Office Depot Brings VR Tech To In-Store Merchandising

While Office Depot is probably not on anyone’s short list of “retailers seriously into cutting-edge technological solutions,” that may be more of a limitation on our part than on the brand’s part.

According to new reports, Office Depot is unleashing the power of virtual reality in their physical stores.

Specifically, Office Depot has tapped the ShopperMX online 3D VR platform from InContext Solutions. The technology is used to create engaging in-store experiences designed around better and more realistic simulations.

The VR upgrade is about more than creating something that Office Depot’s customers can remark on the coolness of — it is also about data. Among the benefits of the new tech-backed shopping experiences is that it gives the retailer the option of using the tech to track user reaction and behavior, and then uses that new data stream to better build out the experience or design entirely new ones.

“Virtual reality will allow us the convenience and simplify the process of creating and testing concepts that resonate with shoppers,” said Stephanie Gutierrez, VP of marketing, Office Depot. “With ShopperMX, Office Depot is investing in virtual reality technology as a priority to continue to innovate while better anticipating customer needs.”

Office Depot is the trailblazer for VR in office supplies. So far, the retail applications of virtual reality have been more limited to home improvement, particularly over at Home Depot and Lowe’s. There have been some noises among apparel retailers about the potential future for VR — particularly out of Tommy Hilfiger and The North Face — but no specific plans have launched of yet.