5G & Immersive Retail Experience

From entertainment and leisure to fashion and electronic items, Australians are turning to online shops to get their goods. Australians’ love for online shopping is clear to see, with the 2019 Australia Post eCommerce industry report, noting that more than 73% of Australian households shopped online in 2018.

The team at Optus discovered a variety of use cases that utilise the current benefits of 5G, 3D and AR (augmented reality) technology to enhance the online retail experience, with the help and collaboration of the experiential experts at Plattar. The aim? To create immersive shopping experiences for consumers that retail staff can support, both in-store and online.

Imagine placing a product in your home virtually before purchasing them to make sure it fits with your aesthetic or experiencing the enhanced technology of a handset or gadget before buying it. “AR has moved from a boutique app experience to something that will work using your mobile phone camera and browser with WebAR,” says Rupert Deans, CEO of Plattar. According to Deans, 5G is already helping businesses work towards creating a seamless experience for customers with its fast speeds and bigger bandwidth.

With a growing 5G network and stores throughout Australia, the team at Optus are looking at ways to enhance the consumer experience for Australians. Using the Optus flagship store on George St as a 5G playground for collaborations with innovative tech companies, testing these new technologies will benefit Australian consumers by providing them insight into what’s possible today and what tomorrow may hold.

Maurice McCarthy, Vice President of Retail and Channel Sales at Optus, says 5G may hold the key to creating the best AR experience both online and in-store. “As Optus aims to create a seamless experience for customers with these AR solutions, 5G brings faster speeds and high bandwidth that takes this experience to a completely new level”.

But when will these technologies be readily available? With the recent global change in retail trends, it could be sooner rather than later. Big brands are already looking to offer seamless AR experiences, with Ikea acquiring an augmented reality (AR) start-up to help drive shoppers online

As an unexpected outcome of the recent shift in shopping and socialising, forward-thinking brands now have the chance to redefine the retail experience by utilising existing technologies that are enhanced with 5G’s ample bandwidth and fast speeds. Likewise, present-day technologies allow shoppers to enjoy remote in-store experiences, browsing products using AR and VR technology.

The future of retail has recently been thrust into the spotlight, with many big brands and small businesses pivoting to create a space for their shops and products. While existing 5G technology is providing a seamless shopping experience, the ongoing development of the Optus 5G network will truly revolutionise the shopping experience with exciting and immersive 5G applications.                                        

Optus 5G rolling out in selected areas. Not available in NT or TAS. Check if 5G is available in your are here .