By utilizing dynamically changing virtual product displays and signage, data feeds update products in real time. When configuring in-store layouts, merchandising managers typically rely on a hundred-page hard-copy manual that’s filled with confusing promotional display directions and updates that come in quicker than employees can keep up. After the event, users could re-engage with the VR model via Zappar’s application technology, helping to further drive sales and brand awareness.įinally, let’s consider the impact of VR and AR on merchandising and tedious planogram implementations that often leave employees working until the wee hours of the evening. Not only did Accuray save in transport and production costs, but they were able to display the interior of the product for the first time. For a pharmaceutical trade show, Accuray partnered with Zappar to develop two 3D models viewable in virtual reality to display the unique features of the products. The company wanted a cost-effective way to demo large-scale products, the CyberKnife and Radixact. Take Accuray, a radiation oncology company that manufactures medical devices, for example. This not only reduces labor costs associated with updating displays of new products and time spent with customers, but it is especially useful for complex sales environments that require highly knowledgeable staff. Not only does mixed reality offer the opportunity to eliminate merchandise shrinkage, but it also lends the ability to explore product models more interactively, and with greater educational components, without the need for associate intervention. In a video posted on Facebook, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon called the Spacee-enabled display “the future of shopping.” These endcaps have enabled Walmart to cut the risk of theft of real merchandise and lower costs associated with employee training, while still offering interesting product experiences and sharing features that can boost sales of pricier merchandise.

These displays showcase connected devices, like the Nest smart thermostat, allowing passersby to learn more about the products by engaging with the 3D touch screen displays. Walmart recently thwarted in-store theft by partnering with deviceless AR technology provider Spacee to install interactive product displays in five Texas stores. Retailers are cutting shrinkage of high ticket-value items by displaying virtual versions that utilize mixed reality implementations, while other retailers are eliminating tedious planogram issues by employing AR to easily configure visual store layouts and signage – all in real time. It’s rare that one technology set could solve retailer woes related to both merchandise theft and in-store planogram stipulations, yet virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) offer promise in both arenas.

Planogram program