Virtual reality shopping makes sense as the next step in how we purchase products. It's as convenient as purchasing things on Amazon, and removes the impersonal feeling associated with browsing through products on your computer screen.
Despite this, people are still trying to figure out why shopping in person is special. Ideas range from being in the actual building, to being able to see products in person, to a combination of these and other things.
One company, however, is trying to help us figure out the answer to that and has announced that it will be launching an Oculus Rift version of its mobile app, which will go on sale in 2016 alongside the Oculus Rift. The company, Retale, isn't exactly known for virtual reality. Instead, it's known for putting together weekly digests of sales that stores like Target and Walmart are having, and uses location data to find stores close to the user in order to do so.
The virtual reality app basically offers users the ability to look more closely at the store offerings, and users can enter a "virtual showroom" to look at products. The showrooms are officially branded by retailers, and while Retale says there will be a number of major partners from which to show, the current offerings include Target, Macy's and JCPenney.
Interestingly enough, the app doesn't actually allow people to purchase the items. Instead, it sends a notification to the user's smartphone with a location, along with a shopping list. This seems a little redundant considering the fact that if you're going to the real store anyway, why look at things in virtual reality? Perhaps the idea is to streamline the shopping experience, allowing customers to figure out what they want before they actually get to the store, making the real-life shopping experience go much more quickly.
Of course, it's only a matter of time before we see a virtual reality app that allows users to shop for and buy products without leaving their couches. We could eventually see VR stores even from Amazon itself. Check out the video below for more details on Retale.
Via: The Verge
