Knowing that many dealerships in urban environments lack the physical space to display cars, Isobar created the 'Chevrolet V-Showroom' to make it possible for people to view the new 2017 Chevy Cruze on everything from a coffee table to the street.
The app works on an iPad with an optical hardware attachment for viewing the car. With this mixed-reality system, users are able to change the color of the car, visualize it speeding down a road or view the many interior options that can be customized.
As Isobar puts it: "As brands find themselves moving into a world of reduced physical retail footprint, with a highly-mobile salesforce, they’ve have had to either struggle with underwhelming product presentations or struggle with bulky sales kits. They need a better solution to meet this new reality, all while retaining a good retail and product experience."
Many consumers are looking to avoid visits to traditional vehicle dealerships and will favor the kind of flexible experience that the V-Showroom can provide.
Mixed-Reality Car Showrooms
The 'Chevrolet V-Showroom' App Virtually Presents the Chevy Cruze
Trend Themes
1. Mixed-reality Showrooms - Implement mixed-reality systems on mobile devices for users to experience products virtually.
2. Customizable Product Visualization - Create an interactive experience that allows users to alter product features and details through use of a mixed-reality system.
3. Reduced Physical Retail Footprint - Develop virtual product displays as an alternative to brick-and-mortar stores or as a supplement to existing ones.
Industry Implications
1. Automotive - As exemplified in the article, car dealerships can use mixed-reality showrooms to enhance the car buying process for customers.
2. Retail - Retailers can adopt mixed-reality showrooms to provide customers with greater product visualization and customization options than physical stores may allow.
3. Real Estate - Real estate companies can use mixed-reality technology to showcase properties remotely and provide a virtual tour of them for prospective buyers.