Laval Virtual 2019: Big brands like LVMH eye virtual store experience technology
We introduce the latest services that utilize VR and AR (and the all-encompassing XR) that we recently picked up from the world’s largest international VR/AR trade fair, Laval Virtual, in France.
The town of Laval, a 70-minute train ride out of Paris, is a technology hotbed with a significant gathering of VR/AR research institutions. The VR/AR event Laval Virtual was held for the 21st time this year from March 20, spanning across 5 days. Products, services and research findings that utilize the latest technology were presented by large corporations, startups, researchers and even students, and over 200 conferences were held by experts gathered from over 50 different countries.
VR in the fashion and beauty industries
One company currently gaining attention is Holooh, which won the StartUp Award at last year’s Laval Virtual 2018. In that year, Holooh worked on a Zara promotional campaign that incorporated an AR app and was deployed across 40 countries. The app displayed virtual models when you held up your phone inside Zara stores, allowing you to check out the clothing as worn from a variety of different angles.
Currently, Holooh is working on an AR virtual boutique. The app conjures a virtual doorway in AR space. Once users pass through, they find themselves in a virtual boutique featuring a 360° lineup of products which they’re able to freely try out and purchase.
Then there’s Speedernet, a company using VR in corporate training, factory guiding and production processes, targeting large-scale cosmetics and luxury companies, including L’Oréal. They’re concentrating on experiences for limited exposure, such as VR content only for the eyes of employees and partnering companies.
With the idea being that the feeling that comes from a special experience only accessible by a chosen few can induce stronger loyalty towards a company, they’ve incorporated interactive VR content that gives the full feeling of actually being somewhere else, something that can’t be achieved through normal 2D video. As long as participants have a headset, the experience can be delivered to wherever they are around the world, leading to cost reductions for the company as well as being effective in employee training.
Highlights of the 12 startups on show
12 startups were featured in the exhibition and many lively BtoB business discussions took place. What stood out in the field of entertainment was a 4-player table soccer game run by VR technology. Many buyers listened intently to the explanation by the developers with great anticipation for the close realization of such technology. Another attention-grabber was the paraglider which is ridden while hanging in the air. The design proved popular, featuring not just the physical swaying of the body but also wind blowing down onto you from above, allowing for a more realistic feeling.
Each year there are a number of different categories of the Laval Virtual Award, and this year the StartUp Award was given to the company Boarding Ring, for their development of a device that reduces feelings of nausea and motion sickness in VR.
It’s a headset that has two small sensors embedded that emit tiny beams of light, and this helps to adjust vision lag that can cause motion sickness. The company was originally involved in devices for preventing motion sickness in cars and other vehicles, and the same technology has been incorporated into this device. As motion sickness is said to be one of the obstacles to the propagation of VR, the industry has high expectations for this technology.
In the category of Research, the award was given to Japanese firm TeleSight, of the Keio University Graduate School of Media Design. By using a mannequin-style augmented reality device that emulates the eye movements and visibility of the person wearing a head-mounted display, a third person is able to interfere with the VR experience. Visitors to the exhibition marveled at the project’s new perspective and innovative device development.
XR experiences of luxury brands
Can AR or VR experiences be effective for any product? What about luxury products that lay importance on human customer service? Even in the luxury goods industry, the proportion of sales that occur through e-commerce is growing, however, in terms of AR or VR experiences, companies are still searching for the right way forward.
BALMAIN, a brand headed by Creative Director Olivier Rousteing, streamed its Paris Collection show publicly through an app when it was held in January this year. The experience of the fashion show, which so far had only been the special privilege of invited guests, was now able to be viewed by anyone in real time. BALMAIN is also actively making use of XR. A month before one of their new stores opened, they featured special VR and AR content on their app that allowed a virtual visit to the new store.
Ian Rogers, CDO of LVMH Group, quoted the words of CEO Bernard Arnault in saying that “brick and mortar stores will always be at the heart of our business. Our mission in relation to the customer experience is not to transfer shopping of luxury goods to online, but to make online shopping (experiences) luxurious.” He indicated his company’s direction towards laying the most importance on customer relations and creating exceedingly personalized experiences while also protecting the confidentiality of customer information.
At the 2018 Viva Technology event, LVMH Group revealed AR/VR experiences for three of their subsidiary brands. Guerlain has a makeup AR experience, Dior has a VR experience of their Paris Collection show, and Ruinart has a VR trip to a champagne cave. Each brand, of course, holds its own strategy, but it will be worth paying attention to how luxury brands link these experiences with e-commerce and go on to develop this aspect of their businesses.
Text: Ching Li Tor
Original text (Japanese): Motoko Tani
