Virtual Reality (or VR) is the use of software and computing power to recreate something that is almost the same as something that exists. The Virtual Reality Society describe it as:
“Virtual reality is the term used to describe a three-dimensional, computer generated environment which can be explored and interacted with by a person. That person becomes part of this virtual world or is immersed within this environment and whilst there, is able to manipulate objects or perform a series of actions”.
Until recently, VR has always been on the “virtual” horizon (excuse the pun) – a technology which seems close but never quite made a breakthrough. However, recent developments in technical power and, arguably more importantly, developments in the competitive landscape for this technology have meant developments have been focused on commercialising this technology. Companies like Oculus, HTC, Samsung, Sony and Facebook are all actively pursuing success in this new marketplace and that bring accessibility and opportunity.
VR is accessible and even a consumer can now have the computer technology to run software to produce realistic images and sounds that imitate a real environment. Using controllers and cameras, users can interact with the space and different objects can be recreated in the relative blink of an eye.
CES 2017 continued to show more VR technologies suggesting that this is now here to stay and will be continuing to develop rapidly to give more realistic visuals and sound – as well as starting to blend in other senses too.
You may still think that VR is a bit of a gimmick and that it doesn’t have any real benefit to businesses yet. But, when it comes to Virtual Reality in retail, there are a big opportunities now…
The secret to success in today’s super-competitive retail marketplace is around engaging customers on an emotional level to build a strong relationship whilst at the same time delivering an excellent retail operating environment. Technology is being used to increase engagement, develop store and stock operations and drive sales. VR is a technology platform that will allow forward thinking retailers to do all of these things.
Let’s take a look through some of the opportunities that present themselves:
3D digital showrooms that wow customers
You can deliver amazing digital customer experience through VR and offer a breakthrough, convenient shopping experience that can be open 24 hours a day and can instantly be available to customers across the whole world. A 3D digital showroom experience could be perfect for your company to connect with customers and to personalise the shopping experience.
Retail store design that engage customers and stakeholders quickly
Whilst digital showrooms can be engaging, property design teams can engage business leaders / decision makers as well as potential customers with VR mocked up store redesigns. Further analytics such as eye-tracking can then mean that a concept store design can be understood before starting to build it. This will allow the store design process to speed up approvals, reduce cost of rework by finding risks and issues earlier and collect greater insight to optimise the store design right from the start.
Store visits in an instant
Store visits have always been key for “bricks and mortar” retail management to see the customer journey in action, to build relationships with the team and check that the store is performing operationally. However, depending on the territory, significant portions of the day can be consumed in travel. With the arrival of Virtual Reality in retail, store visits could offer a quick and cost effective way to check in with a store on the other side of the country. You’ll still need to factor in some face time to ensure that the relationship continues to build…. And this could also be done in a VR-style video conference.
Step by step instructions to solve problems
The digital revolution means that customer service can be greater than ever before! You can now communicate with your customers across multiple channels and give support on how to use the customer’s products. VR could be used in this support function to display diagrams and videos – showing the customer exactly what to do and how to do it. Remote control could also be a useful tool to guide customers around more complex products.
Concept modelling to reduce product development cycles
The days where you had to pay for the manufacturing of an initial product concept just to get an idea about how it may look like and how it may work are long gone with the use of computer aided design. You can also now use VR to create virtual models of your product, saving precious time and money. These virtual models allow the product developers and stakeholders to examine and make changes without the time and expense of building physical prototypes. You can offer the same benefits to customers as they look to personalise products and services.
Gamification that embeds training outcomes and engagement
Another way in which you can take advantage of virtual reality in retail is by creating interactive games. The first virtual reality experiments were done for gaming due to the immersive experience that you can build. If you are working in a game design or development company, you can easily create games that are interactive which will engage customers and staff. Perhaps your dry operational training is now brought to life through VR. Coaching sales assistants can be done in an immersive environment that allows real role play to perfect the right behaviours. Customers could also be engaged, perhaps through rewarding them with points or medals based on their achievements and engagement activities.
What should you do now?
So Virtual Reality in retail is here and the opportunities to take advantage exist right now. This will offer your business the chance to save time and money as well as increase engagement levels with your customers and optimise your business. An innovative VR project could be what your business needs to deliver a great customer experience and improve profitability. Take a look now at what opportunities lie ahead when it comes to Virtual Reality in retail and how they could support your objectives and goals.
Image Credit: Oculus VR
