TOPIC 01 Shopping in a virtual space? What is the aim of the virtual Isetan Shinjuku flagship store?
To put it bluntly, stay-home meant keeping people away from the world that extended outside their homes. Drinking around the table with your favorite people and shopping in the crowded stores were equally to be refrained from, and the newly established physical distancing turned the former routine into a "nostalgic time. The newly established physical distancing has turned the old routine into a "nostalgic time". In fact, it could be said that the period of self-restraint was a time to realize the importance of these things. In the midst of all this, the digital world, where "three densities" can never be created, became more vibrant day by day. As online communication becomes more established and mature than ever before, we are sure to see a phenomenon that has never happened before.
One case study full of possibilities is the virtual store of "Isetan Shinjuku Main Store. From April 29 to May 10, the Corona disaster, a trial store was opened in the virtual city of "Paraleal Tokyo" within the "Virtual Market," an exhibition and sales event in virtual reality, attracting a lot of attention. While the store also implemented a direct link to its own e-commerce site, the main sales were a variety of virtual fashion items for "avatars". We interviewed the founder, Asahiko Nakata, about this next-generation initiative that overturns the conventional wisdom of Isetan.
PROFILE
Born in Tokyo in 1984. Graduated from Waseda University, School of Political Science and Economics, and joined "Isetan" (currently Isetan Mitsukoshi) in 2008. After working in store and buyer operations in charge of menswear and in the Seamless Promotion Department of the MD Division, he has been a member of the Related Business Promotion Department of the Chief Officer's Office of Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings since 2008, and is currently undergoing trials of a "virtual store and digital wear business" that offers a lifestyle to avatars. " trial is underway.
I heard that the idea has been in the works for about 10 years. How did the idea of opening a "virtual market" come about?
It all started at the "iPhone" conference held by "Apple" Inc. at the same time I joined "Isetan". Among the innovative functions of the smartphone, I saw Steve Jobs' presentation of flying freely around the world on "Google Maps," and I envisioned my dream of "someday building 'Isetan' inside the Internet. In 2018, an in-house entrepreneurship program was created, and I tried to enter the program but was unsuccessful. The following year, I taught myself 3DCG, created a "virtual Isetan," and tried again.
The upper image is the "Virtual Isetan Shinjuku Main Store" currently being created. Below is the basement entrance.
Mr. Nakata stands at the information counter.
What do you think are the possibilities of the "virtual market"?
We believe that there is potential for both revenue and value to exceed reality, including retail and department stores. We believe that the role of department stores is to collect what customers want according to the times, and to edit and develop them according to their interests. We feel that the original role of department stores is to provide the products demanded by today's online communication, in this case, avatar clothing, voice, and movement. Also, in terms of selling data rather than inventory, products with challenging designs can be planned in an environment where there is no risk of holding inventory. I believe that a bright future full of newness awaits us, giving fashion the power of design once again. I also see great potential in being able to offer such products to customers around the world 24 hours a day by multiplying elements such as decorative development, service, events, occasions, and people power.
What this store opening confirmed for me was that branding in a real place can achieve more than the same value in a virtual one. In fact, I greatly felt the "value of goodwill" that has been built up over the years, such as "Wow, there is 'Isetan'" and "I was moved by meeting the sales staff," and I feel that the senior staff gave us a boost.
The upper image shows the sales floor of "Minotaur Inst" created as a "virtual Isetan. Below is the sales space for women's shoes.
What is your vision for the future and what specific expectations do you have for the interaction between real and virtual stores?
As just one example, body scanning in a physical store will allow customers to carry their own body scan data in their smartphones. In the department stores of the near future, fitting and measurements will be eliminated, allowing for a smarter shopping experience that reduces "time loss. On the other hand, in the virtual world, scanned data can be used as avatars, leading to "shopping experiences that enjoy the process and create memories" of shopping while interacting with people you like. In other words, we believe that this will create an interaction that reverses the conventional concept of "shopping smartly in the real world and enjoying shopping online while interacting with others. We are entering an era in which the entire space can be converted into data through future communication systems, and we would like to create the value of such a "roundabout process" in online shopping.
This is because we believe that the future is "an era of self-realization through two selves, a real self and a virtual self. We believe that in the coming age of digitalization and the ability to transcend time and space, we will be able to expand the age and trade area of our target customers compared to the past. However, even as the times change, I would like to take on the challenge of maintaining the core values of department store services: a place to shop with someone you love, a place where you can encounter unexpected things, and a place where you can receive the best service.
The short boots in the photo are still available at "Virtual Market". Both brands of women's shoes by "Isetan Mitsukoshi
(NT). Each ¥1,500+tax (Virtual Isetan Shinjuku Main Store)
