There is no doubt that online shopping is a global convenience. We see an item we like, we buy it and it gets shipped to our homes without even stepping foot out of the door. Do you need groceries but don’t have time to do the shopping yourself? Order them online and pick them up later. Even bigger purchases like car and home buying are all done online these days.
But what if this was just the beginning? Could a simple click and add to cart one day be considered rudimentary?
Unify is a new application with a basis for bringing VR or virtual reality into the world of online shopping. Unify states that it’s,
“Created to push virtual shopping to the masses. Specifically designed to drive sales for your online store. With Unify, you can publish a fully immersive virtual reality experience that syncs your 3D models dynamically into your space, fully controlled by you.”
Simply put, you can create a virtual store that goes beyond a 2D setting with your products. Customers can browse your shop as they would with a brick-and-mortar setup. Thus making purchases easier for folks who are on the fence about certain products.
In a video displayed on their site, they follow a set of hands going through a catalog to eventually pick up a shoe and resize it to get a better look at the detail. The shoe is then placed back on the pedestal and a new item comes into view. A football is the next item displayed, which the hands toss around to demonstrate the realistic physics.
This is a game changer for small businesses.
If getting people in the door is difficult or your not getting as much traffic to your 2D store, having a VR shop could certainly help. While your reputation grows, customers can have a look at your products up close and personal as if they were there. It makes getting them to tap that add-to-cart button even easier.
Unify is taking the first step into a kind of shopping that’s only seen in sci-fi movies. Who knows what’s next, holographic storefronts? Time Travel? Transporters to take you directly to the store in a matter of minutes… never mind – that one would be a car. Nonetheless, online shopping in the future will offer endless possibilities, and The American Genius will be here to keep you informed.
A native New Englander who migrated to Austin on a whim, Stephanie Dominique is a freelance copywriter, novelist, and certificate enthusiast. When she's not getting howled at by two dachshunds or inhaling enough sugar to put a giant into shock, she is reading, cooking or writing about her passions.
