By Ruth Richter • October 03, 2018
Remember the excitement when the Christmas catalogs started to arrive in the mail? And how tempting the TV shopping channel was? If you can’t remember the introduction of online shopping that started in 1994 with a customer purchasing a compact audio disc by Sting, you probably do recall the launch of Amazon.com! It took a few years, but we all know that e-commerce took off and it’s here to stay.
So, what could the next frontier possibly be? V-commerce: virtual reality maneuvered into the shopping experience.
V-Commerce: The Next Frontier
Not surprisingly, Amazon is one of the e-commerce leaders spearheading the charge toward v-commerce. In 2017, Ikea, Target, and Amazon all launched an augmented reality tool that lets customers see how different pieces of furniture, décor, and electronics will look in their home. AR views layer the product image over your camera function; users can adjust the placement by pinching and rotating the image on their camera screen.
V-commerce allows a creative blend of physical brick-and-mortar retailing and e-commerce. Now is the time for retailers to pay attention and consider getting onboard with AR and VR retailing opportunities. While not yet fully mainstream, almost half of surveyed consumers have already used either AR or VR at least once.
Get Ready for V-Commerce
Even if you’re not ready to jump into v-commerce just yet on your own site, now is the time to ensure you have good framework to support v-commerce down the line and begin laying the groundwork if you haven’t already.
V-commerce relies strongly on the connectivity of technology and devices. So, too, will your business need to rely on connectivity of technology. Whether you sell just on your own e-commerce site or farm out sales to third-party shopping carts or marketplaces such as Amazon, Shopify, or eBay, the first step is making sure those platforms connect and talk to each other and to your other data management software solutions. With IN-SYNCH by ROI Consulting, organizations can instantly and securely integrate their Sage 100 ERP with e-commerce platforms and third-party sellers. This integration ensures the right information gets to the right places so that everyone from the shopper to the behind-the-scenes fulfillment experiences a seamless order flow from click to delivery.
Integration with IN-SYNCH is fully customizable, allowing you to add additional platforms to integrate at any time. This means that as soon as you hear your product will be featured in the new virtual Walmart store, your IN-SYNCH integration can be updated to accommodate the new requirements for v-commerce listing.
Prepare with ROI Consulting
Full adoption of v-commerce could take some time, but with the clear strides taken by major e-commerce retailers to prepare for and adopt v-commerce, we predict it won’t be long before it’s as commonplace as traditional online shopping. Whether you’re getting ready for v-commerce or simply looking to add better integration to your e-commerce platforms and database systems, ROI Consulting has what you need with IN-SYNCH integration. With integration options ranging from basic to highly customized, you can be confident your systems will be communicating smoothly and ready for the next big retail innovation.
Contact ROI Consulting today to see how IN-SYNCH integration can best prepare you for the future.
