Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/920837
IKEA launched a similar app last fall, allowing you to instantly see how that Swedish-made coffee table in the showroom would look in your own den. In the fashion sector, New York City retailer Eye Hunee recently launched what it touts as the United States' first true VR store — a video that allows shoppers 360-degree views of racks of clothes. Fashionistas simply click on merchandise that catches their eyes and buy. (eyehuneevr.com). Neiman Marcus teamed with Palo Alto, California, firm Memomi to offer the store's exclusive Memory Mirror — a full-length mirror that records 8-second, 360-degree views of you wearing outfits you're considering. Share those images with friends and ask, "What do you think?" Or just email them to yourself to ponder later. A similar memory mirror at the Nieman cosmetics counter records your makeover session for later review. For women who would rather shop for makeup online, Sephora's Virtual Assistant App, with "Swatch Me" technology, allows shoppers to "try on" different lip colors using selfies. "By harnessing the power of augmented reality, and partnering with our brands to catalog each shade, we were able to make swatching social," says Bridget Dolan, vice president of innovation at Sephora, noting users often tweet or post options. The trendsetters There's no real substitute for kicking back in a new recliner and seeing how it works in your living room or swirling in a little black dress in the fitting room mirror. And an app can't simulate the feel of swiping lipstick on — yet. But as technology evolves, so will shoppers' expectations and habits. After all, in 2000, just 22 percent of U.S. shoppers had made an online purchase, compared to 79 percent in 2016.* The digital marketing firm Walker Sands' "Future of Retail Study 2017" concludes that consumers are interested in innovations such as drone delivery, making purchases through voice- connected devices such as Amazon's Echo, and AR and VR shopping experiences. As fun they can be, however, only 13 percent of those surveyed named virtual reality as a key factor in where they shop, and only 15 percent said technology such as smart dressing rooms were a big draw. But we're in the early stages of the technology. As consumers become more familiar with what is available, it's a technology that will advance the shopping experience. The shopping experience will continue to get more and more experimental as retailers figure out what customers like and what they enjoy sharing with others. — Jill Dvorak AACREDITUNION.ORG | 15 National Retail Federation *December 2016 Online and E-Commerce Survey, Pew Research Center