Virtual Reality IRL at Shop.org

The future is now.

This thought went through my head several times this week at Shop.org in Los Angeles, especially when I was sampling some of the virtual reality (VR) immersive experiences that were on display on the trade show floor.

The VR experiences I've demoed in the past have been proof of concepts designed to help retailers envision a future state of VR- assisted shopping. To be honest, I never really tested a true VR experience, one built in partnership with a retailer that featured actual merchandise and allowed the end user to connect with an online shopping experience … until now.

At Shop.org I witnessed how a consumer can view and purchase yoga clothes from Los Angeles-based Body Language Sportswear while completely immersed in a VR experience.

The experience was made possible through the Payscout VR Commerce app from global payments processing provider Payscout. The app features an integration with Visa Checkout (VCO), which allows users to register payment credentials within the service or access their existing VCO account.

To experience the virtual store, users need a smartphone, a Google cardboard, and the app (available on Google Play and coming soon to Apple’s App Store).

The user launches the app and enters payment credentials, and selects the retailer — in this case, Body Language Sportswear.

Up comes a 360-video experience of a day in the life of a “Body Language Believer,” which then gives way to a “virtual store.”

On the virtual shop floor, lifelike moving virtual models show off the brand’s various leggings and tops. Users can see how items fit from every angle, and explore products interactively by rotating or enlarging items. They can then select the items and put them into their shopping carts.

The Payscout VR Commerce app also includes a menu-driven checkout experience, which securely confirms the user's purchase and incorporates the payment credentials and shipping details from VCO. After successful processing the payment transaction via Payscout VR Commerce, an interface to the merchant's fulfillment center is triggered with all the order details.

“This is a watershed moment in payments and VR," said Payscout CEO Cleveland Brown in a statement. "We've seen many prototypes and simulations of VR shopping, but this is the first time anyone can experience real commerce in VR."

Are you ready for VR shopping? Smart retailers better be.