With the digital retail scene evolving constantly, new and innovative ways of engaging online shoppers are sought after by retailers. So far, Virtual reality is something that has only truly been encountered in the gaming environment. However, as retailers look to provide customers an immersive experience, virtual reality and augmented reality are becoming the next step in a growing digital world.
The notion of eCommerce having a role within virtual reality, such as virtually walking into a boutique is quite hysterical. VR is not going to replace Amazon or hopping in a car and driving to Target. For now, virtual reality allows one to catch a glimpse into a world that one has never otherwise experience before. It is taking part in a story. Nonetheless, because of its immersive nature, virtual reality makes for stronger brand experiences and could make a vital role in eCommerce and could change the face of eCommerce eventually.
Virtual reality, or VR has been discussed since the early 80’s and 90’s. It’s going to affect various aspects of daily life, not only in the form of commerce, entertainment and pastime, but as a way to increase knowledge, meet new people for business as well. Moreover, it could greatly boost communications. VR is only getting started, and it is going to be huge. It’s just a matter of time before VR technology hits a retail store in one’s locality. Retailers all over the world are embracing the technology in order to change or transform the way consumers live, play and shop. Some brands introduce VR headsets in their stores to allow shoppers to see its runaway shows and shop for items from the latest collection.
Beyond product promotion, VR is being utilized to tell a story regarding the craftsmanship of a brand and demonstrate the process of production. One example is TOMS, which recently introduced the Samsung VR headsets in its flagship outlets. The headsets take shoppers on a virtual trip to Peru, showing them what is like to give shoes to those who are in need. The company has been giving a pair of shoes for every pair sold since from the start. It is apparent that virtual reality offers numerous benefits to eCommerce retailers.
These days, new technology waves are crawling out of their primordial ooze and ready to make their debut as viable additions to the way that people shop. This is augmented and virtual reality. With VR, store owners would enable customers try accessories and clothing in a virtual store, put furniture into the houses of their customers within an application on the smart phone and show people how to assemble and utilize the products step-by-step with a live customer support. They allow customers to flaunt potential purchases to friends make their brands more personable, fun and engaging. They will crank up the potency of their segmented marketing, storytelling, cross-selling and upselling. Essentially, store owners soon would be bridging the gap between physical and web retail.
With virtual reality, customers enter a virtual dressing room and with only a few, easy swipes on a screen, they could see how different scarfs, dresses, accessories and necklaces look on them. So, how does VR work? VR works in such a way that a computer or phone camera, or a Microsoft 360 Kinect scans the customer into a chat-box-style video screen. Makeup, Jewelry and clothing then is selected on-screen and placed on to the body of the customer. Shoppers could also raise or lower their arms, turn around and experiment with what best fits.
By snapping images and pictures of their prospective new attires and upload them on social media, they could have fast feedback from family and friends, which make the experience feel nearer to the real thing. Augmented reality is providing a brick-and-mortar benefit to online fashion retailers, and it’s just begun. It is challenging to take into account how VR could simplify a purchase journey more than a well-designed application does. Definitely, there are some improvements to the decision-making process of a customer.
It's challenging to think about how VR can simplify a purchase journey more than a well-designed app does. There's definitely some improvements to a customer's decision-making processes. That said, I think even if the experience of browsing virtual stores was perfected as close as possible to the 'real thing' it's unlikely that a virtual store would achieve physical stores' conversion rates (approx. 20-40 per cent). It would be higher than online average (1-3 per cent), but this could be partly or fully for the same reason mobile apps enjoy a higher conversion rate - the visitor accessing an app (or VR store) is likely to be a higher quality visitor than a standard website one.
When an eCommerce brand has a brick and mortar store as well as an online shop, it could combine the two and acquire information back from people that use VR in the store. A store owner could see how customers move through the space and check out where the shop has blind spots, places wherein product is not noticed. This could be beneficial to eCommerce retailers to not just offer customers a great technological experience, but optimize the space in their actual retail shop as well. The same as the pattern with all useful and new technologies, once a few eCommerce operators start to offer VR, customers would quickly start to expect it from all businesses. Those that don’t provide such a service could be considered old-fashioned all of a sudden. When done well, VR could create a real difference to the eCommerce scenario.
