One of the big enterprise tech trends of 2018 was the arrival of employee training programs utilizing enterprise AR/VR[1]. Major companies like Walmart[2] and Tyson[3] made headlines for ambitious pilots aimed at upending traditional training paradigms with the latest mixed reality tech.
Enterprise virtual reality training could generate more than $6 billion by 2022[4], according to ABI Research, and next year, 2019, will likely be the tipping point when a major use case for a technology that's struggled to find adopters truly takes off.
Also: 5 strategies for navigating VR in the enterprise[5] TechRepublic
The Walmarts and Tysons are paving the way. Simulations are now being used to train everyone from line workers at meat processing plants on safety and compliance to retail employees on interacting with customers using empathy and emotional intelligence.
Thanks to rapid advances in off-the-shelf technology like VR headsets[6], newly robust development ecosystems for AR/VR applications[7], and the built-in benchmarking and engagement-measuring capabilities of newer enterprise AR/VR systems, like this one[8] from StarVR, hurdles for mid-sized companies that might be looking to adopt VR training are falling.
Those advantages come on top of overall cost savings during training and increased safety, the latter of which is particularly important in dangerous industries like oil and gas.
Also: Why AR and VR use cases in the enterprise are growing quickly[9]
"In 2019, we'll see widespread preliminary projects across the simulation industry attempting to leverage emerging AR/VR/MR technology for all types of training," John Burwell, VP of Biz Dev at BISim[10], a simulation company working in defense, told me via