Mixed reality merchandising: bricks, clicks – and mix

Mixed reality (MR) applications should now be developed for product merchandising. In the light of recent advances in apparel 3‐D design and merchandising technology we argue that MR could now be applied to the sales of relatively low‐end, high volume items, such as clothing and especially sports equipment. The disadvantage that relatively few shoppers could experience the MR application at firsthand, could be offset by the massive leveraging effect of displaying the mixed reality merchandising events within a networked multi‐channel marketing context, which could truly begin to define a shared zone within which on‐line virtual trading can merge with the richly crafted physical environment of a department store. The existence of an MR infrastructure in a store could begin to open the retailing space to on‐line virtual visitor access. Two technical sketches of mixed reality merchandising scenarios (featuring women’s garments and ski equipment) are given as examples.