To capitalise on personalisation trend.
“Rather than doing research, thinking about it, talking about it, the best way to find out about something is to just do it,” Myer chief digital and data officer, Mark Cripsey told attendees of this week’s CeBit conference in Sydney, when sharing his insights on the partnership between the department store and eBay that launched a year ago.
“Why did we invest in something that was two or three years down the line? We took a very pragmatic approach to innovation, bringing the retail experience of both Myer and eBay together,” Cripsey said.
“Personalisation and contextual services are going to be absolutely massive as we continue to be overwhelmed by choice. Thanks to Sight Search technology in the VR store, there might be 20,000 to 30,000 products behind the scenes but all that’s being explained to you is 20 products or so that we think you will like the most.”
As users navigate around the VR store using the eBay shopticals to browse, sort and purchase items, it will learn, adapt and personalise what is shown, making it an efficient experience for users.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if touch was eventually linked with virtual reality and the lines between the physical and online world become even more blurred,” he said.
VR is becoming more widely available to consumers thanks to the PlayStation VR, HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, as well as smartphone options including Google DayDream and Samsung Gear.
GfK VR and AR expert, Paul Simpson said, “To date it has been difficult, perhaps impossible, for consumers to imagine how VR and AR might fit into their lives. We believe something changed with the launch of PlayStation VR last year, albeit amongst a small – but influential – group of consumers.
“For the first time, people had an exceptional VR experience, and many more people heard about it. This has provided the opportunity for brands, businesses and other organisations to apply the capabilities of VR. From retail to travel, education to health, design to media and entertainment, consumers are ready for a fresh, new approach. We believe 2017 will be an exciting time and real turning point for both VR and AR.”
Recent GfK data revealed some concerns around VR including safety, the price of VR headsets, the price of other hardware, worries of excluding others and nervousness around attention.