Lowe’s Is Using VR Technology Allowing Its Customers To Try Products In-Store Before They Buy
Lowe’s customers can now try products before they buy thanks to the company’s latest VR initiative, named Holoroom Test Drive.
Lowe’s, a major North American retailer of home improvement goods, and operates stores in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, has been planning to reveal a new VR experience to provide its customers a unique in-store experience.
Holoroom Test Drive
Developed by Lowe’s Innovation Labs in partnership with a startup Krayonik, Holoroom Test Drive is a “fully-immersive, multi-sensory experience that utilizes haptics, scent, sound and visuals to let customers try out Kobalt’s 24V cordless hedge trimmer in a safe, virtual space”, according to the information shared on Innovation Labs website.
Olivia Myers, a Lowe’s Innovation Labs Producer, shared in an interview with Vive:
The goal of every experience we’ve created is to increase customer confidence, whether that’s in design ability, project skills or buying decisions. Holoroom Test Drive aims to improve a customer’s willingness to try out new products, ease decision-making and even provide pro tips.
Available at select Lowe’s stores, Holoroom Test Drive aims to bring customers’ decision making process a new perspective with letting them to try new products in safe environment. It also enables them to learn how to operate power equipment.
Lowe’s Innovations Labs has been working on developing AR and VR supported platforms for four years. The company has been aiming to bring various experiences bot for its customers and employees. Results show that “early versions of a VR training program for employees have led to a 127% increase in confidence compared to traditional training procedures”, Myers added.
Holoroom Test Drive by Lowe’s Innovation Labs has been named a 2018 Auggie Awards winner for Best Enterprise Solution at the Augmented World Expo 2018.
Imagining a platform that customers and employees can safely test drive power tools by experiencing VR technology, Lowe’s has certainly taken the “try before you buy” and employee training approaches further.
