© Competence Centre for Virtual Reality and Cooperative Engineering w. V. – Virtual Dimension Center (VDC)
Whitepaper
Virtual Techniques in the Retail Industry
Areas of applications – Examples – Potentials
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dipl.-Kfm. Christoph Runde
Virtual Dimension Center (VDC) Fellbach
Auberlenstr. 13
70736 Fellbach
www.vdc-fellbach.de

Online 3D Product Presentations SummaryIntroduction Digital Showroom MissionDigital Signage MissionVirtual Store WearablesTraining
Studies
regarding this
topic
2
Retail Tomorrow, Today. Five
trends shaping the retail industry
in 2018 and beyond. Oracle,
Redwood Shores/USA, 2018
Introduction

Online 3D Product Presentations SummaryIntroduction Digital Showroom MissionDigital Signage MissionVirtual Store WearablesTraining
Studies
regarding this
topic
3
Retail Tomorrow, Today. Five
trends shaping the retail industry
in 2018 and beyond. Oracle,
Redwood Shores/USA, 2018
Introduction

Online 3D Product Presentations SummaryIntroduction Digital Showroom MissionDigital Signage MissionVirtual Store WearablesTraining
Challenges
4
Chances
 Competitive pressure
 Large retail chains
 Huge online marketplaces
 Individualization, mass customization,
exploding number of variants
 Acceleration product change
 Increased expectations of consumers/
customers regarding
o Information needs
o Presentation and visualization
 Possibly global markets
 New simulation and visualization
methods
 Virtual reality (VR) and
augmented reality (AR) as mass
platforms on mobile devices
 VR as a bridge between online
and offline trading
 Digital development process
chains as data suppliers
 New methods of 3D capture by
photography (photogrammetry)
or laser scanning
Introduction

Online 3D Product Presentations SummaryIntroduction Digital Showroom MissionDigital Signage MissionVirtual Store WearablesTraining
Virtual techniques in the retail industry – Application fields
Online 3D product presentations
 3D-capable web shops
 3D scans of goods, photogrammetry,
automated product photography
 Interactive scheduling using AR
 Virtual sell-in for collection sales and
marketing to wholesaler/ middleman
 3D configurators for creating customer-
specific variants and 3D result visualization
Digital signage
 Digital (3D) advertising in malls, airports, etc.
 Brand stores as a digital showroom
 Stationary shop with only a few physical
products
 3D configurators
 Order via webshop
5
Virtual Store
 Shops and shopping malls as a 3D model:
evaluation of shop design (virtual prototyping of
the shop, technical equipment, etc.)
 Evaluation packaging design
 Evaluation sales support measures
Virtual training of
 Personnel in trading
Wearables and / or AR in logistics
 Picking with Smart Glasses and AR
Introduction

Online 3D Product Presentations SummaryIntroduction Digital Showroom MissionDigital Signage MissionVirtual Store WearablesTraining
Online 3D product presentations
 3D models of the products
 Views and section freely selectable for
customers
 Labels, imprints detectable in a legible quality;
thus reduction of the accompanying text
 Automated scanner systems
 Providers offer hosting with required
bandwidths
Image: alfaloc media
Detailed view on
product in browser
6
Image: alfaloc media
Screenshot of
webshop example
with 3D models
(drugstore)
3D scanner with
evaluation softwareImage: Packshot Creator
Online 3D Product Presentations

Online 3D Product Presentations SummaryIntroduction Digital Showroom MissionDigital Signage MissionVirtual Store WearablesTraining
 AR function for smartphones and tablets
through AR platforms (ARKit, ARCore)
 Integrated in shopping app or standalone
application
 Scan the environment and present the
product in original size in real context
 Advantage: easy check for accuracy of fit
(space, color, etc.) of furniture and other
products prior to the purchase
7
Image: IKEA
AR app based on a
AR platform
Image: Wurzel Medien
Fade-in coffee machine
on marker
Image: edmunds
Examination of
space requirement
for vehicle
Online 3D Product Presentations
Online 3D product presentations

Online 3D Product Presentations SummaryIntroduction Digital Showroom MissionDigital Signage MissionVirtual Store WearablesTraining
Virtual Sell-In
 Sell-in: collection sales, marketing to
wholesale/ middleman
 Produce entire collection as sample parts: too
expensive
 Useful, if there are many variants or models
with customers or within the company to vote
 Staging
 Combination with new outfits
Image: adidas
Image: adidas
Image: adidas
3D visualization
shoe collection
3D representation
collection in shop
Different outfit
visualizations
8
Online 3D-ProduktpräsentationenOnline 3D Product Presentations
Online 3D product presentations

