactions
embedded around the user
Source + demos
Tencent’s Native AR Platform “QAR” to be Replaced by an ARCore /
ARKit Integration Into Wechat?
38
L’Oreal collaboration with Baidu’s AR lab Baidusee
WeChat to Offer Dedicated AR Features to Selected Brands?
o We’re currently witnessing an explosion of close collaborations of B/A/T with major brands, extending them preferential
access to exclusive or unreleased capabilities
o We believe this trend is likely to continue with more opportunities for multinationals and major Chinese companies to
leverage ties with Tencent to access WeChat’s app-specific AR capabilities.
“Say it with Starbucks (用星说)” gift cards directly accessible
from the WeChat wallet page. Screenshot source Chozan.
39
Technology
Status
Experimental stage Early stage Maturity stage
Uses
o Early advertising campaigns
targeting mostly iOS
o Advertising campaigns
o B2C applications
o Games
o B2C & business-centric applications
Market
Share
Supporting
Wechat AR
Events
2017 2018 2019 -
Sept 2017 Nov 2017 Early 2018 2019
iOS 11
released
50% of iOS devices
switched to iOS11,
allowing them to run
Web AR
WeChat Web AR on Android
performance issues solved,
enabling all Android devices to
enjoy smooth experiences
Web AR supports marker-less experiences
ARCore/ARKit native platform released?
First set of AR Web Assembly experiences with
comparable performances and capacities from native AR
ARCore and ARKit opening their API to web browsers?
Android 50%
iOS 50% (Safari)
Android 100%
iOS 90% (Safari)
Android 100%
iOS 100%
Summary: Expected Web AR Maturity Path
2018
Tencent ARCore/ARKit
based native platform
released?
40
Conclusion: So, Should You Go for Web AR on WeChat Now?
o Using an AR Marker is an acceptable limit
o You can live with pure location Based AR where an
object floats in 3D space regardless of other objects
o Your target audience fits with the compatibility
requirements or if you can design a fallback, non-
AR experience for people who do not have a
compatible browser
o Redirecting users from the WeChat browser to the
native browser using the “open the website in
native browser” functionality is acceptable
o You cannot use a physical marker
o Targeting a very wide, heterogeneous audience with
no homogeneity in device type
o You need to include complex 3D and animations
o The user flow strictly requires staying within the
WeChat browser
o The experience needs a very reliable tracking system
√ Go for it if... × Wait for WeChat native AR platform if...
o It can be difficult to judge when the time is right to jump on the Web AR bandwagon. Now? In three
months? In six months? Here’s our simple guide for figuring out how soon you should make a move:
41
Know When WeChat AR Capabilities Improve
Want to be kept up to date with the latest AR developments
in China? Leave us your email and be among the first to
know whenever there is a major update in what’s available in
WeChat AR!
Scan the QR code below to join our mailing list:
Or click : http://cn.mikecrm.com/M0GNDtm
42
The 31Ten Production Team
Need to create and/or build an innovative digital product or experience ?
Liked this piece and want to discuss it further?
Authors Contact us
BERTRAND DE BEAUMONT
CLIENT DIRECTOR
bertrand@31ten.network
130 Min Li Road
200070 Shanghai, China
上海市静安区民立路130号4楼
GREGOIRE THIEBALT
PARTNER & HEAD OF PRODUCTION
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregoirethiebault
gregoire@31ten.network
CLEMENT LEDORMEUR
PROJECT DIRECTOR
https://www.linkedin.com/in/clement-ledormeur
clement@31ten.network
CHARLIE BUSSAT
DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER
https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliebussat
charlie@31ten.network
HENRY XIU
DIGITAL PROJECT MANAGER
https://www.linkedin.com/in/henryxiu
henry@31ten.network
07. Credits & Ressouces
Many thanks to our digital media friends for their
inputs, feedbacks and information:
Benoit Petrus @ Fred&Farid
Daniel Légère @ MADJOR
Ethan Sheung Yan Chiu @ Resn
Eva Xiao @TechInAsia
Neil Nand @AKQA
Thibault Genaitay @Le Wagon Shanghai
Ressources
TechInAsia (Wechat QAR?, AR Market Forecast in Asia,
Asia Phone Market Share)
Jerome Etienne and his amazing AR.js open source
project (Github, Medium Article)
Road To Vr (Wechat Abandoning QAR?)
