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Apple Vision Pro could become the large-scale gateway that unlocks the potential of wide-spread mixed reality technology across the world.
If such a mass-adoption of new technology did come to fruition, then it could change the face of customer experience and brand interaction across the retail industry.
A whole new (mixed) reality for Retailers
The new mixed reality headset could significantly improve the customer experience in retail by ushering in a new digital channel that enables retailers to reach their consumers.
By providing retailers with new tools and capabilities, the Vision Pro has the potential for retailers to increase sales, improve customer engagement, and personalise shopping experiences in a rich and interactive mixed reality environment.
Once Apple Vision Pro becomes more widely available (and maybe a bit cheaper), we can expect to see even more innovative and creative ways that retailers use it to improve the customer experience.
For retail, this entails a new mode of brand interaction, one that goes beyond the boundaries of a flat screen and physical space simultaneously. This means deeper customer connection, more intuitive user interactions, more personalisation of customer experience than was ever achievable before.
Apple Vision Pro examples in Retail
The new Apple Vision Pro has the potential to revolutionise the retail industry.
Here's a few examples:
Product Visualisation: Retailers can use the Vision Pro to create immersive 3D product visualisations that allow customers to see products from all angles and in real-time. This will allow customers to see how things like tools and appliances work, helping customers to make more informed purchase decisions and lead to increased sales.
Customer Engagement: The Vision Pro can be used to create interactive experiences that engage customers and help them to learn more about products. For example, retailers could use the Vision Pro to create virtual showrooms where customers can explore products in a realistic environment.
Personalised Shopping: The Vision Pro can be used to collect data about customer preferences and use this data to personalise shopping experiences. For example, retailers could use the Vision Pro to recommend products that customers are likely to be interested in or to provide in-store assistance.
50% of shoppers would be “much more likely’ or “somewhat more likely” to purchase an item, if they could benefit from augmented reality that would allow them to digitally “see” how it would look in their homes.
Brick & Mortar vs Online Retail, White Paper, Sherwen Studios
Will Mixed Reality be worth the wait for Retailers?
One of the main reasons why we don't see the widespread use of AR & VR in the retail industry is the expense.
Developing AR/VR content for omnichannel retail is steep and the process is tedious. To set up these technologies offline, businesses need to invest in headsets and motion controllers that are comfortable for customers and easy to use for the staff.
The cost of the equipment is high and also their upkeep and maintenance can prove expensive.
Making AR and VR content development, editing, processing, and reproduction easy for unskilled users would further drive the widespread popularity and user growth - something no doubt, Apple and their developer aficionados will be looking to facilitate.
When will we see Mixed Reality instore?
While traditional bricks-and-mortar retailers continue their face-off with online retailers, a new generation of hybrid “clicks and mortar” shops will offer augmented and virtual experiences.
By using augmented and virtual reality tech empowered with behavioural AI and heaps of customer data, retailers will begin to piece together personalised products, services and experiences for consumers in what will become the ultimate hybrid-retail experience.
Consumers can definitely expect to see mixed reality retail experiences for themselves on a larger scale with their favourite brands.
However, it's still a waiting game. If Apple's Vision Pro does live up to the hype and take the world by storm, then we could very well be on the horizon of industry-wide adoption of AR & VR technology.
Further Reading
For more Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality in Retail content, take a look at some of our articles where we detailed how these digital realities could change the landscape of retail and ecommerce.