3D shopping: mixed reality headsets are revolutionising retail

3D shopping, once a futuristic vision, is increasingly becoming a reality. While the development of mixed reality technologies is being driven forward, the application is still in its infancy in many areas. This is also the case in retail. However, here, pioneers are incorporating virtual reality and augmented reality into their customer journeys. The release of the Apple Vision Pro headset at the beginning of this year significantly accelerates this integration.

Apple Vision Pro is a headset that can be used for both augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). With such a headset, the physical world can be extended by overlays or completely new virtual worlds can be created.

Such technology enables a totally new dimension to the shopping experience and the interaction of customers with products or offers. Whether it's seeing a sofa in different types of fabric and colours directly in the living room or virtually trying on a shirt – 3D shopping with mixed reality headsets allows products to be explored and experienced in a much more intensive and immersive way.

Mixed reality headsets make it possible to not only talk about product details such as the material of a worktop or the shape of the drawer handles, but also to see them in your own kitchen. DIY chain Lowe's has developed its own Style Studio™ app for this purpose. Since the launch of the Apple Vision Pro, customers have been able to try out this type of 3D visualisation in three test stores. The result is an immersive and personalised product experience.

Seemantini Godbole, Executive Vice President and Chief Digital and Information Officer at Lowe's, has high hopes for the technology: "We believe Apple Vision Pro can enhance in-store kitchen design experiences, empowering our customers to visualize their dream kitchens using advanced spatial computing technology."

The intuitive eye and hand control of the Apple Vision Pro makes it easier to plan kitchen projects. Employees guide customers through the design process and offer support in the selection of materials, styles, furniture and appliances. The selection can be saved and the corresponding products ordered in-store, online or via the app.

The Apple Vision Pro will be available in Germany from the twelfth of July, 2024. The online retailer OTTO is prepared: The specially developed app "OTTO Live Shopping for Apple Vision Pro" will enable customers to experience products in AR format during live shopping shows. For the launch, OTTO is working with partners such as LEGO® and Miele, who are providing 3D models of their products.

The "OTTO Live Shopping for Apple Vision Pro" app has been specially designed for intuitive use on Apple's new spatial computer. This technological innovation enables users to navigate through the live shopping events and view products in animated 3D models. Items can be purchased directly in the app developed by Otto Group Digital Consulting.

Jörg Heinemann, Innovation Evangelist at OTTO, is delighted about this revolution in retail: "The new technology allows online retailers to get closer to their products than ever before. Customers can experience features and details that were previously only possible in brick-and-mortar stores and even place products virtually at home – this offers enormous added value, especially for furniture."

3D applications allow customers an unprecedented level of interaction and immersion with products. Mixed reality technologies enable a completely new dimension of product presentation and experience both in bricks-and-mortar retail and online. By seamlessly merging the real and virtual worlds, AR and VR headsets allow people to experience products in their potential application environments.

Pioneers such as Lowe's, OTTO and other retailers and brand manufacturers are showing how customer experiences in retail can be profoundly transformed through the use of spatial computer technology.

Quellen: Press release Lowe's June 2024 and Press release OTTO June 2024