Three French Hens Clucking in Spatial Dimensions

12 Days of Christmas Predictions for 2026 — Beyond’s View of What’s Next 

Welcome to Day 3 of our Christmas Predictions for 2026: a series exploring the near-term shifts that will meaningfully reshape customers, organisations and leaders. 

If Days 1 and 2 explored the rise of human-centric and consumer-centric AI, Day 3 focuses on something more physical: the emerging reality layer where digital and spatial worlds meet - spatial dimensions. And unlike recent hype cycles, this one is genuinely becoming useful.

Three french hens clucking in spatial dimensions

Prediction: Spatial Computing Finds Its Product-Market Fit 

Spatial computing will not transform society overnight. It won’t replace laptops. It won’t become the primary interface for work or leisure. 

But by 2026, it will embed itself into high-value, high-friction commercial environments and in those contexts, it will be transformative. 

This is the year spatial computing stops being a futuristic promise and becomes financially justified, operationally practical, and commercially relevant. 

Why Spatial Computing Will Break Through in 2026 

1. Enterprise demand, not consumer hype, drives adoption 

While consumer devices like the Apple Vision Pro have dominated headlines, the real momentum is coming from enterprise sectors where spatial computing replaces costly, slow or risky processes. Accenture estimates that spatial computing can reduce training time by 60% and significantly improve retention in complex environments. 

When a technology directly reduces cost, risk or time, adoption follows quickly. 

2. The use cases are clearer and narrower 

McKinsey notes that immersive technologies are most effective when aligned with specific operational needs, not broad user journeys. That’s exactly what we're seeing now: 

• In-store planning and merchandising Retailers are using spatial tools to plan layouts, test promotions and simulate customer flow without touching a shelf. 

• Facilities training in hospitality Large hotel groups are using immersive onboarding to reduce training hours and eliminate location-based bottlenecks. 

• Virtual maintenance walkthroughs in transport Aviation and rail operators are using spatial simulation to train technicians safely and consistently. 

• Immersive sales experiences in property Developers are reducing time-to-sale with hyper-realistic walk-throughs, even for sites not yet built. 

  
  

These are not gimmicks. They solve real pain, with measurable operational ROI. 

3. Hardware is stabilising; software is maturing 

As IDC notes, the next wave of spatial computing adoption will be driven by lighter devices, better field-of-view, and enterprise-ready software ecosystems. 

The key at this point, is not hot pursuit of the perfect device, but finding a practical one that works reliably for a 20-minute training module. 

4. Digital twins are becoming mainstream 

Gartner predicts that 70% of large enterprises will use digital twins of facilities or physical assets by 2027, accelerating demand for spatial interfaces that let teams interact with these models naturally. 

Ultimately, spatial computing is becoming a lens through which organisations understand and manage it. 

What Leaders Should Be Thinking About Now 

1. Identify high-friction processes that benefit from simulation 

Training, maintenance, inspections and design planning are areas ripe for spatial transformation. 

2. Think “pilot first”, not “platform first” 

The organisations succeeding here are running small, focused pilots measured on ROI, time saved, and risk reduction. 

3. Prepare your content and data 

Spatial computing is only as good as the data feeding it: CAD files, asset inventories, product information, facility layouts, and digital twins. 

Just like AI, spatial computing amplifies the value of good data — and the cost of bad data. 

Case Study Signals 

While many examples remain confidential, publicly reported momentum includes: 

• Walmart using spatial simulation to train associates at scale 

• Delta Air Lines exploring immersive maintenance training 

• IKEA continuing to expand spatial product visualisation 

• Hilton piloting immersive facilities training 

Beyond: Putting Data to Work 

Spatial computing thrives when data is structured, consistent, and accurate. The models, simulations and digital twins that power immersive experiences are only as strong as the data behind them. 

At Beyond, we help organisations: 

• identify spatial use cases with real commercial ROI 

• prepare and structure operational data for spatial tools 

• build experimentation frameworks to validate value quickly 

• connect spatial computing outputs back into real-world systems 

• integrate AI and spatial computing to create intelligent, adaptive environments 

Whether you're exploring training, maintenance, design or sales, spatial computing is only valuable when your data is working hard behind the scenes. 

If you want 2026 to be the year you unlock spatial value; let’s talk.