Luxury Brands Embrace the E-Commerce Metaverse With Virtual Stores

The metaverse just got more luxurious.

Immersive commerce platform ByondXR has recently launched virtual stores for L’Oreal Luxe for Armani Beauty and YSL Beauty Thailand. Aiming to become the “Shopify of the Metaverse,” ByondXR specializes in XR technology for e-commerce, creating 3D stores and showrooms for businesses, brands, and retailers. The company has served clients such as Lancôme, Calvin Klein, Olay, and Target, before their partnership with L’Oreal Luxe for Armani Beauty and YSL.

This partnership boosts the already growing status of virtual reality and augmented reality as the future of e-commerce. Today, XR is not just an exciting feature of video games— it is fast becoming a wise business decision.

Luxury Brands Join the Metaverse With Virtual Stores

Fans of L’Oreal Luxe for Armani Beauty can now head on to the brand’s virtual store, launched just recently. This partnership between ByondXR and L’Oreal Luxe for Armani Beauty ushered in a new age of online shopping in the metaverse for luxury goods.

The virtual store was set up to mimic the experience of shopping at an actual L’Oreal Luxe for Armani Beauty store. It even features a digital memory game, which shoppers can play to win prizes. There is also a virtual makeup tester, the “Virtual Try-On” where users can check out what some products would look like on them before purchasing them.

In Thailand, YSL Beauty also stepped into the metaverse era, launching its own virtual store just this month. Similar to L’Oreal Luxe for Armani Beauty’s store, YSL’s XR store features games and brand experts to assist customers while they virtually enjoy the store.

Enhancing the E-Commerce Experience

The COVID-19 pandemic that forced people to stay inside their homes made online shopping the go-to for consumers. But while it was convenient, many shoppers missed the actual experience of wandering around a store and checking out the items for sale, instead of scrolling up and down a computer screen, looking at 2D images of the products.

But now, the metaverse is changing the landscape of e-commerce. Picture yourself in bed at home on a cold day, just relaxing. You are in the mood for some retail therapy, but you don’t feel like going out. AR and VR can help.

Virtual stores are simply the XR version of a company’s physical store. Instead of going to a shopping center or a brick-and-mortar store, customers can visit a store using virtual or augmented reality. With virtual stores for brands like L’Oreal Luxe for Armani Beauty and YSL Beauty, the experience of online shopping is taken to the next level. Customers can feel like they are in the store without actually having to step out of their houses.

This means that lockdowns or unexpected emergencies would no longer hinder business. Business hours would become irrelevant—you can open your virtual store 24/7. Even geography would no longer be a barrier—people from all over the world can visit your store remotely.

Metaverse as the Future of E-Commerce

With more and more brands recognizing the potential of virtual and augmented reality for e-commerce, we can expect to see more companies embracing virtual stores. It’s a unique yet familiar experience for shoppers, one that just might pave the way for the metaverse becoming the future of online retail.