Virtual reality was first imagined in science fiction, and emerged in real life via an immersive film-viewing cabinet created in the 1950s. Now, commercial applications for virtual and augmented reality are flourishing and fundamentally altering the ways people interact with each other and their environments. While technological barriers and a lack of content have so far prevented mass adoption, VR has gradually become the next generation platform for many economic activities whose growth has been stagnated by the pandemic.
Travel, lifestyle and performance luxury brand Tumi has waded into the waters of VR with its first online experiential store, launched last week for customers in the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. Ushering in a new age of digital retail, Tumi’s virtual store inspires customers to embark on a journey through thoughtfully designed interactive touchpoints. The virtual store is connected to other Tumi shopping channels, including local e-commerce websites, which allow customers to engage with sales associates and make enquiries like they would in a real-life setting.
On virtualstore.tumi-asia.com, you can now shop for the brand’s new spring/summer 2021 collection, which showcases its focus on sustainability, innovation and design that extends beyond a singular, seasonal function. A key release is the new Alpha Bravo Spruce sustainable capsule collection, which is made from recycled nylon, exclusively launched via the virtual store and globally available only from April.
This article first appeared on Feb 15, 2021 in The Edge Malaysia.