Official Accounts
id: arinchina id: wechatai
Official AI/AR OA of
Wechat

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WeChat’s Next Frontier: Time to Jump on the Augmented Reality (AR) Train?

  • 1. 1 WeChat’s Next Frontier: Time to Jump on the Augmented Reality (AR) Train? V 1 , N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 7
  • 2. 2 Why This Whitepaper? Executive Summary Augmented Reality developments in China have been a hot topic in 2017. This document is providing a picture of the current marketing possibilities landscape of AR within WeChat, from a technical and user experience perspective. It also brings a tentative analysis of what the world of augmented reality in China might look like in 12 to 24 months’ time. WHO IS THIS PIECE FOR? o Digital creatives, producers/technologists and project managers to support their work designing and building their next applications and consumer engagement experiences o Marketing executives looking for a reference state of technology document to support their campaign and consumer engagement decision making WHAT BENEFITS CAN YOU EXPECT FROM THIS DOCUMENT? √ A thorough understanding of the current state of AR technology available through WeChat and its main use cases √ Understanding most probable mid term evolutions of AR in China for better planning its integration into marketing efforts ABOUT 31TEN 31Ten is a Shanghai based digital agency helping established brands and startups alike to leverage the ever changing innovation landscape in China and reach and increasingly connected consumer. We specialize among other things in exploring the boundaries of innovative interactions through a smartphone. Follow our official WeChat account below to access the history of our research content, and to be among the first to know when we publish new guides.
  • 3. 3 AR Is Very Likely to Be the Next Big Platform for Brands for to Gain Viewership Dominance in WeChat's Highly Competitive Environment o With the arrival of iOS 11 in fall 2017, AR is set to reach every Chinese smartphone by the end of the year o Both Apple and Google released kits - ARKit and ARCore - enabling developers to quickly and easily create AR-based app experiences o Alibaba and Tencent bringing their red envelope (红包) war for CNY 2017 into the AR world is a key indicator that we’re facing the beginning of what could be the next user & consumer experience revolution in China o Although most analysts predict that the enterprise AR market will lead the consumer market in the West, it would not be a surprise if the AR revolution begins with the consumer in China, starting from marketing and social use cases o The initial novelty of AR will offer excellent virality to the first wave of campaigns and experiences o As with most new interaction innovation, the novelty effect or AR-based campaigns may die out quickly 2017 CNY red envelope campaigns made a leap into AR. Top: Alipay’s red envelope AR map Bottom : Tencent QQ’s
  • 4. 4 WeChat AR Is Currently Limited to Web Based AR Technologies, But It Compensates With Its Massive Reach WECHAT MAKES MASS AR ENABLED CAMPAIGNS AVAILABLE, BUT DOES NOT OFFER YET FULL MODERN AR RECOGNITION CAPABILITIES o At the moment, limited to browsing AR-enabled web pages (“Web AR”) except couple narrow AR features built into the app (e.g. real-time translation) o Still far from the full capabilities of modern mobile AR (objects, depth, surface, positioning and lighting condition recognition). In other words, limited to Location Based AR where an object floats in 3D space regardless of other objects o But already offering a wide range of creative use cases for consumer activation o Currently limited to WeChat on Android devices - on the iOS version we need to prompt users to open the AR experience using Safari (might be fixed soon) o With WeChat’s 900M+ users, brands can reach a large portion of their audience through AR campaigns, making AR far more viable than VR for mass consumption potential WECHAT AR WILL FURTHER IMPROVE OVER THE NEXT 12-24 MONTHS, AND AN OPEN NATIVE AR PLATFORM BY TENCENT IS STILL TO BE EXPECTED o Behemoth third parties such as Tencent may pressure Apple to allow their apps’ browsers access to camera and audio feeds. We believe there’s a moderate possibility of this limitation being removed within the next year- meaning Web AR will be accessible directly through the WeChat browser on iOS o Android WeChat Web AR is expected to improve steadily with the growth in number of experiences released and developers improving the software libraries available o We believe trend of close collaborations between B/A/T and brands is likely to continue with more opportunities for multinationals and major Chinese companies to leverage ties with Tencent to access WeChat’s app-specific AR capabilities o Although Tencent is allegedly abandoning its own QAR platform project, we believe the priority may have shifted to integrating ARKit and ARCore SDKs as a base for it. We forecast Tencent could start to open an AR framework to third parties in the next 12~24 months
  • 5. 5 Should You Go for Web AR on WeChat Now? o Using an AR Marker is an acceptable limit o You can live with pure location Based AR where an object floats in 3D space regardless of other objects o Your target audience fits with the compatibility requirements or if you can design a fallback, non- AR experience for people who do not have a compatible browser o Redirecting users from the WeChat browser to the native browser using the “open the website in native browser” functionality is acceptable o You cannot use a physical marker o Targeting a very wide, heterogeneous audience with no homogeneity in device type o You need to include complex 3D and animations o The user flow strictly requires staying within the WeChat browser o The experience needs a very reliable tracking system √ Go for it if... × Wait for WeChat native AR platform if...
