VR and AR are so popular, how will they define e-commerce?

On March 17, Alibaba announced the establishment of a VR laboratory and released the "Buy+" plan, which will fully deploy VR. This news also shows that domestic giants headed by Alibaba have officially begun to make efforts in the VR field. .

So far, VR has become a much-anticipated hit in the gaming world, but as e-commerce companies slowly try to provide their consumers with the same immersive experience, VR and AR are becoming increasingly popular in e-commerce companies. The circle will also play the next irreplaceable role. Let’s take a look at how major domestic and foreign companies represented by Alibaba are testing VR e-commerce.

From the fashion sprouts brought on the catwalk to the "virtual journey" in stores, VR and AR create opportunities for consumers to experience novel products from various perspectives, while also bringing new opportunities to e-commerce. An unprecedented, almost real-life shopping experience.

Enter the fashion industry

In the first half of 2015, the famous affordable luxury brands Rebecca Minkoff and River Island teamed up with Google to use Caradboard to display their new works. Rebecca Minkoff's fashion show is filmed in advance. Users can download the video to their smartphone with a simple head movement. You can get a bird's-eye view of the entire show, either from a camera on the runway or from a photo shoot. The camera position of the teacher, or even the camera position of any spectator. Needless to say, after this event Cardboard was immediately labeled as a high-end fashion brand.

In order to celebrate the successful opening of the famous fashion brand Jean-Pierre Braganza Design Conference, River Island prepared an AR feast for the audience. The audience can choose clothes in the online mall and then put them on the models on the stage. .

VR home e-commerce, design the perfect home in your mind

In the field of e-commerce, not only the fashion circle, VR and AR have also invaded other subdivisions, such as furniture supplies and interior design.

The famous home furnishing retailer IKEA Group added AR technology to their APP at an earlier exhibition, allowing customers to view and place 3D virtual items in their "home". Giving customers the opportunity to see in advance what their home will look like after being laid out in the way they want it eliminates any doubts and allows customers to be sure that this piece of furniture is indeed suitable for their home before purchasing. This undoubtedly creates a win-win situation, which not only greatly improves customer satisfaction, but also reduces the return rate and complaint rate, thereby improving IKEA's reputation.

In September last year, Marks & Spencer added a VR experience hall to its traditional showroom. By using Oculus Rift and Leap Motion, your "shopping guide" Amy will give you three different suggestions. Help you make better choices among different products.

The response from the best customers was very good, and they even expressed that they would take the initiative to share their experiences on social media platforms.

There are too many changes in interior layout and furniture selection, so it is difficult to fully demonstrate the functionality and differences of all home products using VR technology alone. However, the combination of VR and AR can Provide better solutions for customized needs in indoor spaces.

Bringing VR and AR to traditional industries

Retailers in traditional industries are also seeking breakthrough ways to bring VR/AR to consumers to maintain their competition. Try your best to avoid being beaten to death on the beach by the tide of the Internet again.

Game maker Bungie has partnered with Microsoft and Ads Reality, an expert in the field of AR, to launch an "interactive video wall" and an "AR window" that allow players to stand in "Halo" ( Next to the characters of "Halo", such as Master Chief or Spartan Locke. Players can also use the APP to scan the marks on the store floor to take selfies with the game characters in the corridor.

"Black Friday" has become the largest shopping festival of the year in the United States. Alibaba's "Double Eleven" shopping carnival reached a transaction volume of 91.2 billion yuan in just one day. It can be seen from these phenomena , it seems logical to introduce new technologies like VR into the shopping experience. Fraser, a long-established British department store, uses AR technology to build a shopping window in the mall, allowing users to scan the "switch" and then have the opportunity to obtain "Black Friday" coupons.

American casual brand Tommy Hilfiger has installed VR equipment in its flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York. Customers can use Samsung GearVR to watch the autumn fashion show from a front-row perspective. They will successively install VR equipment in major flagship stores in the United States and Europe to bring novel entertainment experiences to customers, while also allowing new products to be launched to get better publicity effects.

Another company that uses VR to revitalize traditional industries is Avenue Imperial. Founded in 2013, it provides VR solutions for major well-known fashion brands, allowing users to "shopping" in various brand stores using VR headsets at home.

Well-known fashion brands currently included include Harvey Nichols, Karen Millen and Jimmy Choo, etc. Similarly, the "Creator God" plan, the first project after the establishment of Alibaba VR Lab, aims to unite merchants to build the world's largest 3D product library and accelerate the realization of a virtual world shopping experience.

So can VR redefine the shopping experience?

As more and more retailers and e-commerce companies enter the market, the boundaries between online and offline shopping are becoming increasingly blurred. The mobile Internet pays most attention to the application of "scenarios". From the selection of brands and styles before purchase, to dressing up and trying on clothes during purchase, to "recommendation of similar products" after purchase, VR/AR shopping is full of scenarios. In every aspect. There is no doubt that e-commerce is embracing changes, and VR and AR must be a huge revolution for e-commerce and offline shopping.