How Can Virtual Reality Reshape Furniture Retailing?

The authors explore the potential that Virtual Reality (VR) offers for the future of furniture retailing. For that purpose, they develop an Internet-based Virtual Reality Integrated Solution (VRIS) system that allows viewers to select furniture (sofa, chair, and table) to set up a living room. They also develop a two-dimensional static, image-based system as a control to test the effectiveness of VR over conventional formats of two-dimensional interfaces. The results demonstrate that enhancing consumers' ability to visualize furniture coordination produces significant, positive differences in their product experiences and decision-making. The authors propose that VR-integrated Web sites should function as a virtual front door to brick-and-mortar stores. They outline a click-and-brick strategy for furniture retailing and describe how the VRIS system can contribute to shaping furniture retailing in fast-moving and unpredictable markets.