If 4-5 years ago virtual reality (VR) was just a hypothetical subject, today we are witnessing a real explosion of virtual reality. Many people assume that VR technologies have begun to manifest due to the metaverse space launched in late 2021 by the founder of Facebook.
Virtual reality is a simulated experience that can be from the real world or completely different from it. The VR industry is growing at a rapid pace, with the size of the virtual reality hardware and software market projected to grow from $6,2 billion in 2019 to over $16 billion by 2022.
Demand for new and improved shopping experiences has increased. Customer behavior toward e-commerce has changed enormously. New online buyers – especially generation Z and Millennials – want to interact digitally with your products before visiting your store.
With AR and VR technologies, consumers are plunging into a digital world where they can quickly find products and try them out before they actually complete the purchase. These cutting-edge technologies completely disrupt the customer experience, turning a prospect into a buyer.
Here are the top 7 VR e-commerce trends for 2022.
- Virtual stores
- Store navigation
- Virtual test solutions
- VR for houses and apartments
- Interactive user manuals
- Augmented reality filters
- VR for in-store experience
The first store to “try its luck” is H&M that opened a virtual store in metaverse – CEEK City.
Clothes can only be purchased with the CEEK cryptocurrency, the internal currency of this metavers.
Obviously, there will be thousands of brands appearing in metaphors in 2022.
Recently, the closed beta version of spark AR go has been released, which allows anyone to create their own AR effects for Instagram. Advertising would become a must in the online commerce industry.
Virtual reality offers real and measurable benefits to online brands, and their trends for the future are clear. As we speak, these technologies have already brought tangible transformations to many retail companies, from furniture and luxury goods to cars and more.
It would be pointless to say that investing in VR is now one of the safest ways your e-commerce company can attract new customers, increase sales, reduce the number of product returns and retain customers.
