Virtual Reality Comes To Retail

This new technology is set to disrupt our domestic lives in more ways than one.
Did you think full-body scans in airports were invasive? Well, they are about to get a whole lot more commonplace. Certain retailers are now offering body scans with in-store tablets that do a 3D scan of your body, then tell you which size of their clothing would be a perfect fit for you. But informing you whether to buy a small, medium, or large isn’t the only way virtual reality is being used to sell products: some companies are using it to record your traffic pattern while shopping in store in order to market their products to consumers with even more precision, or even to track what kind of junk food your particular demographic may be most susceptible to. Let’s see the new and innovative ways in which VR is being used in the modern marketplace.
Body scanning isn’t a totally new development in the retail market. A company called Bodymetrics, for example, partnered with PrimeSense back in 2012 to offer 3D body scanning so that customers could try on clothes virtually – all from the comfort of their own home – for $150. What makes four years ago different from today is accessibility: clothing retailers now offer this in store, and in person, as part of their customer service with no extra charge. Brooks Brothers, along with high-end chain Nordstrom, have partnered with Intel to offer the Volumental platform. Volumental is used on an in-store foot scanner that will map the length, width and arch of your feet, then suggest anything from the perfect set of comfy loafers to blister-free pumps. They even go a step further and offer a custom shoemaking service for those who want a completely bespoke fit. Thank goodness – now we won’t have to stealthily swap shoes of different sizes to accommodate our mismatched feet.
Levi’s, the father of denim, is using Intel technology in a different way. Currently in pilot stage, Intel’s Retail Sensor platform is in use at the flagship Levi’s store in San Francisco. Not only does the platform perform tasks that would seem logical in a clothing store, like real-time inventory, it also tracks customer’s journeys through the store. By following you from stack of jeans to rack of Western shirts, Levi’s hopes to find out which displays attract customers and what direction the typical customer takes when navigating a store. The sensors, using RFID embedded into clothing tags, can also track what products are taken to the fitting rooms to be tried on, and which are subsequently either purchased or discarded on the fitting-room floor.
You might need a bigger pair of jeans if this next piece of VR technology is successful. Vending machines are being trialed in some U.S. universities which have been equipped with Microsoft technology to gather data about customers. These vending machines have cameras that record the sex and approximate age of the customer, as well as the time of day, what was on the screen when the customer stopped, and what the customer buys. Companies can use this data to tailor their marketing to specific individuals, luring in customers in certain demographics with a carefully selected animation or game on their interactive touch-screens that is designed to whet their sweet tooth palate.
But why would a customer want to venture out into a retail store when they can use VR to shop from the comfort of their own home? VR headsets are now being tested to allow customers to shop in virtual stores, all from their living room. Pop on a VR headset and you are instantly transported to a virtual retail store where you can have a look around. If you see something you like, you can add it to your virtual cart with a simple tap to the headset. SapientNitro is the brains behind one such operation, and NYC store The Apartment by The Line is now letting customers browse their store in a virtual environment.
While entertainment may be front of mind when looking at this burgeoning market, VR has many more applications, some of which are just beginning to be explored. Keep your real-life eye trained on the virtual space to see what else the sector has in store.
What do you think the future of VR looks like? Let us know @VPSNET.