  • 6. 6 TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S 1 Native AR ≠ Web AR 2 AR in WeChat: Features, Main Limitations and Workarounds 3 What is Possible Today for Marketers and Creatives? 4 Forecast: What to Expect in Terms of AR Developments in China Over the Next 12~24 Months
  • 7. 01. Available in Apps as a SDK o Markerless o Full SLAM capability Native AR ≠ Web AR Only AR widely available in WeChat for now o Marker based o Limited to Location Based AR where an object floats in 3D space regardless of other objects
  • 8. 8 Augmented Reality is Inserting Content (2D/3D) into the User Surroundings in Real Time o Surroundings are captured via the phone camera feed and augmented content is added in real time, based on user interactions and device positioning (as opposed to recognition based on image captured as snapshots, which is already widely available and mature on smartphones) o AR has already been available on computers since 2000 with Flash; however, the low performance standards of phones and other devices back then could not allow AR to escape from a fixed, desktop setup - considerably reducing its reach & usability o Pokémon Go, launched in 2015, was the first mainstream AR app success on mobile, reaching 60 million active users at its peak and becoming a worldwide cultural phenomenon o Building AR experiences will be much more accessible in the future, thanks to ARkit and ARCore, and the larger support of Web AR Example of a flash-based AR experience released in 2008 using the computer webcam Pokémon Go, 500 million downloads to date
  • 9. 9 AR Marker & full Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM) are the Main Experience Difference Between Web and Native AR NATIVE AR: NO MARKER NEEDED - Very powerful understanding of the environment : object, depth, surface and lightning recognition - High user friction due to requirement of app download WEB AR: MARKER REQUIRED - Limited to Location Based AR displaying floating objects in 3D regardless of the surrounding objects - Can be instantly accessed by loading a web page ≠ AR shopping : The ‘Ikea Places’ app places virtual furniture in your home Draw any picture on a piece of paper perfectly, just by following a projection of the picture made by your phone
  • 10. 10 Native AR vs. Web AR NATIVE AR WEB AR (WECHAT) Availability Solution Maturity Compatibility Accessibility 3D Quality 3D Animations Lighting Recognition Depth & Object Recognition o Late 2017 for iOS and Android o Early stage o iOS 11 (ARKit), Android 7+ (ARcore), one codebase per platform o Need to download a separate application including all 3D models (heavy ~ >100MB).After download, experience is instant o Can be very complex with high-quality textures, high-polygon models due to no size limitations and optimized processing of power usage o Yes o Yes o Yes, using visual odometry o Already available, wider support with iOS11 o Experimental o iOS11 + Android + Desktop, one codebase for all platforms o Accessible from ANY web browser, simple webpage, 3D models ~ 2MB to 10MB o Requires the user’s consent to access the camera o Texture stays in a low-mid quality range, relatively low polygon models (less than 100K polygons) o Yes o No o No, only shape that can be tracked is a specific marker (can be displayed on screen or paper), not fast and powerful enough for visual odometry
  • 11. 11 Native AR (App-based): Full Modern Capabilities but Highly Frictional Native App-based AR is based directly on native mobile applications. Their deep, or “native” access to the mobile phone’s capabilities and sensors allows such AR technology to be sophisticated, precise and powerful using a Technology called Visual Odometry. The largest pain point for advertising & marketing use cases is the necessity of an initial download. To solve that problem, some campaigns piggyback popular applications like Shazam or QQ Mobile. The iOS ARKit out in September 2017, to be followed by the Android Google ARCore, are development tools that are a massive technological improvement for AR technology commoditization, allowing small development teams to create AR experiences similar to or even more advanced than Pokémon Go. PROS o Powerful, no need for custom markers, understands room structure and lighting o Able to render very sophisticated 3D experiences due to low level access of phone hardware o No limitation in size of data and models stored CONS o Embedded in an app, adds friction by requiring downloads of the app and related 3D content o Requires custom development for each platform (iOS, Android) IDEAL FOR o Frequent use o Experiences requiring very precise Augmented Reality capacities o Games o Tablet-based advertising experiences Top : purchase experience enhancement - testing paint color nuances on your wall Bottom : showing additional interactive information based on object recognition
