eBay and Myer Launch World First Virtual Reality Department Store

Virtual reality is the next big thing and much awaited technology after the mobile shopping expands in users.

Not just for gaming, this technology could support retail and browsing experiences and the first companies to take the leap is eBay.

EBay launched in Partnering with Australian retailer Myer. It called the world’s 1st virtual reality department store Wednesday. Customers can now look through numerous of Myer products without going out.

Once the Android or iOS eBay Virtual Reality Department Store app is downloaded, it operates with headsets like Samsung’s Gear VR. EBay and Myer are also giving 20,000 free “Shopticals”, basically just Google Cardboard headsets to shoppers.

Through a quick trial, the experience worked easily with a basic, mind map-style interface. When you access the virtual store, many categories of retail items are shown: women’s clothing, gadgets and others. Users can select areas of interest, and the experience is formed around the choices users choose. As you move further, selecting or rejecting things, the store’s algorithm should further adjust to what it thinks users might like.

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If you want to take a closer look at a watch or any gadget, 100 of the top merchandises are viewable in 3D, with the remaining 12,500 in 2D.

Another interesting highlight Ebay added ‘Ebay sight search’. Rather using hand controllers, buyers can choose things using only sight, now that’s interesting. The company has planned eBay Sight Search, which presents items to be chosen by holding your look on them for a number of seconds.

Items can be added to the cart in the same fashion, but to check out, users have to take off the headset and back to the eBay app to make the payment.

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The development team preferred to develop Sight Search so users could move fast through the virtual store, stated by Steve Brennen, senior director of marketing and retail innovation at eBay. He described the company chose to launch early. Through use, it will give both retailers plenty of insight into how shopping works and what consumers want.

Particularly, it will give them a possibility to collect data about what grabs the shopper’s eye and how they browse.

Obviously, there’s plenty to work on: Leaving the app to checkout is an especially awkward feature. Building seamless transactions into the merchandise is the obvious next step, “How do you browse, choose and purchase? That should be done in a virtual world, at the moment, we’ve got it to the point where you can select, add it your bucket, and then you’re thrown to the eBay app to check out.” said by Brennen.

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Social shopping is also something they’re considering about, being able to make your best friend or mom into the experience. He said – Is this the tomorrow of the retail experience? We’re kind of supposing now that it could be,”

But the fact is at present, it’s not clear whether shoppers want to shop in virtual reality and whether they’ll take this as more than just a catch.

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If they do, and as the technology progresses, retailers could get too good at trading you items you don’t need. Think about that as you strap on your so-called “Shopticals.”

Blog Source: http://propertyfind.ae/ebay-and-myer-launch-world-first-virtual-reality-department-store/