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Fan engagement and more emerging augmented reality (AR) fan engagement are two terms which grow in importance. Therefore we delve into these terms in this blog article with multiple aspects.
We will cover and explain below topics throughout the article.
• Meaning of Fan Engagement
• Fan Engagement Global Market Size
• Importance of Fan Engagement
• The Ways Fan Experience Drive Revenue
• Meaning of AR Fan Engagement
• AR Fan Engagement Statistics
• Benefits of AR Fan Engagement
• AR Fan Engagement by SENSAPE
• SENSAPE AR Fan Engagement Statistics
We start the exploration by looking into the meaning of fan engagement in the next section.
What is Fan Engagement?
In this section, we highlight the definitions of both fan and fan engagement made through various studies. It is important to know the meaning of fan before correctly defining fan engagement.
Fan is a short form of the word “fanatic” which has an origin from Latin language and stands for “an adherent” (Samra and Wos, 2014). Ennis (2020) defines fans as
“Individuals who express interest, eagerness or commitment for a specific organization, team or athlete.”
Yoshida et al. (2014) describe fan engagement as
“A fan’s unplanned, involving, and collective behaviours with the sports club and/or other fans to accomplish personal or social goals.”
Samra and Wos (2014) claim that fan engagement is a proper term to define customer engagement in sports, while fans are more valuable than less committed sports consumers to a team.
Customer engagement is described by Hollebeek et al. (2019) as
A person’s use of resources into connections with an organization.
Therefore the fan is the most crucial customer in sports marketing (Huettermann & Kunkel, 2022).
Since fan engagement is one of SENSAPE's main focuses for last 10 years, we are delighted to contribute to the organizations in this field. Let's connect for fan engagement enhancements: SENSAPE contact form
After providing the definitions of fan, fan engagement, and customer engagement, we continue with the fan engagement market in the world.
Fan Engagement Market
This is the section where we underline some statistical information about the global fan engagement market.
According to The Business Research Company (2025), the global fan engagement market reached an approximate value of USD 6.68 billion in 2024 and is estimated to increase to USD 17.54 billion in 2029 and to USD 44.71 billion in 2034 with an average yearly growth rate of 20.57%.
• 2024: USD 6.68 billion
• 2029: USD 17.54 billion
• 2034: USD 44.71 billion
In the same report, transforming fan engagement with advanced technology and transforming fan experience through cutting-edge technology were mentioned as two of the major fan engagement market trends. This points out how crucial augmented reality (AR) is in fan engagement context.
After starting with the definition of fan engagement and its market size, we proceed with the importance of fan engagement in the following section.
Importance of Fan Engagement
In this section, we highlight how critical is fan engagement in many aspects for organizations that connect with fans.
Hokkanen (2025) specifies that sports businesses can attract sponsorships (Samra and Wos, 2014) with more engaged fans, which leads to revenue increase.
Nielsen’s (2022) insights show that the percentage of people relying on brands that sponsor sports businesses is 81% and this also underscores the importance of both fan engagement and sponsorship agreements.
Since engaged consumers refer and recommend products to other consumers, customer engagement is a critical element in companies’ strategies (Verhoef et al., 2010). This is also the case in the sports industry as fans are referring and recommending products based on their experiences with sports organizations.
Since organizations should consider how the fan experience generates revenue, we proceed with the answers of this question in the next section.
How Does Fan Experience Drive Revenue?
After specifying the importance of fan engagement in different perspectives, this is the section where we dive into the revenue generation process of fan experience.
In the 1980s, ticketing made up 90% of the revenue whereas this percentage is between 15% and 20% nowadays. There are currently other available revenue sources, such as sponsorship, TV rights, broadcasting, and commercial deals. In this context, fan experience emerges as a new tool for sports clubs for raising revenues (Previati, 2020).
Three reasons that fan experience generates revenue for according to Previati (2020):
• Previous Experience: fans tend to come back to games if they enjoy their latest experience. Therefore, fans' attendance in the stadium is highly dependent on game results.
• Recommendations (word of mouth): Pleasant fans tend to share their experience with their friends and shareability is crucial for sports clubs as the profitability is directly connected with it.
• Sponsorship: sponsor companies are willing to be linked with memorable experiences and they are eager to pay for providing this. In order to engage with the fans, marketers develop innovative ways to engage with fans.
With this section we complete the fan engagement part and proceed to the second main part which is AR fan engagement.
What is AR Fan Engagement?
Before delving into the AR fan engagement in detail, we first need to clearly understand the description of AR fan engagement in this section.
Augmented reality (AR) is being activated throughout various events and venues, including game day events, fan shops, and stadiums. We can define AR fan engagement as
The interactions that fans experience during the activations at multiple occasions, including game day events, fan shops, and stadiums.
Sports organizations should focus on fan-centric technologies, like AR to enhance fan engagement as personalized experiences deepen relations (Hokkanen, 2025).
