Alibaba uses virtual reality to make shopping more interactive

E-commerce giant Alibaba launched its virtual reality shopping programme during the weekend amid a global VR frenzy, but warned that commercialisation of the VR technology was still some time away.

Alibaba’s Buy+ will allow users to select apparel and accessories with the help of a 360-degree panoramic view and assistance from a robotic shopping assistant.

It is still a technology that is being explored and at present has no business goals, said Zhuang Zhuoran, the mobile technology director of Alibaba.

“An initial market for VR and AR (augmented reality) is yet to be developed [in China]. The industry needs time more time to mature,” said Zhuang, who’s also in charge of the company’s newly established VR/AR research lab. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.

Chris Tung, Alibaba’s chief marketing officer, said the company is helping consumers to look into the future by bringing in cutting-edge technologies. However, the adoption of these would need to wait till the whole industry matures and only then can Alibaba bring VR shopping to the market, he said.