As part of the Selfridges' Festival of Imagination held at the London department store, online design magazine Dezeen introduced a retail experience called The Imagine Shop with the help of 3D visualization technology company Inition. The virtual retail shop consists of the Dezeen Watch Store and a digital walk-around of the super yacht designed by Zaha Hadid.
"The Imagine Shop is an attempt to visualize the kind of products, services and shops we might have in the future," says Fairs of Dezeen.
While the model of the yacht can be realized with a tablet that converts into a live video feed of the 3D model by reading patterned markers embedded with a special code, the virtual Watch Store will allow users to wrap a band around their wrist within the camera's view, and the selected watch will then replace the band.
Augmented Reality Retail Shops
The Imagine Shop Takes Retail Shopping for Watches & Yachts Online
Trend Themes
1. Augmented Reality Retail - The integration of augmented reality technology into the retail experience presents an opportunity for businesses to enhance the in-store experience and bridge the gap between online and offline shopping.
2. Virtual Product Walk-arounds - Virtual tours and walk-arounds of products such as luxury yachts and watches with the help of 3D visualization technology presents an innovative way of showcasing products that may not be physically accessible to consumers.
3. Wearable Technology - Introducing a unique way of shopping with the ability to visualize a selected watch on one's wrist, presents opportunities for retailers to integrate wearable technology into the retail experience.
Industry Implications
1. Retail - Retailers who incorporate augmented reality technology within their storefronts are disrupting the industry by providing a new type of shopping experience that appeals to tech-savvy consumers.
2. Yacht Industry - Yacht industry professionals can utilize virtual tours to showcase and sell their products, improving accessibility and convenience for customers who may not have had the opportunity to tour the yachts in person.
3. Watch Industry - The ability to see a watch on one's wrist, through the integration of augmented reality technology, disrupts the traditional way watches are marketed and presents a new way for consumers to experience the product before purchasing.