VR Shopping

VR shopping technology became a game-changer in tough e-commerce competition. It hasn’t just made shopping easy and fast for people who don’t like to go outside or have no time for it. The most important thing about VR technology is that virtual shopping experience is very close to physical presence since buyers can pick up goods, examine and customize them while sitting on a favorite armchair at home.

Thanks to 3D product rendering technology, it became easier for manufacturers to enter the market. Therefore, the number of brands at online stores and platforms increases with incredible speed. Thus, it becomes more and more difficult to stand out from competitors and gain the trust of the shoppers.

In addition, online shopping faces a high risk of return and cancellation of orders. It happens so, because it could be difficult for buyers to choose products on the Internet — often in real life goods don’t look as they did at the picture, or the customer misunderstood the proportions of the goods. Therefore, it is necessary for manufacturers to understand how to make the shopping process as close to the real experience of brick-and-mortar stores as possible. 

Advanced VR technologies solve this problem — using them, shoppers could select a product, examine it from all sides to see all the details. But one of the most important benefits of VR shopping is that buyers can move items, create a virtual space to try on goods at their house and understand if they fit or not. This way, 3D technologies increase customer awareness and reduce the number of returns.

So how exactly advanced 3D technology improves online-shopping and what benefits can manufacturers get from it? Read up our list of 5 ways VR brings shopping to the next level and pick up a couple of ideas for your business!

#1. Shoppers Can Examine the Product in a 360 View Using VR Tools

Photorealistic product rendering is a perfect solution for brands to present and promote their goods. However, mere static images are not enough to showcase the product in all its glory. Sometimes, a manufacturer doesn’t provide pictures with all the angles that the buyer expects to see in the listing or in a store. So, at some point, this purchase could still disappoint the customer, because their expectations don’t meet reality. 

Let’s say, shoppers want to make sure that the back panels of the furniture look nice, so it could be placed not only against the wall but also in the center of the room. If customers had the opportunity to see the item from all angles before purchase, then the long and difficult procedure of goods return could be avoided. However, not every manufacturer is ready to spend money on shooting all over the item, so there must be another tool that showcases the product in 360 view.

A 360° product view in VR technology allows shoppers to rotate the 3D model of the product using VR goggles and gloves to fully inspect the item and make a complete picture of it. This way, any design detail won’t be overlooked but thoroughly examined by customers’ “own hands”. Thus, this option is not just a promo stunt — a 360° VR tool increases the awareness of shoppers and reduces the chances of returning the goods.

#2. VR Showcases the Product in Action

With the help of VR shopping apps, manufacturers can give customers an opportunity to see how the item works with their own eyes. Let’s face it — if the buyer is searching for furniture that folds or transforms, they need to see it in action. Therefore, VR technology is perfect to let them fold and unfold the sofa, make sure how convenient are drawers inside the wardrobe, or how versatile is the modular furniture.

Of course, manufacturers used to provide animation or video for these purposes, but with VR, the buyer evaluates the goods themselves, in the order and pace that is comfortable for them. Thus, VR shopping brings buyers closer to the real experience of shopping in a retail store, without the need to allocate time to actually go there.

#3. With VR Customers Can Try the Same Item in Various Contexts

VR shopping allows buyers who are searching for products online to not just evaluate goods at pictures and videos — virtual reality provides them a truly unique shopping experience. Using VR apps and programs, buyers can pick up a product in a VR room and try it in different environments and interiors to see if it suits there well.

For example, not long ago, a forward Italian furniture maker Natuzzi collaborated with Microsoft and Hevolus Innovation for a new project: a virtual reality technology that lets users simulate interior spaces and create designs with the actual product. Now, Natuzzi showcases these VR rooms at exhibitions and even puts them in some of their brick-and-mortar shops.

This option allows shoppers to understand the item’s proportions, while usual online-shopping based on photos is more unpredictable. How many times we ordered stuff online but in reality their scale is either too small or too big for our homes? With VR, buyers can see the product already in the context, and if it doesn’t fit — change the environment or try another object. Thus, VR makes it easier for a person to understand that this furniture piece fits the proportions, color scheme and style of their home.

#4. VR Makes Shopping Experience an Immersive Journey

With virtual reality technology, a virtual trip to the store becomes an exciting and fun adventure — as if the customer is playing a computer game with bonuses and prizes. Indeed, with the help of VR goggles and controllers, a person can immerse themselves in the atmosphere of a virtual store, take the goods off the shelf and move them, go through various designs, select matching accessories and even build an interior from scratch! The effect of an exciting game helps sellers to involve buyers as much as possible. As a result of that immersive adventure, a customer won’t be able to get away leave empty-handed – because everybody wants to get a prize at the end of the game.

#5. With VR Buyers Enjoy Customization While Shopping

Massive industry giants, such as IKEA, are already using VR technology so that shoppers could customize their virtual interiors and pick the best furniture. With the help of special apps, VR glasses and hand controllers, they can select the furniture, lights, carpets, vases from the database. Then, they can put this furnishing and decor into a virtual space that could look exactly like their living room or kitchen.This way a customer can choose furniture sets, move the objects, change their design and colors to create a jaw-dropping and customized interior from scratch. As a result of this exciting and creative experience, a customer will most likely buy these products, because they enjoyed the design activity and made sure that these goods suit their interior and taste a 100%.

Computer graphics make online-shopping fun and effective — VR shopping helps customers to see the goods in the interior, move them around, examine goods in detail and make sure this is exactly what they need. Using VR technology, buyers know exactly what they are buying since the product meets their expectations about the materials, colors, and style. Thus, VR shopping decreases the chances of unpleasant surprises and goods return.

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Excited to try this new technology for creating unique customer experience? Contact us, and we will choose the best 3D rendering services that will immerse buyers into online-shopping and increase your sales!

Irene Lewis

Content Writer

Irene is a content writer. She previously worked for interior and chess magazines. When not writing articles, Irene finds great pleasure in collecting Star Trek memorabilia, reading Medieval poetry and playing banjo.