Virtual Reality? “Oooh, suits you sir” – Getting virtual in retail

We all know that emotion trumps reason in the best sales environments and many retail environments take advantage of this by creating a relaxing, comfortable and sales-conducive ambiance in their stores. With the rapid growth of virtual reality(this will open in a new window) systems including Google Cardboard and Oculus Rift, you can look forward to enhanced shopping experiences with clothing and travel retailers being the sectors poised to adopt it most enthusiastically.

Tommy Hilfiger has recently announced it will expand its VR experience(this will open in a new window) from its flagship New York store to ones in various European cities.  Shoppers can don a  Samsung GearVR device to immerse themselves in the excitement of a fashion show.

It will be interesting to see where this all goes, and whether the digital experiences will be a distraction or profitable enhancement to the customer experience.  These innovations need to prove their worth, and as demonstrated by John Lewis pulling its ‘Magic Mirror’(this will open in a new window) after about a year, innovators need to be brave and pull things that don’t work well.  Whether you call it Fail Fast or Learn Early, that mindset is the essence of innovation. The companies that trial their ideas and actively gather feedback to judge its success will be the ones that will have the best solutions in the long run.

Personally what I find the most disconcerting about wearing virtual reality gear is not that I look pretty weird with a bunch of technology on my nose, but rather that my legs are gone when I look down.  I suppose that is one of those things we learn to adapt to with new technology.

Have you experienced an exciting retail innovation that improved your shopping trip?  Do you have ideas that would make a shopping experience wonderful? Please let us know in the comments below.  Also, remember that Innovation is the theme for this year’s World Usability day open house at User Vision where we will have lots of gadgets and experiences to try out.