Myer And eBay Have Created A Virtual Reality Department Store

Myer And eBay Have Created A Virtual Reality Department Store
Rebecca Tilly
By Rebecca Tilly



Online marketplace eBay and iconic Australian retailer, Myer have joined forces to provide a glimpse into the future of shopping by developing and launching the world’s first Virtual Reality (VR) Department Store.

Throughout the VR experience, Australian customers can browse more than 12,500 Myer products and they can be selected and added to cart using eBay Sight Search.

The Virtual Reality Department Store connects to the existing eBay.com.au API (Application Programming Interface) and allows Myer’s product range, pricing and stock information, to be updated in real time which is a first for virtual reality experiences globally.

From today, eBay and Myer are offering customers the opportunity to receive their own shopticals (specially designed virtual reality viewers) to start their VR shopping experience. 15,000 shopticals will be available free of charge from www.ebay.com.au/VR.

Steve Brennen, CMO and senior director of retail innovation, said: “eBay has always been in the business of predicting the future of retail, and most importantly creating it. With the world’s first virtual reality department store, we have challenged ourselves to build an exciting and engaging experience that makes browsing and selecting products easier than ever before.”

Australians can simply download the eBay VR Department Store app on their smart phone, and insert their phone into the shopticals with the app open to start their virtual shopping experience.

“We’re making this technology accessible to all Australians with our giveaway of 15,000 shopticals. Their insights and feedback will be invaluable to us as we look to the future of VR and build out experiences that take retail to the next level,” Brennen added.

How it Works:

  1. Personalise: the shopper selects their areas of interest at the beginning of the experience and the store is custom built around these needs, making the most relevant products visible first. As shoppers move through the store, the smart technology suggests other products that might be desirable or interesting, based on what the store knows about them.
  1. Browse: using eBay Sight Search™, the shopper views a product in the store and by holding their gaze on it, the product is selected and automatically floats towards them, with the top 100 products available to view in 3D, and more than 8000 in 2D. The shopper is able to quickly move through different departments of the store, making the shopping experience much more time effective for today’s busy consumer.
  1. Research: shoppers simply lock eyes on information icons to receive full product specifications, as well as price, availability and shipping details.
  1. Purchase: shoppers just hold their eyes on the ‘Add to Basket’ icon and then view the basket to review before purchasing. To complete apurchase with the shopticals, follow these steps:
    • Remove your handset from the shopticals
    • Log into eBay
    • Finalise your transaction through app, desktop or tablet

“The eBay team always has been at the forefront of retail innovation, and the eBay Virtual Reality Department Store is another great example,” said Richard Brett, managing director of Pulse Communications.

“eBay is a partner that truly invests in original and brave creativity, and we’re so proud to be leading this world first piece of thought leadership. It truly demonstrates how virtual reality can transform the lives of so many Australians.”

David Loughnan, digital director of Traffik who led the VR development added, “So many branded VR experiences we see are passive 360 video.  When it comes to truly interactive virtual reality experiences, the rules are still being written.  The eBay VR Department Store pushes the envelope for both VR and e-commerce – not only by delivering a truly immersive shopping utility but also integrating directly with the eBay platform to develop an innovative retail channel of the future.”

CAMPAIGN CREDITS

Client: eBay Australia

Lead agency: Pulse Communications

Digital creative agency: Traffik

App production: Red Cartel

Social media agency: 303 MullenLowe

Event agency: Fourth Wall




Latest News