More than 100 million.
According to Gartner, that’s the number of consumers who will make their purchases via virtual reality (VR).
The arrival of 5G and new headsets have contributed to this, but it’s mainly due to investment and retailers’ will. Amazon, Ikea, Wayfair and Macy’s are all diving in. But there’s no doubt that the American giant Walmart has the most ambitious plan.
Welcome to shopping 3.0
In February last year, Walmart, via its incubator Store n°8, effectively bought the VR start-up Spatialand. An acquisition that has since then given birth to various projects, the most successful of which is a VR apartment where all the objects inside can be bought at a Walmart store. The immersion experience allows customers to have a look around outside opening hours and without having to go to the store, and has the advantage of being better thought out than any other web interface. But the American giant has not stopped there.
VR serving shops.
For the launch of Dragons 3 last year, Dreamworks joined forces with Walmart. Together, in the middle of a pop up store, they created a VR activation for all ages, giving them a VR journey into dragon country. It incentivises customers to come into the store. Adidas and Nike are doing the same to promote the launch of new trainers. And no doubt that’s not the last of it!