By Andrew Liszewski
Online shoe stores like Zappos are vastly superior to their brick-and-mortar counterparts when it comes to selection, but my shoe size varies from brand to brand and style to style, so actually trying a pair on is an important part of my decision process. So while I won’t deny that adidas’ new adiVERSE Virtual Footwear Wall is an impressive piece of technology, and is probably incredibly fun to play with, I can’t help but feel it would be out of place in a physical shoe store.
The adiVERSE is essentially a massive touch-screen interface that allows shoppers to peruse virtual versions of the shoes in adidas’ current lineup. And because they’re all rendered in 3D in real-time, they can be rotated, zoomed and thoroughly examined in the virtual space. And if you find a pair you really like, you can even order them via a tablet-based checkout or from the traditional cash desk where they’ll be delivered to your home. So basically it’s like a far more interactive experience than shopping for shoes from your browser, except that you have to leave the comfort of your living room couch to do it.
It is very unique though. But useless, they should have just implemented this as a new way to shop online for shoes.
But its not just about products that are in store its also access to products that are out of stock, unavailable, limited editions etc