While some might think that virtual reality is going to make life difficult for physical retailers, there are retailers who are open to embracing this technology and Macy’s plans to be one of them. According to a new report, Macy’s wants to improve sales in its stores by employing virtual reality. It’s going to use VR technology to sell furniture at 50 of its retail locations across the country.
Macy’s CEO Jeff Gennette revealed at the ShopTalk retail conference in Las Vegas that 50 Macy’s locations will have virtual reality furniture-selling tools by this summer. Gennette said that the company plans on offering these tools in “as many stores as possible,” so it seems that Macy’s is not just toying with this idea for test purposes. It’s serious about using VR in its stores.
Gennette added that VR technology will enable Macy’s to sell more furniture while having to dedicate less or even no square footage to actually displaying furniture. The retailer has already piloted a virtual reality tool through which customers can use a tablet to add furniture to a room and move the pieces around until they get what they’re looking for.
The system “significantly increased” total transaction sizes as well as sales of items that Macy’s sells but doesn’t keep in its stores. “In addition to the thrill customers may get from using the new technology to make purchases, VR will enable Macy’s to offer furniture departments in locations that didn’t have them before,” Gennette said.
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