Mixed Reality is Revolutionizing the In-Store Retail Experience

By CIOReview | Friday, April 27, 2018

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It is interesting to see how technology has been transforming each and every aspect of lifestyle. Brands, influenced by the technological era, are therefore rigorously adopting the latest AR and VR trends to improve their in-store retail experience.

Many brick and mortar stores have now started incorporating VR to revamp their in-store experience. As an instance, a home décor store lets their customers see 3D renderings of renovations of customer’s home before actually purchasing the products. Customers are aided by a trained sales representative to pick the items they want to upgrade their living space. Once they've decided what they want, they step into an empty room and using a tablet and 3D technology, can project how those products would actually look in the customer’s house.

Another way retailers are merging the digital world with the real world is through experiences such as virtual changing rooms. In Japan, Toshiba has developed a way for customers to virtually try on clothes using a digital changing booth. The 3D camera installed in the changing booths would scan and measure the physique of shoppers and upload the measurements to their phone. From there, customers can mix and match outfits, both in the store and from the comfort of their home, to decide which pair would look best. They can then go on to purchase items that are guaranteed to fit.

From the above examples, it is evident that in-store shopping is not going away, rather, it is getting an upgrade. And making this possible are technologies like AR and VR, which are continuously bridging the gap between in-store and online, making shopping more enjoyable and engaging for today's customer.