Virtual Reality: What Is The Retail Revolution?

Virtual Reality: Beyond gamification, immersive technologies have stood out and been responsible for impacting different sectors in a disruptive and innovative way. One of them is Virtual Reality (VR). 

As much as Virtual Reality is used constantly, its definition is complex. The concept goes beyond using VR glasses and entering another universe. 

Dating back to 1938, VR was first mentioned in the work. In the book, the French author suggested a theater in which the natural illusion of characters and objects created a virtual reality.

Since then, technology has evolved, and the concept has been improved to provide the user with a 100% immersive experience by providing interaction with 3D simulations, instigating the five senses of the human being through intermediation between the natural and artificial worlds.

For Statista, a company specializing in data and consumers, the application of Virtual Reality in retail and marketing tends to grow 300% between 2020 and 2025, reaching US$ 1.8 billion by the end of 2022.

VR And retail

When applied in the retail segment, for example, it allows the brand to enhance the interaction with the consumer from the engagement of its public and the construction of a solid relationship with it.

Retail is one of the sectors most favored by Virtual Reality because it does not need to be more profitable but to improve the customer experience, offering a multisensory, differentiated and playful journey that brings you closer to the brand.

AR obtains data on user behavior from the beginning to the end of the purchase to improve the consumer journey. 

With this information in hand, companies can base their marketing strategies on strengthening the brand, improving their positioning in the market and, consequently, their engagement and sales.

By promoting a digital experience to your user, interactivity and immersion also help you to know a little more about the company, its products and services, directly influencing their purchase behavior.

How Retail Benefits From VR

A relationship between the retail sector and Virtual Reality you have already seen. There are three advantages of applying it and the results for brands.

E-commerce On Another Level

As the name implies, it will be possible to create virtual stores that are almost real by reproducing personalized environments that are what your consumer audience is looking for. 

Your customer can research, view, try, test and evaluate your products before making a purchase — without leaving their home.

More Assertive Decisions

In addition to being advantageous for the online environment, Virtual Reality also makes it possible to boost sales in physical stores. 

With the differentiated and realistic experience, customers are safer and more satisfied when buying, creating brand credibility.

Return Of Products

Since augmented reality provides a complete view of any merchandise in the online environment, it is possible to improve user satisfaction rates, and, as much as the customer may be disappointed with the product after purchasing it, the return rate of the purchase will decrease – which optimizes processes, in addition to saving time and money.

Implementing VR in the consumer journey helps to have a closer relationship with customers, bringing them closer to your brand in an immersive and positive way through multisensory and differentiated experiences. 

In addition to increasing sales, it also helps to strengthen relationships – an essential factor for loyalty.

However, more than just the application of Virtual Reality is required. It is necessary to have a complete plan combining small actions to those aligned with each consumer’s behavior, such as their needs and preferences, to have a complete experience. 

To follow all the steps, having an integrated management system helps in the complete view of the store, customers and processes so that they can be improved and adjusted to each profile, combining technology and behavior to ensure the best experience.

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