The notion of eCommerce having a role within virtual reality, such as virtually walking into a boutique is quite hysterical. VR is not going to replace Amazon or hopping in a car and driving to Target. For now, virtual reality allows one to catch a glimpse into a world that one has never otherwise experience before. It is taking part in a story. Nonetheless, because of its immersive nature, virtual reality makes for stronger brand experiences and could make a vital role in eCommerce and could change the face of eCommerce eventually.
Virtual reality, or VR has been discussed since the early 80’s and 90’s. It’s going to affect various aspects of daily life, not only in the form of commerce, entertainment and pastime, but as a way to increase knowledge, meet new people for business as well. Moreover, it could greatly boost communications. VR is only getting started, and it is going to be huge. It’s just a matter of time before VR technology hits a retail store in one’s locality. Retailers all over the world are embracing the technology in order to change or transform the way consumers live, play and shop. Some brands introduce VR headsets in their stores to allow shoppers to see its runaway shows and shop for items from the latest collection.
Beyond product promotion, VR is being utilized to tell a story regarding the craftsmanship of a brand and demonstrate the process of production. One example is TOMS, which recently introduced the Samsung VR headsets in its flagship outlets. The headsets take shoppers on a virtual trip to Peru, showing them what is like to give shoes to those who are in need. The company has been giving a pair of shoes for every pair sold since from the start. It is apparent that virtual reality offers numerous benefits to eCommerce retailers.
These days, new technology waves are crawling out of their primordial ooze and ready to make their debut as viable additions to the way that people shop. This is augmented and virtual reality. With VR, store owners would enable customers try accessories and clothing in a virtual store, put furniture into the houses of their customers within an application on the smart phone and show people how to assemble and utilize the products step-by-step with a live customer support. They allow customers to flaunt potential purchases to friends make their brands more personable, fun and engaging. They will crank up the potency of their segmented marketing, storytelling, cross-selling and upselling. Essentially, store owners soon would be bridging the gap between physical and web retail.
With virtual reality, customers enter a virtual dressing room and with only a few, easy swipes on a screen, they could see how different scarfs, dresses, accessories and necklaces look on them. So, how does VR work? VR works in such a way that a computer or phone camera, or a Microsoft 360 Kinect scans the customer into a chat-box-style video screen. Makeup, Jewelry and clothing then is selected on-screen and placed on to the body of the customer. Shoppers could also raise or lower their arms, turn around and experiment with what best fits.
By snapping images and pictures of their prospective new attires and upload them on social media, they could have fast feedback from family and friends, which make the experience feel nearer to the real thing. Augmented reality is providing a brick-and-mortar benefit to online fashion retailers, and it’s just begun. It is challenging to take into account how VR could simplify a purchase journey more than a well-designed application does. Definitely, there are some improvements to the decision-making process of a customer.
It's challenging to think about how VR can simplify a purchase journey more than a well-designed app does. There's definitely some improvements to a customer's decision-making processes. That said, I think even if the experience of browsing virtual stores was perfected as close as possible to the 'real thing' it's unlikely that a virtual store would achieve physical stores' conversion rates (approx. 20-40 per cent). It would be higher than online average (1-3 per cent), but this could be partly or fully for the same reason mobile apps enjoy a higher conversion rate - the visitor accessing an app (or VR store) is likely to be a higher quality visitor than a standard website one.
When an eCommerce brand has a brick and mortar store as well as an online shop, it could combine the two and acquire information back from people that use VR in the store. A store owner could see how customers move through the space and check out where the shop has blind spots, places wherein product is not noticed. This could be beneficial to eCommerce retailers to not just offer customers a great technological experience, but optimize the space in their actual retail shop as well. The same as the pattern with all useful and new technologies, once a few eCommerce operators start to offer VR, customers would quickly start to expect it from all businesses. Those that don’t provide such a service could be considered old-fashioned all of a sudden. When done well, VR could create a real difference to the eCommerce scenario.
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