As more customers must rely on e- and m-commerce, VR lets people feel like they’re still at the mall.
As social distancing shuts down more brick-and-mortar shops, LifeStyles In 360 is providing a virtual reality shopping experience. This lets those brands close their physical doors while still allowing customers to feel as though they’re not just buying through a screen at home.
The Florida-based tech firm created the VR commerce experiences for several large brands.
LifeStyles In 360 is the company behind the virtual reality shopping experiences offered by large brands such as Whole Foods Market and The Coca-Cola Orlando Eye. Now, it is bringing this in-store replication experience to online users who are making digital purchases with home delivery.
This new VR experience lets shoppers step through the typical flat online purchasing and buy products as though they were in the stores. Even without leaving their homes, consumers can make sure they see and remember all the items they want, spot the sales, and have a look at items they may not have thought to put on their lists – as is the case with shoppers in-store.
This virtual reality shopping lets consumers feel like they’re walking through their favorite stores.
The VR commerce experience lets users make their way through stores, restaurants, and even gift shops. As they walk around inside the digital environments, they can select the items they’d like to buy, just as they would in-store. This provides many shoppers with an experience that is far preferable to the traditional e-commerce cart.
Though the VR has been designed for larger brands until now, the new VR platform now offers smaller and local businesses the opportunity to take part. This is quite the timely release at the moment as many stores are required to stay closed amidst the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. That said, even with their doors closed, shops using this platform can serve their customers and attract new ones who may never have seen them before.
A virtual personal shopper is available through this platform to provide additional convenience. This assistance is particularly helpful when a shopper wants to buy from more than one store or when debating the options of a larger purchase. The virtual reality shopping experience lets all this happen without requiring the consumer to have to leave their house. This aligns smoothly with efforts for physical and social distancing and even with self-isolation.