Smart Glasses and the Future of CRM

It is spring 2028, and the cherry blossoms here in the nation’s capital are in full bloom. It looks to be a great day to do an engine oil change on my historic 1954 Jaguar XK120. I visit my favorite local auto parts store looking for the best oil for the ’54 Jag. The auto parts store has many aisles of oil options from various manufacturers—some are mineral oil, others are synthetic. Members of my local Jaguar club tell me synthetic oil is better for your car’s engine, but not for older engines like the one in my ’54 Jag, which has only run on mineral oil. Whew, one less decision to make! But I am still faced with more than 10 brands of engine oil and multiple types of oil (i.e., different viscosities, quality certifications, and more). How do I decide which brand and specification to purchase?

Fortunately, I’ve entered the store wearing the latest and greatest model of smart glasses. Oil manufacturers all have a QR code printed on their engine oil packaging. I spend several minutes focusing my smart glasses on the various QR codes to pull up videos of each brand showing how their oil is made, discussing their environmental footprint, and providing the specifications for each of their oils. The smart glasses use the latest eye recognition technology as my eye locks on the “oil selection” button onscreen. I am prompted for the year and model of my car. I respond by verbally providing those specifications to the smart glasses speaker and immediately three oil brands get recommended. I select the Castrol mineral oil option since Castrol is running a “Cherry Blossom” special pricing promotion. Castrol recommends their 20W50 oil and the promotion immediately pops up: Buy four quarts of oil and get the fifth quart free. Let’s go!

Does this all sound far-fetched? Not in 2028, when smart glasses will reinvigorate and transform the consumer buying experience. By 2028, I forecast that 90 percent of all consumer packaged goods brands will provide QR codes on their products and will have a smart glasses app for these products. I think consumer packaged goods company Procter & Gamble (P&G) will lead the way in the new smart glasses shopping experience. Why P&G? Listen to my business partner, Tim Bajarin, and my February 21 podcast titled “Business Success in the Virtual World”; it focuses on P&G’s persistent use of immersive technologies since 2020 and provides insight into why I see P&G leading this next commercial transformation.

The pervasive use of smart glasses extends well beyond buying engine oil. Here are a few additional examples of smart glasses in action by 2028:

• Enhanced field service.Field technicians increasingly use smart glasses to connect to digital content that can, for example, help them get directions to the site or provide the knowledge they need to make detailed on-site repairs. They can also use them to order necessary parts.
• Better entertainment.Watch your favorite movie on the airplane on a 100-inch screen generated from your smart glasses, with the glasses delivering sound using built-in symphonic technology. Or shoot a video of your grandchild taking her first steps. Instead of fumbling for your smartphone to record this big moment, you’ll simply tap the record button on smart glasses and voila—your smart glasses are video recording those first steps in real time with outstanding camera quality.
• Real-time language translation.Smart glasses technology is making real-time language translation a game changer. Smart glasses will come with advanced translation technology such that communicating in any language becomes seamless. This makes global travel, business, and even local interactions in multilingual areas considerably easier.
• Live teleprompter.Speakers can now read their slide content directly from their smart glasses. This means no more reading notes or taking your eyes away from the audience. Hollywood will jump on this app.

How significant a role will smart glasses play in the future of commerce? Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg predicts smart glasses will replace smartphones by 2030. Major companies, including Meta, Google, Amazon, and Apple, are already spending hundreds of millions of dollars developing smart glasses. Industry experts believe smart glasses will become a part of everyday life by 2028. The global smart glasses market is expected to grow from $878.8 million in 2024 to between $8 billion and $12 billion by 2030. This growth is being driven by technological advancement, increased demand, and growing industrial adoption.

For more information about current smart glasses, be sure to read Bajarin’s weekly Forbes.com column that include these two articles: "A Killer App for Smart Glasses And Earbuds: Real-Time Translation" and “Are Smart Glasses the New PC?”

And if you want to learn more about the transformative power of smart glasses, consider viewing “The Impact of Smart Glasses on the Future of Commerce” webinar that Tim and I performed live on March 18th. 

Barton Goldenberg (bgoldenberg@ismguide.com) is president of ISM. Since 1985, ISM has established itself as a premier strategic adviser leveraging leading edge technologies—like the metaverse and digital communities—to improve sales, marketing, and customer service. His thought leadership includes co-creating the Business Success in a Virtual World podcast, co-creating the award winning XR/Metaverse Resource Center, and writing three business books, including The Definitive Guide to Social CRM. He is also in high demand as a keynote speaker (www.bartongoldenberg.com).

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