Jewelry brand teams up with Mastercard on VR shopping app

Another retail brand has entered the virtual reality game.



Swarovski has teamed up with Mastercard to launch a virtual reality shopping app for the brand's line of crystal home accessories, Atelier Swarovski. The app is designed to immerse consumers in a beautifully decorated home setting where they can virtually browse and purchase crystal artwork using Masterpass, Mastercard’s digital payment service, without ever leaving the VR experience.



Consumers can place their smartphone into a compatible VR headset to enter the experience, which lets them walk through the five areas of the virtual home to browse designs. Once in the VR environment, they are able to learn about the stories behind each piece, read through descriptions, see the pricing, and in some cases watch videos about its craftsmanship. Using Masterpass, consumers can check-out from within the VR experience without having to add payment details. For a video on the app, click here.



When they launch the app, users are prompted to log in with their Masterpass account credentials, enabling them to checkout by focusing their gaze on the Masterpass button that appears at the bottom of the product description.



The virtual interactive experience was created and developed by immersive technology company Youvisit. The app will be available for download from the iTunes app and Google Play stores in October.



“Atelier Swarovski Home is a masterfully crafted collection that is most dynamic when experienced first-hand,” said Nadja Swarovski, member of the executive board, Swarovski Crystal Business. “As our e-commerce business continues to grow, this partnership allows consumers a fully immersive shopping opportunity to interact with the product and then purchase seamlessly within the experience. The cutting-edge VR technology allows consumers to fully realize scale and engage more deeply with design details before making a purchase – anywhere."