Purchasing in virtual reality is a wish for 73% of Brazilians

25th May 2017 – Brazil – The use of Virtual Reality (VR) for shopping may be closer to Brazilian day-to-day life than we imagine, according to new research by Worldpay, a global leader in payments, which reveals how it is already desired by most of the country. Offering a range of opportunities for different markets, a virtual environment can be created when a consumer wears a VR headset, which transports them to either an imaginary experience, or one with realistic images, sounds, and other sensations which have been designed to replicate a real world experience.

The study found that 73% of Brazilians surveyed have an interest in shopping using VR – significantly higher than other countries surveyed such as Germany (59%) and even Japan (57%). With the launch of more and more products integrated with VR, the research has highlighted how the technology is becoming even more accessible and catching the attention of Brazilian consumers.

According to the study of 2,004 Brazilians, 85% of those interviewed would consider purchasing a product in VR, and 84% would like to see physical stores using the technology. However, 56% say that the ability to visualize and experience a product or experience in VR or Augmented Reality (AR) would not change their likelihood to impulse buy. Over and above this, the security of virtual payments is a concern for almost half (43%) of Brazilians surveyed.

To help overcome the perceived security barrier, researchers at Worldpay are investigating how shoppers can pay using a credit or debit card while remaining immersed within a virtual environment. The global payments processor has created a proof of concept, which provides the same levels of convenience, and security that shoppers have in-store and online, without needing to leave the virtual world.

The prototype design uses Host Card Emulation (HCE) to virtualize the purchasing process. The payment uses EMV* technology, and the prototype works in the same way a contactless payment does – with a tap of the (virtual) card across a (virtual) card machine. To insert the PIN, Worldpay has created a technology called AirPIN. This first of its kind allows the consumer to see a range of numbers whilst immersed in the virtual reality environment, and then collect the four numbers that make up their PIN, one by one, using their virtual controller.

It is hoped that this new shopping experience could help to stimulate VR adoption amongst consumers. The research found that currently the main reason why more consumers have not used VR or AR is down to a lack of opportunity (54% of respondents), followed by the expense (33%), and a lack of understanding on how it would benefit their daily lives (17%).

“As more consumers have the chance to experience this technology, there is a stronger opportunity for them to see all benefits that VR could offer – not just related to shopping but other daily activities such as playing video games, doing physical activities, even through to work collaboration such as 3D presentations in real time with executives from different offices, which could be very useful for architecture for example. For this reason, companies working in Brazil have a special role in exploring how VR could help them better connect with consumers”, explains Juan D’Antiochia, General Manager for Latin America, at Worldpay.

D’Antiochia continued, “Consumers are becoming more demanding of technology innovations and new payment methods can offer potential benefits for each type of business. Our report shows that 90% of Brazilian respondents would like to see this type of technology being used in apps for the retail sector. As more companies experiment with VR/AR in their endeavour to drive higher customer engagement, they need to consider if VR technology can support purchases as well. Whatever the sales channel, it’s vital to make the payment process both slick and secure for customers. A compelling, immersive and seamless VR experience may even have the capability to increase sales.”

* EMV stands for Europay, MasterCard and Visa, and is a global standard for credit and debit cards that uses computer chips to authenticate (and secure) chip-card transactions.

About the data
The research was conducted by research house Opinium in March 2017 and interviewed 16,000 consumers who have heard about Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality in Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, Japan, The Netherlands, United States of America and United Kingdom. In Brazil, the study interviewed 2,004 people.

About Worldpay
Worldpay is a leading payments company with global reach. We provide an extensive range of technology-led payment products and services to around 400,000 customers, enabling their businesses to grow and prosper. We manage the increasing complexity of the payments landscape for our customers, allowing them to accept the widest range of payment types around the world. Using our network and technology, we are able to process payments from geographies covering 99% of global GDP, across 146 countries and 126 currencies. We help our customers to accept more than 300 different payment types.

For more information, visit http://www.worldpay.com/global

For more information, please contact:

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Emily Lahey, PR Director
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emily.lahey@worldpay.com

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Michelle Tsukayama
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Lucas Rodrigues
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lrodrigues@golin.com

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João Denófrio
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