  • 12. 12 Further Examples of Native AR Augmented Reality Minecraft using ARKit Scan QR code below or click this link to access video examples : http://qr02.cn/FrVAhX
  • 13. 13 Web-based AR: Less Powerful, but Potentially Universal Web-based AR uses browser and web technologies with higher level languages that do not allow access to the same power and sophistication as native AR apps. It is based mostly on open-source projects and technologies. Flash made AR possible in 2000, but after it died out, there was a gap of several years- during this time, Web AR evolution staggered. Several AR libraries projects have been surfacing the last few months, the most advanced of these being https://github.com/jeromeetienne/AR.js (4,400 stars on GitHub, started in February 2017). PROS o Accessibility: Through the browser, no app download o Spreadability /virality: Easily shareable o One codebase for all platforms CONS o Use of an AR Marker is mandatory o Much more limited in terms of resources o Reach: Browser compatibilities issues due to the technology’s recency IDEAL FOR o Low frequency usage, such as one-shot campaigns, events, etc. o O2O information augmentation use cases
  • 14. 14 Web-based AR Examples Mobile commerce experience “Hold a card and see it transforming into a virtual phone” Absolut vodka AR : The card attached to the bottle becomes a virtual gallery with slideshow, experiences, videos, 3D pictures Scan QR code below or click this link to access video examples : http://qr02.cn/CLAyFO
  • 15. 15 1. Scan QR code on WeChat 2. Point your phone at the marker with black borders Printed Marker Limitations (more on that later) o Slow tracking rate on WeChat browser o Needs to be opened on the native browser on iOS See It Live on WeChat (needs an Android Phone) Marker on screen
  • 16. 02. WeChat Web AR: Features, Main Limitations and Workarounds
  • 17. 17 o Web AR is a collection of already existing open source front-end software libraries and conventions put together. o Description: Web protocol defining how the camera should be used in a browser o Status: Implemented on the majority of recent desktop browsers, (Safari just joined in September 2017) o Description: Tool for tracking and shape detection o Status: Latest version can detect simple shapes like markers but cannot map or understand a room structure o Description : Most popular and mature JS 3D framework o Status : Mature, still limited in animations, 3D format handling, number of polygons displayed and overall performance when compared to a native AR app + + = Web AR Sources and Tools
  • 18. 18 o On Android, WeChat’s own native web engine powers its web browser called X5, forked from the Blink project by Google (itself forked from Apple’s Webkit) o Give the heterogeneity of Android devices, X5 enables WeChat to offer a more homogeneous browsing experience than using the Webview. Earlier versions of WeChat had to deal with several web engines (QQ Browser, Blink, etc) which impacted the device compatibility of h5 pages and campaigns o For Web AR, it is a strength and a weakness. Strength, because the results on WebAR are homogeneous, and weakness, because of the current weak tracking performance o As of now, the tracking performance on X5 is slighly inferior to Google Chrome or Safari => Expect this gap to be closed very quickly with the growth of the community of developers in China Tencent Browser Service “X5“ Scan QR code below or click this link to access demo videos: http://qr02.cn/D5kd3b WeChat’s X5 Rendering Engine Makes Web AR Experiences Uniform on Android
  • 19. 19 o WebRTC is implemented in Safari in iOS11 (September ‘17 release), allowing, amongst other functionalities, the direct use of the camera and microphone inside a web page. o However, at the time of writing, when tested on iOS 11, the camera on WeChat browser was not made available o It appears that Apple did not enable WebRTC (discussed on stackoverflow and reported on Apple bugtracker here) for its Webview components, which is used by Tencent for its WeChat browser o It is probably a move to avoid any potential cannibalization of their native ARKit. But behemoth third parties such as Tencent might pressure Apple to allow their apps’ browsers access to camera and audio feeds Web AR on iOS is Limited to Safari, Thus Forcing the User to Leave WeChat
