StubHub wants to provide NFL fans who buy Super Bowl tickets an augmented reality experience through its iPhone app, just in time for the Super Bowl LII.
New AR Feature Makes It Easier To Plan For The Super Bowl
StubHub's newest augmented reality feature aims to help event goers become familiar with the city of Minneapolis, U.S. Bank Stadium, and its surrounding area, making it easier to plan for the NFL's biggest weekend.
"Users can use the augmented reality experience to preview every aspect of their day in Minneapolis, from parking and picking up their ticket, to attending pre-game festivities, as well as finding their seating section in the stadium," Marcus Shelksohn,Director of Product Management - Native Apps, told Tech Times.
How To Use The New AR Technology
How does StubHub's new AR technology work? To get started, NFL fans simply launch StubHub's mobile app, point their smartphone at an open surface, and tap the screen to view a 3D rendering of the stadium. Users can then easily switch between the stadium and surrounding area.
"To explore parking lots, public transportation, the StubHub ticket pick-up site, and the StubHub pre-game event experience, "StubHub Live: The Fieldhouse," said Shelksohn.
By tapping on the specific location, users can get find additional information, such as street addresses, info about the party, or game time info.
The Inspiration Behind StubHub AR Feature
What inspired StubHub to add augmented reality to its mobile app for the Super Bowl 2018?
"We saw the power of AR/ARKit experiences in other industries, such as placing furniture in 3D to get a better sense of the product in a physical space, and thought about how we could apply this new technology to the ticket buying experience on StubHub," replied Shelksohn.
This isn't the first time StubHub has played around with augmented reality, however. The company added a Virtual View feature, allowing users to see a 360-degree view-from-seat feature, which launched back in 2016.
"Virtual View has been well-received by our user base and we have seen user engagement with Virtual View double year over year between December 2016 and 2017," said Shelksohn.
StubHub Plans To Use AR With Other Future Projects
The company executive also shared its plans to use AR feature with other projects.
"We plan to keep improving the immersive view experience in the future, and are excited to take all those learnings and use them to inform other projects," said Shelksohn.
In conclusion, Shelksohn was asked what team does he think will win this year's Super Bowl.
"It's hard to bet against Brady and the Patriots," he said.
