Is Apple Vision Pro shopping the future of retail?

Apple Vision Pro shopping is here and brands are standing in line to get a chunk of the hot metaverse property. Will it pay off? And is it the future of retail? Let's get into it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJbAhKP3G-g

What happened: the companies are rushing to have their place in the brand-new Apple's metaverse. While YouTubers take turns reviewing the new exciting gadget, users comment on the hefty $3,500 price, and the tech media points out the fortes and shortcomings of Tim Cook-led company's vision of the future, some brands don't waste any moment on getting the most out of the novel opportunity. We're talking about the Apple Vision Pro shopping here and it's getting really heated out there.

An American apparel brand Alo Yoga was one of the first to announce the opening of a virtual store in the mixed-reality Apple's metaverse. The 2007-founded luxury sports apparel company is a pioneer in providing digital experiences to its fans. They gifted NFTs to the buyers of their Aspen collection at the beginning of 2023 and had a Roblox virtual showroom back in 2022.

Named "Alo Sanctuary" and developed in partnership with Obsess, the mixed-reality Apple Vision Pro shopping showroom aims to give a more immersive experience to the brand adepts. You can put on some background music and relax as you browse through the items.

Another company that got into the Apple Vision Pro metaverse early is e.l.f. Cosmetics. Again, in collaboration with Obsess (which seems to be a go-to solution for metaverse shopping), the beauty brand launched a new app called “your best e.l.f.” It combines simple gameplay with mixed-reality shopping.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cXSPWCxkNI

Basically, it follows the same principle as the "Alo Sanctuary" and gives the users a chance to get more immersive with their favorite brand.

Finally, Obsess did a similarly looking app for J.Crew. It's an "the first-ever shoppable Virtual Closet" according to the press release and looks like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaqZhuG2M7M

What the future holds for Apple Vision Pro shopping: judging from these three new immersive apps, the future of shopping in the metaverse is... yet to be seen. While the concept is undoubtedly a novel one, it's the users who will decide whether such a way to shop is something they are willing to do.

Also, the success of immersive metaverse retail will depend on the popularity of Apple's headset. So far, it is limited and the price does affect its exposure levels among worldwide consumers.

What's certain, though, is that the top luxury brands will definitely want to be inside Apple's metaverse one way or another. The gadget allows for an unparalleled immersion and it's a feature that can be creatively utilized by the companies in their marketing.

Digital signage will also play an important part in this process. We're going to see the "entrance points" through QR codes on the screens in the classic retail stores.

We're definitely excited to see what's coming next.