  • 20. Android OS IOS Access to back webcam Future: WebRT C enabled Yes Prompting user to click on “open on native browser” in context menu Tracking calculatio n rate > 20 per sec Run on WeChat browser No No Yes Display Error: “Your phone Browser is not compatible with our AR experience” Eventually : fallback to a “degraded” experience No >= IOS 11 Run on WeChat browser Access to back camera + Tracking calculation rate > 20 per sec Run on native browser Yes (ios safari 11 or compatible Android browser) No (others) Yes Yes No Current State of Compatibility for Building a Web AR based Experience
  • 21. 21 Sorry, Your WeChat browser is not compatible with AR yet, but you can still open it on your native browser by clicking on: Prompting the User to Open the Web AR page in the Native Browser
  • 22. 22 Brand Market Share in China in %* Model Release Date Android Version Custom OS Native Browser Name and Version HTML 5 Score WebRTC Support Back Camera Support 2.3 S8 3/29/17 7 Samsung Experience 8.1 Samsung Internet 5.4.20.12 488 Y Y The browsers for 4 principal Chinese brands, representing more than 50% of the total market share in China, don’t support WebRTC yet Only Samsung’s latest version of Samsung Internet supports it. 22.8 Mate 9 11/4/16 7 EMUI 5.0 Huawei Browser 10.7.0.2626 329 N N 11.2 6 4/19/17 7.1.1 MIUI 8.2 Xiaomi Browser V9.1.3 434 N N 16.5 R9m 3/1/16 5.1 Color OS 3.0.0 Oppo Browser 4.3.9 498 N N <1 5 6/21/17 7.1.1 H2OS 3.5.0 One Plus Browser 3.0.13 434 N N Source : Top 10 smartphone brands in China in April 2017 Samsumg, 2.2% Huawei, 21.4% Xiaom i, 10.5% Oppo, 1.2%One Plus, 0.9% Other, 49.5% Android Native Browser WebRTC Compatibility Android: WebRTC Not Yet Supported by Most Native Browsers
  • 23. 03. Designing Web AR Experiences: Best Practices & Creative Case Studies
  • 24. 24 Print & packaging Screens Optimal Marker Placement for Maximum Reach and Attention
  • 25. 25 o As of now, markers are mandatory for creating Web AR experiences o They can either be printed or displayed on a screen (desktop, outdoor) o Make sure it won't be clipped or cropped out, otherwise it won't be recognized properly o Bes practices will surely evolve with the refinement of tracking technology, so the following points should be taken as a starting point, knowing that there is still room for customization with custom tracking capacity development o Customization tool example: Marker customizer app Best practice: combining a QR Code to access the AR website with the AR Marker Traditional AR Marker QR code can be included for easier access to the experience o Center part can contain any kind of information o We recommend uncomplicated shapes for better tracking reliability o Should have a big black border around the pattern; can be white on black background or other colors with custom development Simple Marker Shapes Better for Tracking Performance
  • 26. 26 Jerome Etienne’s article, creator of AR.JS: AR-Code:a Fast Path to Augmented Reality 1) Scan QR Code on WeChat 2) AR web page opens, point the phone at the marker 3) AR content appears Source : Online marker generator Optimizing WeChat User Flow Using QR Code in Marker (or Close to It)
  • 27. 27 o Design experiences which require minimal camera movement to avoid part of the marker going out the frame during the experience, which would result in an abrupt loss of tracking o A low polygon-based design allows faster loading of 3D models and smoother experiences since there are fewer polygons to calculate each second o Using shadow effects blends the experience into the real environment; however, such shadows are not “intelligent”- they are fixed and part of the 3D object, and do not evolve according to the real environment’s lighting conditions Excellent exploitation of the static constraint required by marker-based AR Use Limited User Movements and Simple 3D Shapes
  • 28. 28 Descriptio n A poster for a movie including an AR marker, where 3D content appears on top of it once scanned Marketing Use Cases Print advertising, mall advertising for brand awareness User Flow Scan QRcode from Wechat on the film poster Camera opens and focuses on the marker 3D model appears and moves Use Case : An Ad Poster Utilizing AR
  • 29. 29 3D environment AR experience based on real world video content Scan QR above ot Click here to access portal example videos Descriptio n A “door” to another location or world; content responsive to user movements and angle; video here Marketing Use Cases Tourism, art and lifestyle, event-based advertising, mall advertising User Flow Scan QR code on the door using WeChat Camera opens and focuses on the marker The 3D Portal content overlays on the real door The 3D world shows more content with the movement of user Use Case : Opening a Virtual Portal
