Hologram industry leader Vntana is launching its latest software, Omnichannel 3D Automation, that lets brands optimize, convert and distribute 3D assets across web augmented reality and virtual reality. The object is to connect consumers with the right products. It also provides retailers cost and time-effective ways to create and distribute 3D versions of product across all digital channels.

The Vntana proprietary 3D viewer and CMS enables brands to get their products onto customers’ screens to virtually try-on products at home, which is proven to increase conversions by more than 50 percent. The company has developed hologram activations for a slew of top brands, including Adidas, Lexus and Intel.

Retail Customer Experience reached out to CEO and Co-Founder Ashley Crowder to get insight on what her company is seeing in the retail environment and her view on where emerging technologies, including augmented reality and virtual reality, are playing a role in the all-important customer experience.

Q. Let’s start with a little background on VNTANA. What was the driving reason for founding the company and does the name reflect something unique?

A. Ventana means window in Spanish (we dropped the E for trademark reasons). We wanted to give people a view into another world by placing the digital in the real world, seamlessly connecting the digital with the physical. We started in 2012 when phones were not capable of AR and there were no headsets on the market, so we built the first scalable solution for holographic projection. We delivered the highest quality holograms to engage consumers for brands like Adidas, Nike, DJI, Intel and more in retail, sports and live events. No one ever had the proper 3D files of their products, so we built software tools to help expedite the processing and distribution of 3D models. Our rich history in XR has given us the deep knowledge base to launch our new platform to help creators focus on what they do best: develop amazing experiences — while Vntana simplifies the creation, management and distribution of their 3D models.

Q. Where do AR and VR stand today in retail — is it in an infancy stage or maturing?

A. Retailers today are realizing the importance of AR and VR and are starting to define their 3D strategy. We saw the transition from film to digital years ago and now we are in the digitalto CGI (computer-generated images) transition phase. Most top retailers are investing heavily in getting all products in 3D so they can implement AR and VR experiences at scale. Having a 3D version of your product has proven to more than double conversion rates while also decreasing returns, so everyone is looking to capitalize on this to provide a better shopping experience to their customers. Brands like Ikea have been leaders in this space and have reaped the rewards. Using 3D assets increased their revenue by 35%. The big issue now is to figure out how to do it at scale and lower cost, which Vntana software solves. We’re also seeing industries benefit from using 3D internally to make quicker decisions. For instance, on average it takes three to four weeks to manufacture a sample apparel item and then you still need to present it to the team and potentially make changes. Using 3D, teams are able to make those decisions in minutes rather than weeks.

Q. How does such innovative technology play into the customer experience and are consumers embracing the experience from what you see?

A. Everyone has embraced online shopping, but people still go to brick and mortar for try-on and testing products in person. AR and VR solves this by allowing consumers to virtually try on products. Warby Parker’s app for example allows you to virtually try on a few glasses by holding the phone to see a selfie and digitally overlaying a pair of 3D glasses over your face. These types of experiences are proven to reduce returns and increase conversions because customers have a better understanding of the product features and fit. The reason we have not seen this more widely adopted is because traditionally creating an AR try-on experience was time consuming and expensive, with a lot of manual work from 3D artists. Vntana’s platform has powerful tools to expedite asset optimization, conversion and distribution through a proprietary 3D viewer – reducing the manual labor for creating 3D web, AR and VR experiences by up to 95%. We are excited to help companies scale this across millions of products at a fraction of the cost and time.

Q. Are there any misconceptions that retailers have about hologram experience?

A. With any new technology the term hologram has been used in a myriad of ways confusing the industry on what is actually involved. We prefer the term XR which is the full spectrum of putting the digital in the real world.

Underneath this umbrella term you can divide into three main areas:
1) AR in which you hold up your phone or wear a headset to see a digital overlay.
2) Hologram hardware that projects digital images in a space without the need for glasses or a phone.
3) VR headsets that completely immerses you in a digital world.

As technology continues to improve, these three segments will combine, and it will be easy for consumers to choose how much digital they see in their real-world environment. One of the things that some retailers don’t realize, is that XR can be easily implemented into their existing websites, mobile apps, and in-store experiences. Our software makes XR more accessible to retailers than ever before, allowing them to create amazing XR experiences with just the click of button.

Q. What do you predict or expect to be in play with holograms/AR-VR technology in five years and 20 years down the road?

A. Headsets will continue to get lighter and more stylish so everyone will be wearing them to have seamless access to data like never before. I’m excited for the future release of Apple’s headset which holds a lot of these promises. In the meantime, phones are continuing to get more powerful. Every phone released in 2019 had multiple cameras for better tracking to enable more virtual try-on so we will see more and more retailers utilizing this technology over the next five years. Once created, 3D models can be used in any XR medium, so as hardware continues to evolve the 3D content will be re-usable. VNTANA is excited to empower brands to create their digital twins for this exciting 3D future.