Fans are passionate about cutting-edge technologies like AR because these technologies deliver opportunities to connect with particular teams, players, and other fans and enable interactivity that is not available at conventional venues (Garcia, 2025).
The spectator experience needs to be unique and memorable so that fans keep attending. AR is the technology that makes the experiences interactive through immersive games and holographic displays that turn attendees into active participants (Deloitte, 2024).
After defining the AR fan engagement in this section, it is crucial to continue with some considerable statistics about AR fan engagement.
AR Fan Engagement Statistics
We emphasize substantial statistics regarding AR fan engagement in this section. These statistical information is as follows:
• Approximately 79% of sports fans are more interested in sports content if virtual and graphic elements (like AR graphics) are present (Vizrt, 2024).
• 25% rise in fan participation was observed through gamified apps, which allow users to share experiences with friends and earn rewards (Pickman, 2023).
• The use of AR in sports broadcasts resulted in 15% rise in audience engagement and a 20% increase in audience retention during the broadcast of major sports events (Goebert, 2021).
• AR applications lead to a 40% rise in fan interactions during football matches through interactive experiences during matches (Pickman, 2023).
• Nearly 70% of fans tend to purchase from a brand that delivers customized virtual experience (Deloitte, 2022).
After pointing out notable AR fan engagement statistics, we proceed with the benefits of AR fan engagement in the next section.
Benefits of AR Fan Engagement
There are various benefits that AR fan engagement bring to organizations and following are some of the critical ones:
• Boosts revenue and loyalty by delivering interactive and tailored experiences for sports fans (Jinga, 2024).
• Provides spectators with immersive experiences and interactive visualizations that make events more engaging (Simon et al., 2025).
• Enables spectators to feel more linked to the action (Garcia, 2025).
• Significantly strengthens brand recognition and drives more positive attitudes toward products (Pickman, 2023).
• Opens up new revenue sources for the sports industry through different ways, such as premium contents (Pickman, 2023).
• Elevates overall fan experience by keeping fans invested in the team’s journey (Wilkins, 2024).
Get in touch with us to discuss how AR fan engagement can be integrated to your organization's operations: SENSAPE contact form
We complete our blog article with two substantial topics where we explain our solution through essential facts and statistics.
AR Fan Engagement by SENSAPE
In terms of AR fan engagement, SENSAPE delivers several highly customized solutions depending on the needs and preferences.
These solutions are powerful tools for building lasting connections and amplifying the reach. Plus, customizable features for sponsor branding and product placements make it an ideal way to monetize the attraction while delighting the audience.
These solutions turn visitors into enthusiastic brand ambassadors by offering them a unique, shareable experience that sparks word-of-mouth which is far more impactful and measurable than traditional advertising.
The AR fan engagement solutions provided by SENSAPE and currently used by various organizations are as follows:
1. SENSAPE Allstars
SENSAPE Allstars is an AR and AI driven marketing tool that drives interactive fan engagement by turning followers into supporters and real fans. It creates real emotions and engagement using both AR and artificial intelligence (AI). Fans can share their photo via a microsite and sign up for the newsletter, boosting engagement and reach.
2. SENSAPE AR Striker Game
The virtual goalkeeper is positioned in front of the goal and the user kicks the virtual ball towards the goal. After all striking attempts are completed, a QR code and call to scan with the phone is shown on the screen. The user has the option to type in the name to appear in the leaderboard and share the photo/video with the leaderboard.
3. SENSAPE AR Header Game
Through SENSAPE Header Game users become a Header Champion and it lets fans showcase their skills by virtually heading a ball in the fully branded AR game. It comes with branded UI with the logo and colour, background and optional soccer ball, individual microsite with call to actions.
4. SENSAPE AR Quiz Game
Fans can put their football knowledge to the test in an interactive quiz, snap a photo with their results, and enter a prize draw for a chance to win. Matchday-specific questions challenge fans in real time and they turn curiosity into connection with every question.
5. SENSAPE Collector Game
This game allows users to control a digital goal to collect falling balls. In the other version, the users become environmental heroes. Their mission is to sort waste into the correct bins. With each correct assignment, they help keep the stadium clean and green. Every correct choice brings them one step closer to victory for the environment.
6. SENSAPE AR Try On
SENSAPE AR Try On is an interactive AR tool that enables users to visualize how an item like a football club jersey looks on them. From just a product selection, it creates a preview that helps users confidently view their choices before purchasing the items. It reduces uncertainty by showing how items look on them and eliminates the need for physical trials.
We continue explaining SENSAPE AR fan engagement solutions throughout following considerable viewpoints.
