While online vehicle shopping has – to the surprise of many – seen a sharp uptick in the twenty-first century, there are some element of car buying that need more than a static photo on a web site. One maker of virtual reality technology is banking that their solution may be one of the links between the online experience and the visual experience in car shopping.
Augmented reality (AR) solutions provider Vuwzer has recently partnered with Vuzix Corporation, a producer of smart glasses technology. As a result, Vuwzer has announced that it’s providing the first “on-demand” virtual shopping visits by enabling vehicle shoppers to digitally connect to dealerships and “experience” a vehicle through the eyes of a salesperson. The online customer clicks on the Vuwzer logo on a dealership’s website from the vehicle details page, and a salesperson on the showroom floor picks up. Using Vuzix’s Blade Smart Glasses, the salesperson acts as the shopper’s eyes and ears.
“The customer can see, hear and interact with the salesperson and see other available vehicles as if they are standing right there from the comfort of their web browser, connected to the salesperson wearing the Vuzix Blade Smart Glasses,” said the company in a release. “The salesperson becomes their eyes and ears inside the dealer showroom or lot.”
Customers can ask the salesperson wearing Vuzix Blade Smart Glasses to look at certain areas of the car and interact with features. At the same time, shoppers can ask questions of a more general nature. It’s a great opportunity for a warm, low-pressure sales interaction, according to Vuwzer.
“Even though a majority of consumers start their car-buying journeys online, most end it with in-person purchases at the dealership,” said Vuwzer in a release. “Vuwzer’s virtual visits enable salespeople to build relationships with prospects and make a good first impression. So, when it comes time to make a deal, chances are those buyers will choose that dealership and even that salesperson.”
The two companies’ cooperation is an expansion of an initial relationship in which Vuwzer had ordered a number of Vuzix Blades for evaluation, development and testing purposes. The new orders are the first steps towards broader implementation of the virtual reality program.
