10 best examples of augmented and retail virtual reality

In my book, “Extended Reality in Practice,” I highlight more than 100 examples of how augmented reality and virtual reality are transforming our world.

In this post, I want to delve deeper into the retail industry and give you some of my favorite examples of how AR and VR are used to improve conversion rates and make the customer journey more interesting.

Even before the success of the pandemic, retail was ready for a review, especially the online shopping experience. For example, there’s a well-known reason why people don’t normally buy furniture online – it’s because it’s complicated to judge the size of a sofa, end table, or shop window without seeing it in person. But now, retailers use AR to help customers digitally design furniture at home, so customers can accurately judge whether an item is the right size and style for their space.

Similar things can now be done for glasses, jewelry, clothes, shoes or anything else buyers want to buy.

These are my ten favorite examples of how VR and RA are used in the retail industry.

1. Nike use augmented reality and virtual reality in your physical stores. Customers can scan items such as shoes or clothing for information or enter a virtual reality world to experience the different steps in the Nike supply chain so that they understand how and where the items are made.

2. IKEA has developed The Place App, which allows shoppers to use augmented reality with their smartphone camera to place furniture items in their home, so they can visualize exactly what the item looks like in their environment.

3. Warby ParkerCustomers can use AR to try on glasses from the comfort of their home, so they can choose the perfect frames.

4. L’Oreal now offers augmented reality-driven makeup test experiences, which are offered in collaboration with Facebook. Guests can experiment with the world’s leading beauty brands, such as Maybelline, L’Oréal Paris, Lancôme, Giorgio Armani, Yves Saint Laurent and Urban Decay.

5. Retail WatchBox Luxury Watches uses AR to allow customers to try watches of different sizes to choose the perfect one and make sure they look great on the wrist.

6. FaceCake has created an infinite virtual closet that allows users to create and build a dream closet with vacuum cleaner closet and jewelry items, to practically test them. The artificial intelligence-driven shopping platform also offers shoppers selected style recommendations. Imagine that you can practically try on earrings and in fact be able to see them hanging from your ears.

7. BMW Augmented reality experiences allow car buyers to enter showrooms and customize cars with different colors or styles using their tablets or phones. Or they can put on virtual reality goggles and experience what it’s like to drive cars, so that they understand your options and can make the perfect choice for your new vehicle.

8. Apple they brought their physical stores home during the pandemic with AR technology to showcase their products. Buyers can use AR Quick Look for new iPhone or iMac models, so you can see how they are in your space or in your hand.

9. Toms, the footwear and clothing company, has installed virtual reality in hundreds of stores around the world to give customers the opportunity to transport to Peru. Toms donates $ 1 out of every $ 3 they earn to local people involved in their supply chain and customers can experience the impact of this initiative through virtual reality.

10. Asos fashion distributor has now simulated models on the website that you can dress up using AR, so you can see what the parts look like in different body types. In the future, we will probably have our own avatars, so we can scan our bodies and test our own avatars in the digital world.

These are some of the most innovative and advanced examples of augmented and virtual reality in retail.

Want to know more about how AR and VR are used in the real world? Check out my latest book, “Extended Reality in Practice: More Than 100 Amazing Ways of Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality Change Business and Society.”