Virtual Reality (VR) involves replacing your in-person experience and vision with customized virtual worlds created to simulate various situations. Although previously made famous through its association with the gaming industry, VR and its uses have grown exponentially. One of the most popular uses of VR today is in the business industry, as it minimizes cost and risk in many areas while also creating new and innovative techniques to increase profits and productivity!
The top seven uses of VR in business today include online shopping & retail, training, architecture and interior design, engineering and manufacturing, communication, marketing, and education and sports. Keep reading to find out exactly how these uses of VR improve businesses!
1. Online Shopping & Retail
Imagine visiting a car showroom and test driving a car or getting a tour of a home you’re looking to buy, or even exploring a store before purchasing a product, all from the comfort of your home. You wouldn’t need to deal with crowded stores and you’d get the best personalized shopping assistant. Well, with VR, you can do all the above!
A major retail company that executed this well is Ikea with its VR kitchen, which launched in 2016, allowing customers to explore kitchen features and see how they would look in their kitchens at home. This feature has also allowed Ikea to maximize the consumer experience by continuously refining its displays. It can also save retail businesses time and money that goes into more mainstream retailing solutions.
It’s a lot cheaper to build a virtual shopping experience than a real one and it also increases customer satisfaction.
2. Military Training
Virtual reality training is used in the military to train soldiers in various military departments, from army soldiers to air force pilots. This allows soldiers to experience the dangerous and complex situations that may arise from their jobs, through simulations, without the risk of serious injuries.
Some businesses even go as far as using VR tools for recruitment purposes to conduct interviews with clients who may reside in different cities or countries.
3. Architecture and Interior Design
Picture this! You’re meeting with your architect to go through the final plans for your new renovations, but instead of having to look at 3D blueprints and struggling to visualize and understand your architect’s vision, you can now use a VR application. This allows you to view your architect’s plans on a 1:1 scale and take a virtual tour of how the finished project will look. It doesn’t get any better than that!
With virtual platforms such as Iris VR, architects and interior designers are more equipped to supply their clients with opportunities for feedback and alterations after experiencing a virtual tour of their vision. Thus also allowing architects to bridge the gap between reality and their artistic vision.
In this way, VR saves the architect time and the client money required to create plans or 3D models that get altered later.
4. Online Casinos
Gambling is one of the many industries that has evolved with technology. Starting with online casinos where players could enjoy their favorite games within the comfort of their own homes.
A new addition to this fast-evolving space is the use of VR in online casinos. This mean feat has allowed users to feel more a part of the game through the more interactive experience given by this virtual reality for gamblers.
From slot machines to virtual blackjack, you can experience it all with virtual reality casinos.
5. Communication
Remote jobs that allow you to work from home are the new thing to beat in the workforce. However, when you add VR to the mix, there’s no competition.
Virtual reality allows businesses to create practical opportunities for their employees to communicate and collaborate no matter where they are located geographically. There will be no need to commute to get the interactive collaboration that employees often thrive on. Regular video and conference calls are a thing of the past!
Businesses can save time and money on travel expenses by using VR products to connect employees and clients worldwide.
6. Marketing
Traditional marketing and advertising is old news. Whatever you thought you knew about advertising is outdated and VR is just the thing to upgrade the marketing industry.
Research has shown that 360º VR advertising films or promotional videos are more persuasive and more in line with the interactive approach that targets the customer’s mentality development that prompts them to acquire your business’s products or services. Businesses that use a VR approach to their marketing are sure to see an increase in sales!
7. Education & Sports
The stakes aren’t high with VR in schools, however, it is still an essential part of the learning process. A virtual world can provide an experience where students can receive a more detailed educational experience.
Sports institutions such as the NBA (basketball) and the NFL (American Football) use VR applications to enhance their athletes’ performance by stimulating training sessions with unique situations to increase specific skills and improve their performance in actual games.
Virtual reality has the potential to afford significant enhancements in the way we conduct and experience business. It’s exciting to see what the future holds.