  • 30. 30 Descriptio n o An AR-based car advertisement that allows users to view the car in 3D and interact with it; once finished customizing, the user is brought to a web form to book a test drive Marketing Use Cases o Print/mall advertising for direct sales purposes User Flow A 3D Product appears on the screen Camera opens and focuses on the marker Scan QR code on advert using WeChat User zooms and reviews it User customizes color and shape, is presented with options to go for a test drive/save a picture/purchas e it Use Case: ‘Visualize and Customize a Car’ Print Ad
  • 31. 31 Descriptio n Testing items like watches by displaying it directly on the wrist Marketing Use Cases Accessories, clothes, furniture User Flow Scan QR code on the advert using WeChat Camera opens and focuses on the marker A 3D version of the product appears on the screen; move the marker to “try out” watch A 3D model of a watch is displayed on the arm following the marker’s (on the phone) movement; the camera used here is a webcam Another variant using a cellphone camera, with the marker placed on a paper wristband Use Case : Virtual Fitting
  • 32. 32 Descriptio n An otherwise blank business card with only a marker + QR code printed on it that provides information through a 3D augmented reality experience Marketing Use Cases Print advertising for brand awareness campaigns, comic books, flyers, etc. User Flow Scan QR code on the business card using WeChat Camera opens and focuses on the marker 3D model appears and moves with camera Use Case : Augmenting Print Content With AR
  • 33. 33 Description A 3D basketball hoop and ball appear, inviting the user to play for a daily best player prize, to compete with friends etc. Marketing Use Cases Brand awareness campaigns User Flow A 3D hoop appears on the screen Camera opens and focuses on the marker Scan QR code on the advert using WeChat Aim and throw the ball towards the hoop Change distance and try from a longer range Use Case : AR Social Games Top: Social mini basketball game Bottom: : Piloting a virtual flying car with a hand sensor
  • 34. 04. Forecast: AR Technology Maturation in China
  • 35. 35 o For Wechat iOS o Based on iOS10 reaching 50% penetration within a month of its release in 2016, expect that 90% of compatible devices will be running Apple’s latest OS - that enables WebAR in Safari - by the end of the year o Probability of Access to WebRTC from WebView: Moderate, following the release of iOS11 mid-September, might be a voluntary choice to restrict access to avoid competition with ARkit applications o For Wechat Android o Optimization of X5 browser performances to reach a refresh rate identical to Chrome or Safari o Probability: High, end-2017 to beginning-2018 o For Web AR o More widespread adoption of low-level web languages like Web Assembly, instead of high- level ones such as JavaScript with massive calculations; also highlighting of reliability improvements, especially on the tracking side o Probability: High, over the next 2-3 years o Native AR API within browsers o Google is already working on a prototype: https://github.com/google-ar/three.ar.js o Probability: High, over the next 2 years Short/Mid-term (1Y) Long-term (2Y+) Evolution Forecast: Technical Maturity Within a Few Months
  • 36. 36 WeChat as of Now Already Offers a Couple of Limited Built in AR Features Street viewBook cover analysisReal-time AR translation Source : ChinaChannel
  • 37. 37 o Tencent has been developing its own open native AR framework, first introduced in December 2016 o The Framework’s ambition is to be offered cross Tencent applications: Wechat, QQ etc. o It would allow mutualizing recognition capacity across a wide range of use cases, in a privacy/data sharing trade-off with brands and businesses using the platform o However, in a probable strategic move to avoid having to build and maintain their own native AR framework up to the benchmarks set by Google and Apple, they are allegedly abandoning its in-house development o The strong ambition Tencent has shown by venturing into AR indicates that a third party- enabled AR platform is still on the table. Instead, the priority may have shifted to integrating ARKit and ARCore SDKs as a base for AR projects o It is likely this technology will be core for WeChat’s Mini Programs, as they allow the harnessing of device processing power over that of browsers Top: Presentation of Tencent’s QAR platform capabilities and integrations at the SIGGRAPH conference, December 201 Bottom: AR demo released by Tencent is from a promotional video where we see an AR interface for finding interactions embedded around the user Source + demos Tencent’s Native AR Platform “QAR” to be Replaced by an ARCore / ARKit Integration Into Wechat?