Online 3D Product Presentations SummaryIntroduction Digital Showroom MissionDigital Signage MissionVirtual Store WearablesTraining
3D configurators
 Interactive product configurators
 Independent selection and configuration
 Configurator logic configures only possible
and deliverable products
 Access can be restricted to specific user
groups: exclusivity
 Possibly integration with order system
(delivery capability, delivery time) Image: DS 3DXcite
Automotive:
position, form and
color of seams
9
Image: bitmanagement
Fashion:
web 3D configurator
Image: Tacton
3D elevator configurator:
selection masks
Online 3D Product Presentations
Online 3D product presentations

Online 3D Product Presentations SummaryIntroduction Digital Showroom MissionDigital Signage MissionVirtual Store WearablesTraining
3D configurators
 Virtual customer dialogue
 3D web platforms or virtual worlds
 Statistical evaluation on preferences
(market research)
 Earlier: dialogue through avatars
which are controlled by employees
(e.g. Second Life)
Image: Tacton
Image: Mercedes-Benz
Configured variant of a
bus in 3D
Mercedes Benz branch in
Second Life (closed´in
2008)
10
Image: Palette CAD
Virtual showroom with
configuration possibilities
Online 3D Product Presentations
Online 3D product presentations

Online 3D Product Presentations SummaryIntroduction Digital Showroom MissionDigital Signage MissionVirtual Store WearablesTraining
Exemplary
configurations of
Daimler commercial
vehicles. Modern 3D
configurators rely on
variant management
systems that can
manage product
diversity with a huge
combinatorics.Image: Tacton
11
3D configurators
Online 3D-ProduktpräsentationenOnline 3D Product Presentations
Online 3D product presentations

Online 3D Product Presentations SummaryIntroduction Digital Showroom MissionDigital Signage MissionVirtual Store WearablesTraining
Digital Signage
 Viewing static or dynamic content on digital
ads in the store or outside (such as airports)
 Use of autostereoscopic 3D displays or light
field displays: extension of the duration of
attention
 New 3D displays with 8k resolution
12
Image: Interactive Design Café
PoS 3D displays (without
glasses)
Image: Tridelity
Airport displays (without
glasses)
Digital Signage

Online 3D Product Presentations SummaryIntroduction Digital Showroom MissionDigital Signage MissionVirtual Store WearablesTraining
Image: Audi
Audi City London:
material samples
complement 3D
visualization
Digital Showroom
 Use of 3D, VR and AR in stationary trading
 Only a few physical products, but all variants
virtually representable
 Mutual understanding between buyer and seller
 Customer designs his specific product: product
configurators using the expert version of the
configurator
 Interactive presentation of the product, simple
demonstration of variants, provide detailed
insights
 Show product virtually in operation
 Increase information density, esp. understandable
presentation, even of complex relationships
Image: Audi
13
Audi City London:
Digital Showroom
Image: DS 3DXcite
Screen in shop context
Digital Showroom

Online 3D Product Presentations SummaryIntroduction Digital Showroom MissionDigital Signage MissionVirtual Store WearablesTraining
Digital Showroom
 AR installations in use at Toys "R" Us
 Animated LEGO model will appear on the sales
packaging
 Customer puts model into the desired
perspective
Prototypical:
 Magic Mirror, AR Mirror, Virtual Mirror
 Virtual fitting of clothes, shoes with AR is
content of research projects
 Gesture recognition for the interaction
Image: LEGO
Image: Cisco
Interactive LEGO box
at Toys‘R‘Us: use
of Augmented Reality
Augmented Reality:
vision „Magic Mirror“
14
Image: Adidas
Magic Mirror
for shoe fitting
Digital Showroom

Online 3D Product Presentations SummaryIntroduction Digital Showroom MissionDigital Signage MissionVirtual Store WearablesTraining
Virtual Store
 Evaluation shop design in VR
 1:1 simulation of PoS scene
 Cheaper than field tests
 More flexible, faster: swift change of scenarios
 Variations of boundary conditions at runtime
o Shelf full / half full / empty
o Product placed on top / center / bottom
o Market full / half full / empty
 Stronger control: all environment variables
controllable: weather, light, competitor activities,
supply bottlenecks, ...
 New test option: efficiency of marketing within the
store, comparison possibilities
Image: Kimberly-Clark
Presentation of a
supermarket model
15
Image: Vision Critical
Supermarket
simulation
Image: SCA Packaging
Supermarket
simulation
Virtual Store

