2023 RTIH Innovation Awards: Virtual Store of the Year shortlist announced, including Confer With and Emperia
We’re pleased to announce the shortlist for the 2023 RTIH Innovation Awards Virtual Store of the Year category.
We received a record number of submissions this year and many fantastic examples of the continued resilience and dynamism of the retail space during hugely challenging times.
Our winners will be revealed at the 2023 RTIH Innovation Awards ceremony, which will take place at the Barbican Centre in central London.
The event will be held on Wednesday, 29th November, maintaining its popular evening format, with a drinks reception in the stunning Conservatory, followed by a Christmas themed three course meal, and awards presentations in the Garden Room.
Congratulations to all those who made the shortlist.
To book your place at the 2023 RTIH Innovation Awards ceremony on Wednesday, 29th November, click here.
Virtual Store of the Year shortlist as follows:
The winner of this award will have either launched a new virtual store in the past 12 months, or overhauled and significantly enhanced an existing one.
We’re looking for retailers/brands delivering seamless and personalised shopping experiences, engaging with customers in exciting and innovative ways via the likes of gamification, livestream commerce, and the metaverse, and boosting online sales.
Shortlist:
Confer With and OWAY Beauty
Confer With and OWAY Beauty have partnered on the OWAY Immersive Store.
This digital innovation was supplemented by a purpose built physical environment in Bologna, Italy – away from physical retail.
This space was equipped with easy-to-access cabinets, multi-angle cameras integrated with the Confer With platform, and a central table featuring a shoppable interface that customers could join and interact with a beauty advisor.
The result was an immersive, high engagement virtual shopping experience that maintained the brand's tactile allure while providing unparalleled convenience and personalisation.
Emperia and Lululemon
Lululemon introduced a virtual store in collaboration with Emperia, coinciding with the launch of its 'chargefeel 2' shoe. The campaign focussed on enhancing the active, athletic leisure customer experience and engaging users.
Lululemon's platform combines style, performance, and technology, offering fitness enthusiasts a dynamic retail journey.
The virtual world, inspired by urban, active environments, reflects the brand’s commitment to empowering individuals on their fitness journey. Customers were able to virtually try-on the 'chargefeel 2' shoes using AR technology within the store, promoting an active, empowered lifestyle.
Obsess and American Girl
Obsess powers highly engaging immersive e-commerce experiences for leading global brands including Ralph Lauren, J. Crew, Charlotte Tilbury, Corona and more.
It partnered with American Girl to develop an immersive virtual museum experience that drives shopper engagement, increases brand loyalty and generates additional revenue.
The museum features a virtual room for each doll in American Girl’s collection, plus an additional room that celebrates the brand’s “Girl of the Year.”
This autumn, Obsess created a gymnastics themed virtual room to celebrate 2024 Girl of the Year, Lila Monetti. These virtual spaces provide consumers with an interactive way to learn about each doll through games, quizzes and stories.
As a result, the add-to-cart ratio on AmericanGirl.com has been up to 25% higher for shoppers who have interacted with the virtual museum compared with shoppers who haven’t.
SpatialPort
SpatialPort is developing a B2B/B2C, mobile first, no-code, immersive 3D e-commerce platform with hyper realism, experiential AR, gamification and education.
The company was founded in San Francisco in November 2021 by a team of professionals in the fields of tech and metaverse to enhance the shopping experience at a further level (immersive and gamified) and community engagement:
Continue reading…