Dyson Opens Virtual Store Allowing You To Navigate Its Products From Home
Image via Dyson Australia & New Zealand
Dyson has been meta even before the meta became the mainstream. Previously, the British household equipment brand created a lookalike toy version of its iconic vacuum cleaners, complete with sound effects, to get young children in the flow of chores and possibly start helping parents out earlier in their lives. Now, the company is coming for adults with a different kind of simulation.
In line with the immersive 3D interactive environments that Facebook’s Meta dreams of, Dyson has launched Dyson Demo VR, a virtual-reality shopping experience modeled after real-world Dyson stores. Here, shoppers can pick up 3D renderings of Dyson products, “hold” them to try them out, and learn more about them.
Image via Dyson Australia & New Zealand
Dyson e-commerce director Sean Newmarch tells Glossy that the virtual store was set up as a direct response to how COVID-19 has overturned the way brands interact with consumers. “When we were faced with the challenge of our demonstration stores and our demonstration temples being unavailable… we moved quickly to embrace virtual reality,” he says.
Image via Dyson Australia & New Zealand
For now, Dyson Demo VR will only showcase the Supersonic hair dryer, Corrale straightener and Airwrap styler, but the company intends to add air purifiers and vacuums later on. When testing vacuum cleaners in the future, customers would be able to swap between attachments and use them to clean artificial floors, B&T reports.
In time, shoppers would also be able to speak to Dyson store representatives for assistance in the comfort of their own living spaces, says Dyson.
The virtual store can currently only be navigated by Oculus headset owners in Australia, though Dyson says it is also building a simplified 3D web platform for anyone to examine its products up close.
“We have been harnessing powerful virtual-reality technologies to engineer new products in our labs for many years,” explains Dyson founder Sir James Dyson. “Now we are applying those same technologies to reinvent how people explore our products.”
[via B&T, images via Dyson Australia & New Zealand]