  • 38. 38 L’Oreal collaboration with Baidu’s AR lab Baidusee WeChat to Offer Dedicated AR Features to Selected Brands? o We’re currently witnessing an explosion of close collaborations of B/A/T with major brands, extending them preferential access to exclusive or unreleased capabilities o We believe this trend is likely to continue with more opportunities for multinationals and major Chinese companies to leverage ties with Tencent to access WeChat’s app-specific AR capabilities. “Say it with Starbucks (用星说)” gift cards directly accessible from the WeChat wallet page. Screenshot source Chozan.
  • 39. 39 Technology Status Experimental stage Early stage Maturity stage Uses o Early advertising campaigns targeting mostly iOS o Advertising campaigns o B2C applications o Games o B2C & business-centric applications Market Share Supporting Wechat AR Events 2017 2018 2019 - Sept 2017 Nov 2017 Early 2018 2019 iOS 11 released 50% of iOS devices switched to iOS11, allowing them to run Web AR WeChat Web AR on Android performance issues solved, enabling all Android devices to enjoy smooth experiences Web AR supports marker-less experiences ARCore/ARKit native platform released? First set of AR Web Assembly experiences with comparable performances and capacities from native AR ARCore and ARKit opening their API to web browsers? Android 50% iOS 50% (Safari) Android 100% iOS 90% (Safari) Android 100% iOS 100% Summary: Expected Web AR Maturity Path 2018 Tencent ARCore/ARKit based native platform released?
  • 40. 40 Conclusion: So, Should You Go for Web AR on WeChat Now? o Using an AR Marker is an acceptable limit o You can live with pure location Based AR where an object floats in 3D space regardless of other objects o Your target audience fits with the compatibility requirements or if you can design a fallback, non- AR experience for people who do not have a compatible browser o Redirecting users from the WeChat browser to the native browser using the “open the website in native browser” functionality is acceptable o You cannot use a physical marker o Targeting a very wide, heterogeneous audience with no homogeneity in device type o You need to include complex 3D and animations o The user flow strictly requires staying within the WeChat browser o The experience needs a very reliable tracking system √ Go for it if... × Wait for WeChat native AR platform if... o It can be difficult to judge when the time is right to jump on the Web AR bandwagon. Now? In three months? In six months? Here’s our simple guide for figuring out how soon you should make a move:
  • 41. 41 Know When WeChat AR Capabilities Improve Want to be kept up to date with the latest AR developments in China? Leave us your email and be among the first to know whenever there is a major update in what’s available in WeChat AR! Scan the QR code below to join our mailing list: Or click : http://cn.mikecrm.com/M0GNDtm
  • 42. 42 The 31Ten Production Team Need to create and/or build an innovative digital product or experience ? Liked this piece and want to discuss it further? Authors Contact us BERTRAND DE BEAUMONT CLIENT DIRECTOR bertrand@31ten.network 130 Min Li Road 200070 Shanghai, China 上海市静安区民立路130号4楼 GREGOIRE THIEBALT PARTNER & HEAD OF PRODUCTION https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregoirethiebault gregoire@31ten.network CLEMENT LEDORMEUR PROJECT DIRECTOR https://www.linkedin.com/in/clement-ledormeur clement@31ten.network CHARLIE BUSSAT DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliebussat charlie@31ten.network HENRY XIU DIGITAL PROJECT MANAGER https://www.linkedin.com/in/henryxiu henry@31ten.network
  • 43. 07. Credits & Ressouces Many thanks to our digital media friends for their inputs, feedbacks and information: Benoit Petrus @ Fred&Farid Daniel Légère @ MADJOR Ethan Sheung Yan Chiu @ Resn Eva Xiao @TechInAsia Neil Nand @AKQA Thibault Genaitay @Le Wagon Shanghai Ressources TechInAsia (Wechat QAR?, AR Market Forecast in Asia, Asia Phone Market Share) Jerome Etienne and his amazing AR.js open source project (Github, Medium Article) Road To Vr (Wechat Abandoning QAR?) Official Accounts id: arinchina id: wechatai Official AI/AR OA of Wechat