Sunrise International is delighted to announce our partnership with Zappar, a London-based technology company whose ZapWorks platform allows brands and agencies to create world-class Mobile Augmented Reality (AR) experiences. As a result, global brands and agencies will be able to build mobile AR experiences that can be accessed reliably in China through Wechat and local web browsers. ZapWorks will also be available to brands and agencies based in China looking to build mobile AR experiences either for a domestic Chinese or a global audience.
About Mobile AR in China
Many of China’s 953 million smartphone users are familiar with mobile AR. AR social media filters have been available on major social media platforms such as Weibo and Douyin for several years, while many fashion and beauty brands and e-commerce giants offer try-before-you-buy tools. Malls, airports, and other major attractions offer AR navigation tools. Yet launching mobile AR experiences in China requires navigating the country’s unique internet ecosystem. Users generally scan QR codes (essential to launching AR experiences) with Wechat rather than a default device browser. Content must be locally hosted in order to reliably and quickly load. Setting aside the 311,000 blocked domains in China, foreign-hosted websites take 5-8x longer to load in China. Mobile AR experience studios and tools have long struggled with this need to locally host content and to support QR scanning from Wechat.
Sunrise and Zappar Team Up to Deliver ZapWorks in China
Zappar is teaming up with Sunrise International to bring ZapWorks to users and creators in China. Sunrise International, a cross-border media company and host of AWE Asia, will be acting as Zappar’s strategic partner in China, supporting Zappar to offer Chinese-language support for brands and agencies in China using ZapWorks, as well as working with global ZapWorks partners to locally host China-facing AR experiences, allowing ZapWorks to deliver AR experiences to Chinese users reliably and with the fastest load times of any global AR creator tool, all the while avoiding the need to re-deploy experiences on multiple platforms to support both Chinese and overseas users. This positions ZapWorks to be the premier AR experience studio for brands wishing to leverage AR across China’s borders for marketing, branding, and customer service. Zappar recently won two Auggie Awards for Best Creator & Authoring Tool and Best Developer at AWE USA 2022. Join our conversation at AR Pioneers about AR in China on November 9th to hear more.
Hear from Sunrise International CEO Gavin Newton-Tanzer on the Future of Spatial Computing in China at AWE USA:
Gavin Newton-Tanzer, CEO of Sunrise International commented:
“Sunrise International is delighted to bring Zappar to the Chinese market. Zappar is one of the world leaders in AR content creation and tools, and we see Zappar’s team work every day to make ZapWorks even better, unlocking new uses of Mobile AR to change how brands around the world interact with their customers and inspire new discoveries. China is home to the world’s biggest e-commerce market and the largest population of smartphone users, and users expect you to meet them where they are. We are delighted to work with Zappar to make ZapWorks the first global mobile AR experience tool that is not only accessible in China, but also meets Chinese users’ expectations for quick load times and the ability to scan and launch AR experiences from Wechat. By supporting Zappar in its entry into China, AR content creators no longer need to choose between a world-class AR experience tool and one that works in China.”
How do I Get Started?
Get in touch with our sales team to discuss your project needs via our contact form.
Of course, you will want your own unique content to use in production, something that Zappar, Sunrise, and many other capable XR agencies can assist you with.
Final Thoughts
Zappar’s enhanced China functionality offers huge opportunities for global brands working to attract the attention and loyalty of Chinese consumers, while also giving Chinese brands access to a world-class AR experience development tool. Sunrise International is delighted to work with Zappar to make ZapWorks the first global no-app, no-code AR experience development tool to offer reliable support and accessibility for the Chinese market, fast load times for Chinese users, and the ability to meet users’ expectations to be able to scan QR codes to launch web AR experiences from Wechat. Sunrise looks forward to working together with Zappar to help overseas brands to unlock the magic of mobile AR in China or for Chinese brands to unlock the power of ZapWorks for their endeavors, be they local or global.