Since e-commerce began approximately 25 years ago, online shopping has not changed in a meaningful way.
While there may be some exceptions, it has largely been pictures or videos of a product and a shopping cart.
However, after several decades, 3D virtual shopping has finally emerged and is destined to be the future of online retail because it amplifies the shopping experience in an entirely new way. Furthermore, the adoption of this technology is sure to be accelerated because coronavirus has radically impacted the retail industry and the manner in which people are purchasing products.
Businesses in other industries have already started to embrace 3D virtual shopping. Italian denim brand Diesel recently launched Hyperoom, which provides buyers with a 360-degree look at a virtual showroom and allows up-close inspection of each garment. Earlier this year, Maison Christian Dior created a 360-degree shopping experience at its gorgeous boutique on the Champs-Elysées in Paris.
A few months ago, co-founders Sonia Khemiri and Sylvie Giret were all set to open Beautyque NYC, a Soho-based store offering a wide array of non-toxic personal care products, but coronavirus forced them to reassess their plans. What emerged was an interactive, virtual shopping, education and beauty brand experience for customers – all from the comfort of their home.
“We wanted to translate and copy what we initially intended to have at our store in Soho. Incorporating 3D technology into our website allowed us to create the closest possible thing to an in-person shopping experience,” said Sylvie Giret.
This experiential model also showcases Beautyque’s brands and gives them a place where they can be displayed as if they were in a real store and tests a consumer’s response to various products and messages.
“With the COVID situation and the ‘new normal’ that is going to emerge from it, we believed this was a natural evolution in retail,” added Sonia Khemiri.
For brands that are being sold in Beautyque and showcased in its 360-degree virtual store, this new shopping experience holds tremendous appeal.
“This 3D concept is phenomenal, and it feels like you are going into a store, providing a sensory experience rather than just buying something online,” said Aileen Dow, founder of si SKIN Organics. “It was important to me to have a different platform where I could get information about my brand out to the public.”
For organic businesses that utilize this technology on their own websites, 3D virtual shopping can create an experience where a visitor will be browsing products while seamlessly learning about the company’s new biodegradable packaging or its regenerative farming projects. This immersive experience is an effective vehicle to communicate a brand’s story, which may result in more time spent on a site, improved conversion rates and greater loyalty.
By no means is the current version of 3D virtual shopping perfect, but its functionality will only get better over time.
Nevertheless, with consumers utilizing online shopping more than ever before, this technology could be of tremendous benefit to organic brands that use it in a compelling way.
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With gratitude, 
Max Goldberg, Founder |
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