Louis Vuitton Virtual Goods
Are digital goods the future of luxury shopping?
Last week I made and shared Augmented Reality demos showing how Louis Vuitton’s current visual merchandising could be extended using AR both in-store and outdoors. The 3D AR models were exported as USDZ files — viewable and shareable without a special app — in Apple AR QuickLook on iOS.
This week I’m imagining how in the near future 3D AR objects will be sold as virtual merchandise alongside physical goods.
Image mockups by Helen Papagiannis in Apple AR Quick Look, AR and Object views.
Typically, when you view and share an AR object or filter, that experience and content lives inside an app like Snapchat or Instagram. You have to open up that app each time you want to view the AR content. With USDZ files and AR QuickLook on iOS, no app is required.
These AR files (pictured) are stored locally on your iPhone or iPad and are shareable via messages and email. Adobe supports the USDZ file format, making it easy to create and export AR experiences from Aero (an AR authoring and publishing tool that requires no coding).
(I can see Apple designing a ‘virtual library’ that allows you to have all your USDZ files in one place on iOS, the same way you can save PDF files to Apple Books on iOS. Currently, you can keep all your USDZ files in Notes or in Files on iOS. Perhaps we will see a ‘virtual library’ in the future when and if Apple releases AR eyewear.)
At this year’s annual Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, Geoff Stahl, Senior Director of Software, Technology Development Group at Apple, announced Apple Pay being integrated directly with AR Quick Look. This makes it easier for consumers to try on and buy items directly from within an AR experience. A few days ago, Apple’s Developer documentation was updated to include details on adding an Apple Pay Button to make a purchase in AR Quick Look.
Virtual try on experiences are an excellent use case for AR in retail: preview products to scale via AR in your home, office, and even on your body, and then purchase those physical items.
But what if in addition to physical merchandise, you could purchase virtual objects, like USDZ files, for which there may or may not be a physical counterpart?
Louis Vuitton Galleria Seoul Korea. Photo: Faye Mcleod
The demos above imagine this capability with AR. I created a series of AR demos inspired by Louis Vuitton’s Windows 2019 holiday designs and stellar visual-merchandising. The 3D AR demo featured in this post recreates the special outdoor installation at Louis Vuitton Galleria Seoul Korea (pictured above).
Louis Vuitton’s holiday shopping gift bags are considered a collectible (sold and bought on eBay). People want to own a part of the brand they love. So why not provide a digital offering as well?
A virtual gift alongside physical ones and Louis Vuitton’s collectible holiday shopping gift bag. Photo of AR demo by Helen Papagiannis at Louis Vuitton Maison Toronto.
Display your virtual good on your coffee table and as a sculpture in your home. Photo of AR demo by Helen Papagiannis at Louis Vuitton Maison Toronto.
In fact, Louis Vuitton is already in the digital goods market. Louis Vuitton partnered with American video game developer and esports tournament organizer Riot Games for the 2019 League of Legends World Championship in Paris designing a bespoke travel case for the Summoner's Cup trophy, prestige skins by Nicolas Ghesquière (LV’s Artistic Director of Women’s Collections), and other digital assets. This is the first time a luxury brand has produced custom skins for esports.
The first skin available in the League of Legends store has champion Qiyana’s ring blade reinterpreted with the emblematic Monogram and V-shaped ornaments. Champion Senna will also be getting a Prestige Edition skin designed by Ghesquière, coming in early 2020. Players and fans can also explore Qiyana’s Louis Vuitton tiara, earrings, and ring blade in AR thanks to a new Instagram filter. Find it in the filter tab of Louis Vuitton’s Instagram account (@louisvuitton).
Qiyana, also known as the Empress of the Elements, wears a total look designed by Nicolas Ghesquière, Louis Vuitton’s Artistic Director of Women’s Collections. Photo: Louis Vuitton
Qiyana, the Empress of the Elements, one of the champions in the most popular multiplayer esport in the world, League of Legends, pictured alongside Nicolas Ghesquière, Louis Vuitton’s Artistic Director of Women’s Collections. Image: Louis Vuitton
Consumer spending on gaming loot boxes and skins worldwide is predicted to hit $50 billion (USD) by 2022. Gucci is another luxury brand exploring virtual goods, offering high-end digital accessories and clothing to dress your avatar with in an app called Genies Inc. “If you think back 10 years, the way that luxury brands were advertising was essentially print campaigns that were created on a seasonal basis,” said Robert Triefus, Gucci’s executive vice president and chief marketing officer. “Today, the narrative that we’re telling at Gucci and the communities that we’re engaging with is essentially powered by digital.”
So what will the next 10 years look like for luxury brands, digital goods, and AR? As a trusted global authority on immersive and spatial computing with 15 years as a leader in the field, I can help you see and build that future today. Get in touch.
Related article: Is Augmented Reality the future of retail window displays?
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