Consumers say virtual reality will drive them to shop more online

Cooper Smith | March 16, 2015

Facebook, Samsung, HTC, HP, and other large tech companies are hard at work developing virtual reality headsets for consumer use. Most of the attention on virtual reality devices to-date has been centered around its impact on the gaming and content industries, but they could also have a major impact on how people shop, according to a 2015 survey conducted by Walker Sands.

• Virtual reality technology will drive some people to shop more online. More than one in every three US consumers say they would be open to purchasing more online if virtual reality gives them a more realistic feel of the product remotely. 
• In-store foot traffic will decline if virtual reality headsets become mainstream consumer devices. More than one in every five US consumers say they would be less likely to visit a retailer's physical store if virtual reality technology is at their disposal. 

One of the ways that retailers should be thinking about virtual reality and how to improve the customer shopping experience is with fitting rooms. In Walker Sands' 2014 survey, nearly one in every four US consumers said they would be more likely to purchase online if there was some way of visually trying-on or testing merchandise. 

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