{"id":19156,"date":"2016-07-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-07-20T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trilogi.com\/blog\/pokemon-go-and-other-virtual-realities-driving-revenue-for-online-stores\/"},"modified":"2016-07-21T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2016-07-20T22:00:00","slug":"pokemon-go-and-other-virtual-realities-driving-revenue-for-online-stores","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trilogi.com\/blog\/en\/pokemon-go-and-other-virtual-realities-driving-revenue-for-online-stores\/","title":{"rendered":"Pok\u00e9mon Go and other virtual realities driving revenue for online stores"},"content":{"rendered":"

Who hasn\u2019t heard of the Pok\u00e9mon Go<\/strong> phenomenon yet? This game, born in the late 90s, is back like never before: crowds swamping Central Park, cemeteries full of people hunting \u201cpok\u00e9mons\u201d phone in hand, and similar stories in every newspaper. The police have even published a \u201cgood practice guide\u201d for playing this virtual reality game safely. Why all the craze? Simple but fun: you walk around catching pok\u00e9mons with your phone or tablet.
\nThis is what we call augmented virtual reality<\/strong>, and all you need to use it is a phone and an Internet connection.<\/p>\n

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Smashing every expectation, Nintendo\u2019s game has more downloads than any known app. Not Tinder, Twitter, WhatsApp or adult sites have had as many downloads as this game that\u2019s catching young and old alike. Since the app sends users to the places where pok\u00e9mons appear (from cemeteries and churches to Civil Guard stations), we expect a new way to advertise where the hunters roam and stand out on the map: \u201cCome to my store and try catching pok\u00e9mons\u201c<\/strong>\u2026 In fact, chains like McDonald\u2019s have already confirmed they would be willing to pay to have people end up playing in their restaurants.<\/p>\n

Pok\u00e9mon Go\u2019s success may well be the final push augmented virtual reality needed.<\/p>\n

But augmented reality is nothing new.<\/p>\n

Augmented virtual reality: a reality beyond video games<\/h2>\n

One of eCommerce\u2019s big challenges was convincing users to buy products they saw online without being able to touch or test them first. Now that this fear of buying online is fading, we\u2019re moving on to a new experience where virtual reality<\/strong> is starting to take center stage in both eCommerce and retail.
\nAugmented reality lets brands reach the end consumer<\/strong> by simulating something: from virtually driving a car to experiencing the feeling of flying or playing in 3D. So far the uses seem fairly clear, but eCommerce also has a part to play.<\/p>\n

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Brands know they need good images to bring products closer to end users. Zoom and 360\u00ba photos have allowed users browsing the Internet or an online store to understand and check the product on offer without touching it. But,<\/p>\n

What happens when the product needs to be tried on (clothing, cosmetics, jewelry\u2026)?<\/h2>\n

Augmented virtual reality arrives to answer the doubts of shoppers who want to try a product without touching it. In its drive to reach users through the screen, Google bought Moodstocks this July, a French start-up specializing in recognizing objects shown to it through a smartphone. By pointing a phone at an object, Google would identify it through object recognition (similar to voice recognition \u2014Cortana or Siri). It\u2019s yet another step toward augmented virtual reality, which may soon reach eCommerce.<\/p>\n

How can augmented virtual reality help eCommerce?<\/h2>\n

In online clothing and shoe stores, doubts arise: will this garment go with what I already have? Will these shoes fit me?
\nIn online shopping, the augmented virtual reality developed to date makes it possible to:<\/p>\n

Connect eCommerce with retail<\/strong>: because it works across multiple screens (from phones to life-size displays in stores), users interact with them and can end up buying there after trying the product virtually.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some may think this science fiction is still far from reality\u2026. But it isn\u2019t.<\/span><\/p>\n

In countries like Japan, trials keep coming, and sportswear brand Puma<\/strong> even offered a virtual fitting-room mirror that lets users change outfits without ever touching the product they\u2019re trying on.
\nThat\u2019s what this 3-minute video shows: the customer picks the garments she likes, places them over her image projected on the screen and instantly sees how they would look. The selected garment also shows its sizes, reference and price in case she wants to buy it right away. Even in a physical store, customers may prefer to interact and enjoy a different shopping experience rather than queue for the fitting room.<\/p>\n