Introduction
Emerging technologies such as AI, spatial computing, edge computing, and blockchain are reshaping the retail sector, leading to significant innovations in customer experiences, operations optimization, and business expansion.
Apple Vision Pro could drastically change and revolutionize the online shopping experience with its sophisticated blending of digital content with the physical world.
This article presents Encora’s foray into building immersive commerce experiences for the newly launched Apple Vision Pro. It also provides insights into Vision Pro and its capabilities for immersive commerce by presenting Encora’s in-house developed My Jewelry application for Vision Pro.
Source: Linkedin - Revolutionizing Future Retail - Virtual Reality with Immersive Shopping Experiences
Rise of AR/VR Headset Market and Apple Vision Pro
IDC reports that global shipments of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) headsets dropped 23.5% in 2023. However, it expects shipments to grow 44.2% to 9.8 million units by 2024.
The research firm says that growth will be aided by unspecified new headsets launching before the end of the year. IDC expects that by 2028, VR headset sales will grow to 24.7 million units, while AR will reach 10.9 million units.
Apple launched ‘The Vision Pro’, a mixed reality (MR) headset that has the potential to transform various aspects of our daily lives, such as training, education, entertainment, shopping, socialization, and fitness. Vision Pro has the potential to bring physical and digital worlds together effortlessly, giving rise to remarkable and enthralling experiences. This exceptional capability defines MR, and Apple's Vision Pro is poised to elevate it to unprecedented heights.
Traditionally, the retail sector has been brick-and-mortar-based until the evolution of e-commerce in the last two decades. Platforms like Amazon, Walmart, Costco, and others have played a major role in enabling consumers to shop online.
In the retail sector, AR headsets are used in diverse ways. They enhance the in-store experience by delivering interactive product information, facilitating virtual try-ons for clothing and accessories, and providing immersive visualizations of products within customer's spaces. Retailers also utilize AR headsets for activities like inventory management, employee training, and optimizing store layouts to improve customer engagement. As AR headsets continue to evolve, Apple’s Vision Pro is taking the AR experience to the next level.
Vision Pro allows customers to explore a virtual store by actively walking through aisles, inspecting products from different perspectives, and virtually trying them on in a fitting room. Vision Pro delivers an immersive shopping experience by surpassing the constraints of screens. The Spatial feature of Vision Pro offers the capability to convert user's surroundings into a virtual store and offer personalized shopping experience with a personal assistant. Imagine, for instance, a fashion retailer developing an app that whisks customers away to a virtual boutique, allowing them to explore a curated selection of products in their living room. Such an approach can deliver an exceptionally immersive and personalized shopping experience, surpassing the offerings of conventional e-commerce platforms thereby engaging the user’s mind and the heart.
My Jewelry App
Use Case
My Jewelry app is a retail application developed by Encora specifically for Apple Vision Pro. This immersive commerce application enables users to shop for jewelry as they would in an actual store from the comfort of their homes or any other location. They overcome the constraints of visiting a physical store, due to geographical limitations, busy schedules, or physical mobility challenges.
The app enables retailers to include and maintain a large stock inventory, thus overcoming the barrier of limited stock in a physical store. This provides customers with access to a wide range of products, augmenting their overall virtual shopping experience.
Technology Stack
The app is developed using the visionOS SDK bundled with Xcode 15. It provides support for developing apps for Apple Vision Pro devices running visionOS.
Key Features
Navigation and Interaction
My Jewelry app leverages key Vision Pro navigation capabilities, including eye movements, spoken commands, and hand gesture-enabled interactions. In the app, the users can use eye movement to focus and select a particular element or to switch between different interactive elements like cards. Similarly, the user can use various hand gestures within the app, such as tapping to select, pinching to select, and moving an object.
Source: My Jewelry App by Encora
Create Your Avatar
Using the Vision Pro device's advanced scanning capabilities, users can create their Avatars. The same scanning capabilities can be leveraged to scan hands and other body parts for jewelry try-ons.
Source: Using Apple Vision Pro: What It’s Actually Like! by Marques Brownlee.
Shopping Modes
The users can choose to experience the app in two modes, first person or in the third person, as an avatar. The first-person mode will give the users an experience as if they are moving through the jewelry store, and with the third-person mode, the users will experience the store as their Avatars. The app also allows the users to shop along with their family and friends by letting the users invite them to their shopping experience.
Source: My Jewelry App by Encora
Virtual Assistant
The app has a virtual assistant that provides a personalized experience, like an in-store customer executive who assists the users in buying jewelry. The virtual assistant guides the users through voice and text.
Source: My Jewelry App by Encora
Compare Items
The app’s compare feature will help users to set aside and compare their shortlisted items. Users can set aside an item by using eye movements and hand gestures. They can also delete items from the shortlisted group or put them back on the shelf using eye movements and hand gestures.
Source: My Jewelry App by Encora
