Product Management Analytics Mission Portfolio: Toy Manufacturer Not Playing Around with Augmented Reality

Situation

A toy manufacturer approached Aurora GPS for help understanding the opportunity to incorporate augmented reality into its line of dolls. Other manufacturers had experimented with advanced electronics and augmented reality, but none had captured significant market share.

Method

Aurora GPS explored the barriers to adoption with augmented reality (AR), learning that consumer awareness of AR meant that only a small portion of the buying market was ready to adopt the technology. That small part of the market overlapped poorly with the doll market, meaning that it was little surprise that manufacturers had yet to see success. However, as awareness increases, AR will quickly become an expectation in the category – likely in 18-24 months.

Results

Because the company’s product development timeline required 12-18 months to launch a new product, it quickly started work on its AR offering. This information allowed it to meet the market just as it was beginning to accelerate.