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As Alibaba Group makes a play for the Australian market, it has revealed what its future here could hold.

The Group is the largest e-commerce player in the world, with 423 million users in China alone and annual transactions of $248 billion a year.
Alibaba Group launched its virtual reality (VR) shopping programme at its 'Taobao Makers Festival' over the weekend.

While the programme could shake up the retail market, here and globally, it admitted the technology may be some time from full commercialisation.

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

Alibaba Group launched its VR strategy in March by establishing the GnomeMagic Lab to develop technologies and supporting infrastructure.

The lab has completed several hundreds of product models for its Buy+ technology but it was a small proportion noting there are more than a billion items listed on Taobao in total.

In February 2016, Alibaba Group also invested in Magic Leap, an augmented reality and virtual reality technology development company.

Magic Leap is currently developing a 'mixed reality' (MR) headset that would use a type of light-field technology to stimulate 3D images superimposed on the real world.

The MR technology would project patterns of light to the eye, enabling it to perceive virtual objects similarly to the way people naturally see existing things.

Along with the hardware, Magic Leap is also building the software that would support the deveice including cloud and internet services, a unique user interface and experience and customised operating system components, as well as connections to link and work with the existing platforms.

VR at the Taobao Marker Festival

The audience at the festival will have the opportunity to wear Alibaba’s VR headset and be taken through a futuristic shopping experience, including a VR robot to help customers choose the best products to suit their needs and a 360-degree panoramic view that enables shoppers to view products on offer in more detail.

This technology also includes an interactive “check for details” function with models showcasing apparel and accessories products on a catwalk.

The festival also brings together major VR companies from all over the world to demonstrate the latest technologies. “Tech talks” will be held throughout the three-day festival with globally renowned technology experts sharing new trends and views on how technology can further inspire and redefine peoples’ lifestyles.

The GnomeMagic Lab

Building on its existing VR strategy, in March 2016, Alibaba announced the launch of its VR research lab, “GnomeMagic Lab”.

The lab has been set up to develop cutting-edge VR/Augmented Reality (AR) technologies to empower its various businesses and partners to overcome technical barriers at the lowest cost, and unlock their creativity via VR.
The lab has already completed hundreds of highly sophisticated product models.

The next phase will be to develop standardized tools so that brands and merchants selling on Alibaba’s platforms can build their own 3D inventories. The long-term goal is to enable businesses to set up VR stores as quickly and easily as they can a web page.

Alibaba’s vision for VR

Moving forward, Alibaba will work with other businesses within the Group such as Alibaba Pictures and Alibaba Music to produce premium VR content, and support hardware vendors to popularize new VR devices.

With interactive content and cutting-edge technology, Alibaba plans to turn VR into a communication tool that can help companies engage with consumers on a more personal level, creating a rewarding and engaging shopping experience by taking them into “the store”.

Alibaba believes the VR shopping experience will become a valuable and sought after service in itself, just as much as the products on offer online. Alibaba Group sees huge potential in VR going forward. Goldman Sachs predicts that revenues generated by VR and AR hardware will reach USD $110 billion within ten years, and that VR devices will become as pervading as televisions.

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