Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings, a Japanese department store operator, has gone a level up to offer shoppers the opportunity to shop in virtual reality (VR shopping). The store is targeting shoppers who are avoiding physical stores because of concern about crowds during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Isetan Mitsukoshi began the VR service through a dedicated mobile phone application. Customers can walk around the VR reproduction of Isetan Mitsukoshi’s Isetan store in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district. Virtual sales representation appears on the screen, and shoppers can chat with the actual staff at the store. Shoppers can pick from more than 400 products.

Nakada Tomohiko, who oversees Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings, mentioned that the company’s main target is younger shoppers (teens and twenties) who are plausibly more comfortable shopping virtually. The company also expects to attract new shoppers who live far from Tokyo to visit the physical store.