Cereal manufacturer Kellogg’s has become the latest firm to adopt virtual reality hardware and software in order to enhance the retail experience, blending digital solutions with physical stores in order to enhance its sales and win over customers.

At a time when the high street is struggling to compete with safe shopping online, many retailers and their brand partners are seeking answers to the question of what makes people commit to an in-store purchase. Rather than using guesswork, Kellogg’s harnessed VR headsets with built-in eye tracking capabilities to work out how people behave on a minute level when visiting real-world outlets, according to Internet Retailing.

While wearing the equipment, participants were able to navigate a CGI store and make virtual purchases. Analysts then used the data gathered to work out where the hotspots for grabbing the attention of consumers could be found, letting them then apply this to bricks-and-mortar stores.

A thorough reshuffling of products carried out according to the findings of the VR experiment allowed Kellogg’s to boost sales by almost a fifth, which is a significant uptick that other brands and retailers would no doubt appreciate.

VR and augmented reality (AR) are becoming increasingly relevant throughout the retail sector, especially in the online space. Companies like IKEA are using AR in particular to allow users to get an idea of what products will look like before they order them without having to use guesswork or look at static two-dimensional images.

Utilising VR for analytical purposes like this could give the high street a better chance of competing with e-commerce sites. Or at least it will allow brands with enough financial clout to work out where they can place their products in-store to receive the most attention, at the expense of their rivals.