For shoppers who enjoy the experience and layouts of in-store shopping but are currently under quarantine, or do not yet feel safe, this virtual experience creates the best of both worlds and helps provide context such as scale and size. Here are how a few retailers around the world have embraced virtual shopping in a new way.
- Australian high-end furniture store King Living has captured its entire Sydney flagship store on camera and converted it into a virtual and #shoppable showroom. According to Inside Retail, the transformation took only 3 days and now allows shoppers to literally shop the entire store without ever having to visit.
- Chinese jewelry retailer Ideal established ‘online cloud stores’ through live streaming, turning its ranks of sales associates into live stream broadcasters, each managing their own ‘store’. Shifting its focus from its traditional business model, Ideal has developed a new younger range of fashionable jewelry pieces, different to its offline offer, to attract a new customer segment online. Its brand-new product selection showcases fine jewelry pieces at an economical price points.
- The running brand Asics used virtual reality to launch its newest shoes. Available on YouTube, the Virtual Innovation Lab highlights the new engineered design and ingredients used in shoes that will help wearers go that extra mile. Media, athletes and shoppers around the world can experience the three new shoes up close and personal – in the virtual innovation lab of the ASICS Institute of Sport Science.
In the future, VR could become a suitable option for many brands to create their launch. However, it won’t eliminate the stronger trade shows, as VR may be efficient, but you still need the tactility and fit experience that these offer as well as human communication. As transformation becomes a requirement, stores that are able to adjust quickly stand to take a step ahead of their competitors.
Contributed by: Michael Krog, Sr. Integrated Planner, Integer London
Image Source: Unsplash
