The term "metaverse" became the hottest word in 2021, and with it came the attention to VR/AR, hoping that this emerging technology could bring about new changes. Previously, some institutions said that quest 2 sales have exceeded 10 million, and many domestic manufacturers are also competing for the market, Pico has even opened in e-commerce, online and other channels for layout.
According to the current situation, VR/AR has entered a stage of rapid development. In 2021, iQiyi, Pico, NOLO and other companies have launched new VR headsets, and AR companies such as Rokid have also entered the C-end market.
The B-end market has been developing for many years, and when many companies have chosen to start laying out the C-end, it shows that VR/AR is ready to start providing services for the C-end. The number of users in the C-end market is huge, and as more people contact and understand VR/AR, the C-end market will be the market that manufacturers most expect.
VR/AR will also affect all walks of life, and the retail industry that is closest to everyone will also change.
1. The impact of e-commerce on the retail industry
The traditional retail industry can be described by the word "hot" before the Internet tide arrives, and there are not a few companies that rely on the retail industry to make a fortune. Gome Was a giant in the retail industry that year, founded on January 1, 1987 in Hong Kong, China, and its head, Huang Guangyu, was the richest man in China for many times.
However, with the development of domestic e-commerce business, it has gradually swallowed up a part of the market share of the offline retail industry. When Ali continues to refresh the transaction volume on Double Eleven every year, many people only see the glory of e-commerce, but they do not see the status quo of the offline retail industry.
According to the "2020-2021 China Department Store Retail Industry Development Report", from 2015 to 6 years, the proportion of online retail sales of physical goods in the total retail sales of social consumer goods has increased from 10.7% to 24.9% (Figure 1-5), accounting for more than 1 times and retail sales 2 times.
According to the data of enterprise investigation, the number of e-commerce-related enterprises registered in the country from 2011 to 2019 has increased year by year, only 58,400 in 2011, and the number of registrations in 2019 has reached 967,200, approaching the scale of the "million army", an increase of 35% year-on-year. In 2020, there was a slight decline, reaching 876,900, down 9% year-on-year. As of now (June 17), a total of 503,800 new stores will be added in 2021.
As more people choose e-commerce, the traditional retail industry has been in a downturn in recent years. "China's entity business traffic 2021 Q1 report" shows that the consumer willingness to spend in Q1 2021 is still low, while the long-term epidemic has led to more consumers choosing online consumption, the consumption data of Q1 and spring festival in 2021 shows that online consumption continues to grow at a high level, the impact of e-commerce on offline physical business still exists, and the growth of shopping mall passenger flow is affected.
2. VR/AR's changes to the retail industry
Users will enter a virtual space through the VR headset, and in this space, everyone will be able to view the goods, and can also introduce the user in the virtual space through the now hot virtual person technology. Especially for some products that require professional knowledge, more detailed introductions can be carried out in VR, which is convenient for consumers to choose to buy.
Nike released the 2016 Nike Sportswear Tech Pack Men's and Women's Fall Collection in Shanghai in 2016 and set up a VR panoramic experience area.
At present, the drawbacks of e-commerce are more obvious, and users have no way to try it, unless the demand is very clear. Otherwise, the purchased products may have some deviations in the physical goods, and the return and replacement of goods is also more troublesome. The VR/AR experience can solve the problems of e-commerce, although there are problems such as offline shortages, VR/AR can help consumers better clarify their needs, and can check the effect through VR/AR trials.
Brands can even develop their own applications to allow users to conduct more and faster trials through VR/AR. It is even possible to promote the product by improving user stickiness.
VR/AR allows users to try without contact, while DIY customization can be carried out, and virtual users can also help consumers quickly complete purchases in VR/AR.
3. Our views
In fact, VR/AR will not only have an impact on the retail industry, VR/AR will have great changes for all walks of life, VR/AR is currently rich in applications at the B-end, and has been deeply cultivated on the C-end.
VR/AR has been applied to education, industry, training and other fields, and they will appear in many occasions in the future. At the same time, VR/AR will continue to change our lives and provide more convenience for our lives.
VR/AR technology will continue to mature with the support of national policies and the progress of enterprises, and VR/AR has entered a stage of rapid development by relying on the arrival of the "meta-universe" outlet.
Vr/AR in addition to will change the future of the retail situation, in addition to the impact of online e-commerce, the retail industry has also been facing a variety of problems, VR / AR will become the key point to change the traditional retail industry.