Applications of Marketing In VR

David Saenz - February 3, 2017

With the advent of VR and the increase in sales across multiple VR platforms, one begins to wonder how marketers can tap into this new media to increase bottom lines.  Fortunately, for those on the forefront of VR development, the applications are endless.

Take fashion and apparel for instance. With VR, virtual stores can be created where customers can preview the latest seasonal lines in the comfort of their own home. In addition, with sensors and room tracking more engaging experiences can be created allowing users to virtually browse the aisles in their favorite department stores.

Education marketing could be revolutionized with virtual campus tours, allowing prospective students to see classroom and living settings without having to travel across the country. In fact, many industries can leverage virtual tours including real-estate, arts and entertainment, hotels and travel, and event planning. A VR tour of a property, venue, museum, school, etc is so immersive and engaging that a user will literally have to tune everything out and focus 100% on the content.

Is it efficient or scalable? The answer is yes and the solution lies in tapping into smart phone functionality. VR headsets can be made with eco-friendly materials and can be extremely cheap and light to produce. The main cost will be in the development of the experience, but sending out the headsets to prospects would be similar to the cost of direct mail.  Upon receiving the headset, instructions could be delivered for downloading the experience or app which then can be tracked depending on the experience.  2017 is said to be the year of VR, and while I have not seen a powerful application for VR yet, I expect to see many in the near future.