How brands can use AR and VR to create immersive festive shopping experiences

As the festive season approaches, we know it’s not just about finding the perfect gifts—it’s about the excitement of the entire shopping experience. With the rapid rise of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), brands have an incredible opportunity to transform how people engage with holiday shopping. These technologies can turn mundane purchases into immersive, memorable experiences, offering something far beyond traditional e-commerce.

Why AR and VR are essential for festive shopping

The festive season is all about sensory overload—bright colors, festive music, and vibrant in-store displays. With AR and VR, brands can bring these elements into the digital realm, transforming online shopping into an immersive and engaging experience. AR overlays digital content onto the real world, allowing consumers to interact with products using their smartphones. For instance, a beauty brand can let customers virtually try on makeup, while a furniture brand can allow users to see how a couch would look in their living room. VR, on the other hand, creates fully immersive digital environments, where customers can explore virtual stores, interact with 3D product displays, and even participate in virtual events—all from the comfort of home. In fact, over 70% of consumers believe AR enhances their shopping experience, according to a Deloitte report, and AR is projected to drive $18 billion in retail sales by 2025. This makes AR an indispensable tool for brands seeking to captivate the festive shopper.

The growth of AR and VR in retail

You may have noticed how quickly AR and VR have gone from futuristic concepts to everyday tools for brands. According to PwC, AR and VR are expected to contribute over $1.5 trillion to the global economy by 2030, a staggering increase from $46.4 billion in 2019. This growth is being driven by consumer demand for more interactive and personalized shopping experiences, especially during key retail periods like the festive season.

AR and VR are fundamentally changing how customers interact with brands and products. By creating experiences that blend the physical and digital worlds, AR allows customers to engage with products in a deeper way, while VR can transport them to completely new environments. These technologies can make a brand’s festive campaigns more engaging, memorable, and ultimately more effective at driving sales

For example, Bubble Network supported Crash.club—the lab-grown diamonds and silver jewelry brand by CKC—successfully integrated the Mirrar virtual try-on tool, elevating its customer shopping experience to a whole new level. With this seamless integration, Bubble Network enabled Crash.club to bridge the gap between physical and digital shopping. Now, customers can easily visit the Crash.club website, select their favorite jewelry pieces, and virtually try them on in real-time—right from the comfort of their homes, making the shopping process both immersive and convenient.

AR: Making “Try before you buy” seamless

If you’re selling physical products, one of the best ways to use AR is through a “try-before-you-buy” feature. This has become increasingly popular in the beauty, fashion, and home décor sectors. AR gives customers the ability to try out products in a virtual environment, significantly reducing the guesswork associated with online shopping.

For example, brands like Sephora have led the way with AR-powered virtual makeup trials. Sephora’s Virtual Artist allows users to try on different lipstick shades or eye shadows through their smartphone camera. During the holiday season, when customers are shopping for special occasions or gifts, this feature adds significant value by reducing the uncertainty around their purchases.

Similarly, IKEA’s AR app allows customers to visualize how furniture pieces would look in their homes before making a purchase. This is particularly useful when shopping for festive decorations or home upgrades—shoppers want to ensure that everything fits perfectly with their holiday setup before they commit. With AR, you can offer your customers that reassurance.

VR: Immersive festive worlds

While AR enhances the real world, VR has the power to completely transport customers into new environments. For the festive season, this opens up exciting possibilities for creating virtual storefronts or even entire shopping experiences that immerse customers in a holiday atmosphere.

Imagine creating a virtual winter wonderland for your brand, where customers can “walk” through snowy streets, explore beautifully decorated shops, and pick out gifts in a virtual setting. Last holiday season, some major retailers, like Macy’s, experimented with VR recreations of their iconic holiday window displays. This allowed customers from anywhere in the world to enjoy these festive scenes, and even make purchases directly from the VR environment.

Another innovative approach is using VR for gamified shopping experiences. Picture this: your customers enter a virtual store where they participate in a treasure hunt for hidden discounts or exclusive items. This element of interactivity makes shopping fun and engaging, ensuring your brand leaves a lasting impression.

Giving customers the phygital experience

In an increasingly digital world, AR and VR offer the perfect opportunity for brands to stand out during the festive season. By leveraging these immersive technologies, brands can enhance customer engagement, drive higher conversion rates, and offer a shopping experience that resonates with the excitement of the festival itself.

As a digital-first agency, we've helped several brands bring these experiences to life, including AR-powered try-ons, VR showrooms, and interactive product demos. The results speak for themselves, with increased sales, deeper consumer engagement, and brand loyalty.

Brands that embrace AR and VR this festive season will be the ones to create lasting impressions and win over today’s tech-savvy consumers.

This article is penned by Sahaan Suman K, Founder and CEO of Bubble Network

Disclaimer: The article features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the stance of the publication.