How VR Is Making Waves In Shopping Centre Marketing

As marketing strategies continue to evolve, one fast-emerging avenue that businesses are beginning to use to boost sales can be found in the form of virtual reality (VR). Incorporating cutting-edge technology to intrigue audiences, VR’s unique ability to drive engagement between customers and products means it is quickly becoming one of the most valuable tools modern marketers have when designing a marketing strategy for their business.

A Brave New Digital World!

Before mobile phones came along, businesses would rely on traditional marketing methods – billboards and TV adverts were the way to go. Then, the introduction and popularity of the smartphone transformed the way we make purchases, and therefore the ways marketers appeal to their customers. The same technological revolution is now happening again with VR.

When VR first came out, it was seen by many as a bit of a gimmick. The first headsets were limited to video game use, being difficult to master and requiring a lot of space to avoid bumping into a table and stubbing your toe. But over the last few years, the technology has improved and the opportunities that it now offers go far beyond playing Beat Saber in your living room – it’s fair to say that VR has become an absolute game-changer.

What Is VR Marketing?

When customers put on a headset, they are transported to a totally immersive, customisable environment. Virtual reality technology allows businesses to blend experiences and purchases. As customers increasingly desire the ‘experience’ of shopping, VR marketing offers something new and exciting in the eyes of consumers, whilst also offering a practical solution to many problems commonly encountered within traditional retail and marketing methods.

Benefits Of Using VR Marketing Tools:

Immersive Virtual Spaces

One of the biggest challenges facing retailers is how to use their limited floor space efficiently. Many growing businesses utilise pop up shops or retail merchandising units (RMUs), which restricts the ways they are able to display and demonstrate their products to whatever floor space is available. By harnessing the power of VR, many businesses can design virtual spaces to showcase their products and services, where the limitations of space are determined by the retailer rather than their venue.

There are already plenty of examples of virtual spaces being used for this purpose. Companies like Nike, Gucci and Etsy have all utilised VR to create experiences for their customers, showing off their different products in specially designed environments. The incredible versatility of VR spaces also means you can scale your virtual spaces with your business, which lets you develop larger spaces to match your business growth.

Reduce Material & Transportation Costs

‘Build your own’ marketing campaigns used to be reserved for only larger companies, who had the money and resources to dedicate to producing lots of different components or products. That has all changed with the power of VR. Rendering everything within a digital environment saves businesses from having to produce expensive components and wasting precious materials and resources, so you won’t have any expensive manufacturing costs to worry about. It also means you won’t have to clutter your space with all your stock, providing more room for your knowledgeable staff to assist customers with finding their perfect purchase, thereby saving you from any transportation fees.

Personalised Interactions & Storytelling

The only thing better than finding the perfect product? Making it your own. But letting your customers experience full customisation is difficult with physical products, especially if you are a small or expanding business. Creating assets digitally means customers get to experience fully immersive customisation of their very own products – from shoes and clothes, all the way up to cars and furniture, and even entire rooms – without producing a single part!

Of course, it isn’t just your customers that get to let their imaginations run wild! As a retailer, you get full control over what kinds of products are on display and how much information your customers can see about each one. If you have a particularly unique or complicated product, providing helpful info on manufacturing details, pricing, shipping and other factors can help answer any questions potential buyers might have. The best part is that you can quickly change everything if you need to suit a different target audience or market, appealing to customers of all backgrounds and needs.

woman using VR headset to work on computer

Time To Dive Into VR Marketing

With the global VR market size expected to reach $38 billion by 2029 (Markets & Markets, 2024), now is the time to embrace the potential of VR marketing and open your business up to a fantastic new world of advertising opportunities. Whether you are a growing team looking to capitalise on an emerging technology, or an established company in the process of re-thinking your shopping centre marketing strategy, Shoppertainment can help. We offer a wide range of shopping centre commercialisation and marketing solutions for businesses of all sizes – contact us today to find out more about how the power of VR marketing can help you!