The 4 main challenges of an enterprise to gain more revenue → What SENSAPE Allstars offers
• Drive fans to events, stadiums and retail → AR fan experience
• Convert supporters into fans, and grow the fan base → Desirable user-generated content to share & remember
• Increase merchandise sales → Personalized promotion and upselling
• Expand sponsor contracts or sign new ones → Smart brand and product placement
Return on Investment (ROI) Step by Step
Following are the steps of the SENSAPE AR Fan Engagement’s ROI:
• First step: AR Experience
• Second step: direct payment
• Third step: newsletter subscriptions on the custom built microsite
• Fourth step: social media shares on the custom built microsite
• Fifth step: merchandise + ticket sales
Journey from follower to fan:
• Follower: knows you and what you are doing
• £306.80: average amount spent on merchandise
• Fan: average amount spent on merchandise increases to £408.04
Amount of money they spend increases from follower to fans
• Follower: knows you and what you are doing
• Supporter: has a high identification, spends time
• Fans: are fanatical about living in your world
The following section is the last section of our blog article where we specify some substantial statistics about SENSAPE AR fan engagement solutions.
SENSAPE AR Fan Engagement Statistics
Some of the crucial statistical data regarding our AR fan engagement solutions are as follows:
• Up to 90,000 photos uploaded a year lead to 55,000 shares (or up to 61% of uploaded photos get shared)
• 87% of its users create user-generated content
• 78% of its users subscribe newsletter
• Have conversion rate up to 82%
Let’s talk about the possibilities of AR and do something great together.
Contact SENSAPE:
Email: hello@sensape.com
Phone: +49 341 392 98 552
WhatsApp: +49 173 3830500
Contact form: Connect SENSAPE
References
Samra, B., & Wos, A. (2014). Consumer in sports: Fan typology analysis. Journal of Intercultural Management, 6(4-1), 263-288. https://doi.org/10.2478/joim-2014-0050
Ennis, S. (2020). Understanding fans and their consumption of sport. In Sports Marketing: A Global Approach to Theory and Practice (pp. 75-100). Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53740-1_4
Yoshida, M., Gordon, B., Nakazawa, M., & Biscaia, R. (2014). Conceptualization and measurement of fan engagement: Empirical evidence from a professional sport context. Journal of sport management, 28(4), 399-417. http://dx.doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2013-0199
Hollebeek, L. D., Srivastava, R. K., & Chen, T. (2019). SD logic–informed customer engagement: integrative framework, revised fundamental propositions, and application to CRM. Journal of the academy of marketing science, 47(1), 161-185. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-016-0494-5
Huettermann, M., & Kunkel, T. (2022). The influence of non-transactional fan engagement on merchandise consumption. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 31(1), 48-61. http://doi.org/10.32731/SMQ.311.0322.04
The Business Research Company. (2025). Fan Engagement Market Opportunities and Strategies to 2034. https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/gy8xbl
Hokkanen, E. (2025). Impact of second screen technology on fan engagement in ice hockey. https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202505113566
Nielsen. (2022). Sports sponsorships are raising more than just brand awareness. https://www.nielsen.com/insights/2022/sports-sponsorships-are-raising-more-than-just-brand-awareness/
Previati, A. (2020). The importance of fan engagement and fan management in sports. St. John's University (New York). https://scholar.stjohns.edu/theses_dissertations/144
Garcia, B. (2025). TECHNOLOGY USE AND SPORTS FAN ENGAGEMENT (Doctoral dissertation, Purdue University Graduate School). https://doi.org/10.25394/PGS.29660897.v1
Deloitte. (2024). How Tech Can Enhance In-Person Professional Sports Experiences. https://deloitte.wsj.com/cmo/how-tech-can-enhance-in-person-professional-sports-experiences-1d931918
Vizrt. (2023). New study finds AR graphics, sports analysis, and replay crucial for engaging younger audiences. https://www.vizrt.com/vizrt/press-center/engaging-younger-sports-audiences/
Pickman, D. (2023). The use of virtual reality and augmented reality in enhancing the sports viewing experience. International Journal of Arts, Recreation and Sports, 1(2), 39-49. https://doi.org/10.47941/ijars.1516
Goebert, C. (2021). Augmented Reality in Sport Broadcasting. https://doi.org/10.25772/V0YE-K795
Deloitte Digital. (2022). Embrace meaningful personalization to maximize growth. New research on the value of personalized CX. https://www.deloittedigital.com/content/dam/deloittedigital/us/documents/offerings/offering-20220713-personalization-pov.pdf
Jinga, G. (2024). Sports marketing and management: strategies for success in the digital age. Revista de Management Comparat Internațional, 25(3), 586-594. http://doi.org/10.24818/RMCI.2024.3.586
Simon, J., Gogolák, L., & Čović, Z. (2025). The Future of Augmented Reality Application Development Trends and Opportunities. Analecta Technica Szegedinensia, 19(1), 28–37. https://doi.org/10.14232/analecta.2025.1.28-37
Wilkins, L. (2024). A bibliometric analysis of fantasy sports research. Entertainment Computing, 48, 100613. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.entcom.2023.100613
