With the advent and rise of the internet over the past three decades, nearly every facet of our daily lives has been affected by technology, including the way we shop. eCommerce has proven to be one of the most significant changes we have undergone. By allowing people to look at and shop for products online and then have their purchases delivered to their homes, eCommerce has transformed the retail industry and revolutionized the way consumers shop for the better.
Now, as Web3 and the Metaverse loom on the horizon, eCommerce and online shopping are set to be transformed again. With the availability of technologies like blockchain that make payment safer and services like translation enabling localizing the metaverse, eCommerce will become much more secure, faster, and accessible to more people. With this, the traditional eCommerce shopping experience is about to morph into a virtual experience, and virtual shopping is undoubtedly the endgame for online retail.
This article will explain what virtual shopping is, what it means for eCommerce, and why it’s so important for both retailers and consumers.
What is Virtual Shopping?
The next iteration of the internet, known as Web3, is rapidly approaching, and the hallmarks of this new internet are Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR). Although these are two distinct technologies, they are converging to form what’s known as the Metaverse.
Essentially, the Metaverse is an internet experience whereby users don’t view websites on personal computers or handheld devices but rather experience the internet virtually by actually seeing different 3D environments or virtual sites. Virtual shopping is when you see the store and all of the products in 3D as if you were actually there in a shop without leaving your home.
The Virtual Shopping Experience?
When people shop online these days, they scroll through products and see pictures or sometimes videos and then make their purchasing decisions accordingly. Modern eCommerce is undoubtedly an improvement over the previous version of shopping, which involved physically traveling to each store and looking for products manually. Still, virtual shopping offers the best of both worlds.
By being able to put on their VR headset and see the products they are looking for in 3D, people will be able to feel as though they are actually in the store but won’t need to leave home or walk around a store searching for products. You can simply use your voice to state what you want to buy and then see your options in 3D as if those products were right there in front of you. Virtual shopping is the endgame for eCommerce and retail.
Why is Virtual Shopping Important?
Virtual shopping is important for both retailers and consumers. By having a virtual shopping experience, retailers will be able to keep up with the times while offering their customers the ability to peruse their goods without having to enter a physical store. This will allow retailers to operate without a physical storefront, allowing them to save a ton of money on overhead and property leasing. By offering customers a virtual shopping assistant, businesses will also be able to save money because they won’t need to hire nearly as many employees.
For customers, the virtual shopping experience is essential because it means that they will be able to actually see the products they are purchasing online rather than just seeing pictures and videos of those products. When virtual shopping, customers can even view things in their home, such as furniture, this way, they can see how those items will actually fit with their décor before purchasing them, which is a gamechanger.
Summary
Virtual shopping is set to replace traditional online eCommerce, which is a very good thing for both retailers and consumers. In the coming years, nearly everything we do will have a virtual component to it, which will again transform the world in the same way that the internet did thirty years ago, and the possibilities are endles
