WASHINGTON — Macy’s stores in Springfield, Virginia, and Annapolis, Maryland, now have virtual-reality furniture shopping.
Macy’s has added VR to its furniture departments in several stores, including locations at Springfield Town Center and at Westfield Annapolis Mall.
Customers design their living space and use a VR headset to immerse themselves in the virtual rooms they create.
Macy’s figures customers are more likely to keep the furniture they buy if they can see it in place ahead of time.
Furniture departments in a total of 70 Macy’s stores now have VR in what Macy’s claims is the largest virtual reality rollout in retail history. Macy’s says VR is a practical application that is proven to drive sales.
In three pilot stores, VR furniture sales increased by more than 60 percent compared to non-VR furniture sales, and it cut furniture returns to less than 2 percent.
And since it’s virtual reality, Macy’s can present many more furniture products without the retail space it would otherwise take.
“With Macy’s VR, customers can take a 2D floor plan and transition it to 3D in real time,” said Beck Besecker, co-founder of Marxent, the virtual realty company Macy’s has partnered with. “It is an easy to use application and consumers have a huge selection to choose from.”
