Is This The New Face Of Shopping?

Written by: Poppy Skinner Created: 06 April 2018

Next Gen seem to think so. 

No matter how much technology you actually understand, Next Gen's mission is clear: they want to bring an immersive shopping experience to their customers. 

Specialising in Web based 3D reconstructions and virtual, augmented and mixed reality, they are revolutionising the way we shop online. 

How does your company aim redefine the online shopping experience?

NextGen is about redefining the customer experience online. It is set to create a whole new experience about how online shoppers engage with various brands and e-commerce platforms.  While e-commerce and product companies are focused on providing a wide choice and ease of shopping to their customers, NextGen is committed to deliver the brand story of every product through intuitive and immersive experience like never before.

Do you see this growing popularity of Web Based 3D reconstruction, Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality and their insertion in the retail space one day phasing out the need and demand for brick-and-mortar stores or do you see them as complementary?

Brick & Mortar stores are here to stay, however the advent of smart phones and apps have made it easier for shoppers to buy online at their own pace and within the comfort of their homes or workplaces.  In the recent years, the number of product categories being sold online has grown phenomenally and seems like every product that you need or desire is available online. Having said that, e-Commerce companies are facing some challenges as market studies show that at least 30% products ordered online are returned as compared to 8.9% in boutiques. And 64% of the product returns are down to the smallest things like the fact that the actual products do not match the online description. The growing popularity of Web based 3D reconstruction, Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality will help drive the enrichment of customer experience and growth in Online Sales. The insertion of these technologies will definitely narrow the gap between the online and offline shopping experience.

Are there any particular retail sectors where the AR and VR application is more useful and relevant or do you see it as applicable for all industries?

AR and VR are definitely more useful in the OEM & e-Commerce verticals. These technologies are meant to give the online shoppers a more intuitive & immersive experience. However, training and education is seeing a huge application for AR and VR as the students can move away from rote learning and actually see the pictures/ apparatuses etc. coming to life. Students can find such experiences a lot more engaging and interesting.

Could you expand more on the virtual shopping mall your company is working on as well as the curated online platform, www.daddy3D.com that will be launched this year?

The virtual shopping mall will enable the online shoppers to use their Smart TVs or Desktops/Laptops or hand-held devices to get an experience of shopping in a virtual mall. A shopper can choose product categories and then be guided to various sections of the mall to fill up the cart and eventually go to the checkout counter. It is the closest experience as compared to the offline shopping mall. Daddy3D is a platform for the creation, curation and publishing of 3D content on Web, Augmented & Virtual reality frameworks. The Daddy3D ecosystem consists of all the major contributors to the AR/VR space giving them a platform for 3D content to be created by creative contributors, and integrated within their applications using API’s and Plugins.

What exciting partnerships and projects with other global brands can we expect to be in store for the future?

We are partnering with global brands to create their virtual stores. Users will use social media apps to invite family and friends for shopping together in virtual malls created by Nextgen. We want 3D viewing experience available for all the products across the world across all mediums, be it web, mobile, desktop, kiosks, billboards, publications to barcode/QR code scans. We are also looking forward to using AR & VR technologies to create wow experiences for entertainment content creation  and promotions.

Written by: Poppy Skinner

Poppy covers a wide range of topics at Billionaire, having spent the past 13 years at companies including Singapore Tatler, Her World Plus and Harpers Bazaar UK. She has a passion for fashion, jewellery and travel as well as an avaricious fascination with crime novels. Follow her at poppypskinner on Instagram.