The launching of Taobao Buy+, a virtual reality shopping technology, had originally been scheduled for a September release. However, this was inevitably postponed. VR shopping was right there under our noses, but it somehow managed to silently slip away. Today, I will talk about VR shopping technology, which is currently a hot issue.

As I mentioned several times in some preceding columns, this year has been the first year when fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and e-commerce firms have begun to use virtual reality technology. The industry says that although many stores are recently showcasing various augmented reality (AR) shopping technologies, Alibaba's Buy+ is an application based on a higher level of virtual technology compared to others. I look forward to experiencing it once it is released.

AR, an abbreviation of augmented reality, is a technology that derives real world coordinates and angles from camera images and shows an overlaid scene of related images, videos and 3D models. This enables a convergence between the real world and the virtual world all on a screen. Contrarily, VR is an abbreviation of virtual reality. This technology enables the interaction between human and machine by using computer and advanced sensor technology. By combining computer graphics, simulation and sensor technologies, VR creates virtual information environments within a multi-dimensional information space to make the users feel as if they were actually there in the place. The basic nature of a VR environment consists of "immersion," "interaction" and "idea" with modeling and simulation being core elements of virtual technology.

At present, online shopping is conducted by using a computer or scrolling on a tablet computer, but in the near future, we will be able to enjoy virtual shopping simply at home. In the virtual shopping world, with just a few steps from your couch, you can arrive at a virtual innisfree flagship store, where SNSD's Yoona and superstar Lee Minho will welcome you. You can enjoy the products and the interior design throughout the store, and with just a single motion of your hand, the mask pack you want to see will appear in front of your eyes together with all the product information. Perhaps if you feel bored reading the description, I guess you may be able to ask Lee Minho to explain the product to you. If you feel like seeing another mask pack, all you need is another simple hand gesture. Once you have decided to buy a product, you can finish the payment right where you are.

This is not a scene from an SF movie but rather, it is a technology you will meet in the e-commerce market sometime soon. Isn't this amazing? The virtual reality world will continue to expand, and we will be able to see the above-mentioned imagination in the near future.