Online 3D Product Presentations SummaryIntroduction Digital Showroom MissionDigital Signage MissionVirtual Store WearablesTraining
Virtual Store
 Design of packaging, labels, etc. using VR techniques
 Test in 3D environments (market research), gaze
analyses possible
 Secret testing of new products, hidden from
competitors, failed approaches remain confidential
 Variation and evaluation of the packaging design at
runtime
 Some systems use a shopping cart to navigate in 3D
scenes
 Wall Street Journal: 50% reduction of product testing
time
 Research on navigation and interaction methods for VR
online shops
Image: Wurzel-Medien
Image: SensoMotoric Instruments
Label design of a water
bottle
Stereo 3D glasses with
integrated eye tracking
16
Image: DFKI
Navigation in VR online
shop
Virtual Store

Online 3D Product Presentations SummaryIntroduction Digital Showroom MissionDigital Signage MissionVirtual Store WearablesTraining
Virtual training of personnel
 Training of sales personnel
 Use of serious games techniques
 Interactive simulation of scenes
 Variable dialogue [avatar reacts
accordingly to answers]
 Objective success control
 Variables freely changeable
 Possibility for integration of gestures and
facial expressions
Image: blog.venuegen.com
Image: Zone2Connect
Image: Zone2Connect
Scene
3D sales talk
Scene 3D sales talk for
Vodafone
Logic modeling
Dialoog
17
Training

Online 3D Product Presentations SummaryIntroduction Digital Showroom MissionDigital Signage MissionVirtual Store WearablesTraining
 Simulation of sales environments:
replicating architecture, roles, processes
and tools
 Simulation of new processes and future
scenarios of potential customer journeys
 Derivation of recommended actions
Image: Solid White
18
Virtual Retail Lab of
Mercedes-Benz-
Consulting: virtual
sales and consulting
scenarios
Training
Virtual training of personnel

Online 3D Product Presentations SummaryIntroduction Digital Showroom MissionDigital Signage MissionVirtual Store WearablesTraining
Wearables in logistics
 Pick & Place applications with smart glasses /
watches / gloves / smartphone / tablet PC, etc.
o Hands-free via smart glasses
o Smart gloves replace barcode guns
 Identification of articles reduces incorrect picking
 Localization of articles is supported
 Navigation support for order pickers
19
Image: www.hiavr.com
HUD concept of
navigation on a
forklift: using video
telephony
Image: Picavi
Barcode detection by
means of smart glasses
Image: AbsoluteReality
Logistic status
information when
looking through a tablet
PC: looking for articles
with the destination
country Germany
Wearables

Online 3D Product Presentations SummaryIntroduction Digital Showroom MissionDigital Signage MissionVirtual Store WearablesTraining
Summary
 Versatile applications of virtual techniques in the retail industry
 Commerce is very heterogeneous: technology used depends on business focus
 Combining stationary and online commerce is becoming increasingly important for the competitiveness of
retail companies
 Virtual Reality is well suited for the presentation of complex products with a high creative and emotional
ambition
 Use of AR and VR on mobile devices (Cardboard VR, ARCore, ARKit) offers potential for reaching a large
number of customers
20
Sources
 Augmented Reality Monitor 2018. Repräsentative Befragung zur Bekanntheit, Nutzungsbereitschaft und
Potentialen von Augmented Reality im Einzelhandel, Splendid Research, Hamburg, 2018
 Retail Tomorrow, Today. Five trends shaping the retail industry in 2018 and beyond. Oracle, Redwood
Shores/USA, 2018
 Trends und Entwicklungen im Handel: Konsumenten-Trends. Ergebnis einer Umfrage unter 132
Führungskräften deutscher Handelsunternehmen. Clavigo Partners, Management Forum, Verlagsgruppe
Handelsblatt: 2017
 The Use of Virtual Store Simulations in Marketing Research and Beyond. In-Store Marketing Institute, 2009
Summary

Online 3D Product Presentations SummaryIntroduction Digital Showroom MissionDigital Signage MissionVirtual Store WearablesTraining
VDC members and partners regarding this topic
21
Summary

© Competence Centre for Virtual Reality and Cooperative Engineering w. V. – Virtual Dimension Center (VDC)
Thank you very much for your interest!
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partners? Please contact us.
Virtual Dimension Center (VDC) Fellbach
Auberlenstraße 13
70736 Fellbach
www.vdc-fellbach.de