A virtual wall for shopping anytime, anywhere is set to be a reality. Aimed at triggering impulse buys, ecommerce players are testing waters with a virtual wall. Besides adding another revenue channel, the wall will also help act as an advertising tool for online retailers.
Wall defined
A virtual wall displays products on a large screen. Customers who have a smart-phone can scan the products and merchandise of their choice.
The quick response (QR) code embedded on the wall will direct them to the merchant site where consumers can pick the product of their choice. The merchandise can be bought through a credit, debit or even the popular cash-on-delivery mode.
Players who have begun experimenting with a virtual wall include, among others, Yebhi.com and HomeShop18. Fashion and lifestyle retailer Yebhi.com has introduced 30 virtual stores across Café Coffee Day outlets in two cities — Delhi and Bangalore.
Says Manmohan Agarwal, Founder-CEO, Yebhi.com, “We are adding another service level by introducing a virtual wall. The idea is to make shopping simple, quick and easy. Also, with smart-phone penetration increasing, we see more online purchases happening through the mobile phone.” According an eBay India report, shopping is the third most popular category of search after emails and social networking. The report also notes that mobile-commerce is becoming important not just for operators, but also for consumers who are using their mobile phone as a window to transact ‘anytime and anywhere’.
HomeShop 18 also introduced its virtual shopping wall at New Delhi’s IGI airport. Sundeep Malhotra, Founder and CEO, HomeShop18, said, “With the virtual shopping wall, we embark on the next major journey into m-commerce. The idea behind ‘scan N shop’ is to enable tech-savvy, smart-phone and tablet users to experience a smart new way of shopping.”
Mapping preferences
Hybrid grocery retailer Aaramshop.com, which had earlier introduced QR code, said it will also roll out a virtual wall soon.
Says Vijay Singh, CEO, Aaramshop, “Though it is in early stage of adaptation for consumers, we are gearing to make it available for those who are keen on it. The wall will also help us map what consumers are buying more frequently”. Internationally, too, virtual walls are catching the fancy of retailers.
Players such as Tesco, Adidas and Target have experimented with such a mechanism in several developed markets.
One of the most talked about currently is a Tesco shopping wall at one of the railway stations in South Korea. It was a touch display wall, where commuters could actually buy the groceries while waiting for their train and the items would be delivered home.