Macy’s Partners With Marxent On Largest VR Rollout

Macy’s and Marxent have announced a partnership that will enable the largest virtual reality (VR) rollout in retail history, with approximately 70 Macy’s VR installations in stores nationwide.

It is expected that an additional 20 locations will be launched by January 2019, enabling customers to discover products and make informed buying decisions using the Macy’s VR furniture experience.

“Macy’s is constantly looking for ways to bring excitement and fresh experiences to our customers. Through the Macy’s VR furniture experience, we are giving our customers a new way to visualize a large selection of furniture products,” Hal Lawton, president of Macy’s, said in a press release. “Customers design their living space and, using a VR headset, immerse themselves in the virtual rooms they create. VR is a practical application proven to drive sales, and a terrific example of combining technology and the human touch.”

Through the program, customers can more accurately visualize their spaces and add multiple furnishings with confidence. In the three pilot stores, VR-influenced furniture sales have increased by more than 60 percent compared to non-VR furniture sales, and returns have decreased to less than 2 percent.

“With the Macy’s VR furniture experience, customers can take a 2D floorplan and transition it to 3D in real time,” said Beck Besecker, co-founder and CEO of Marxent. “Macy’s VR for furniture is an easy-to-use application, and consumers have a huge selection to choose from. The technology decreases return rates and VR gives customers a real omnichannel experience.”

In addition, the companies are offering an augmented reality furniture experience called “See Your Space IRL,” which allows customers to virtually place Macy’s furniture products in their actual living spaces. “See Your Space IRL” is now available on the Macy’s mobile app for iOS on the iPhone 7 and newer, and will be available on the Macy’s app for Android in 2019.