dot.LA Summit: The Shopping Revolution Is Coming to Virtual Reality

Ilana Gordon
Ilana Gordon is an entertainment, culture, and tech writer originally from Connecticut. She currently lives in Los Angeles.
dot.LA Summit: The Shopping Revolution Is Coming to Virtual Reality
Photo by David Ruano

Ecommerce trends were top of mind during Friday’s “Revolutionizing Online Marketplaces” panel. Moderated by Grace Kangdani from Bank of America and sponsored by Zoolatech, the freewheeling discussion bounced from live streaming and social selling to data privacy, to determining the tipping point where market research crosses the line from constructive into “creepy.”

Featured panelists included Roman Kaplun (co-founder and CEO of Zoolatech), Dan Dan Li (founder and CEO of Popshop Live), and Montre Moore (co-founder and CEO of AMP Beauty LA). Talk centered around how far the industry has come in the last few years, and where it might be headed next.


“I see a lot of talk of virtual reality, augmented reality, 3D, trying on clothing on your mobile phones before going into a store,” said Kaplun. “A lot of omnichannel types of shopping.”

Moore — whose company sells clean and inclusive beauty products for all shades and textures — agreed that VR technology offers huge potential to create change, pointing to virtual makeup try-ons as helping to eliminate samples, thereby increasing sustainability.

But to compete in the beauty space in the future, Moore believes brands will have to lean into on-demand services and be able to gamify shopping.

“We all want to feel rewarded,” she said. “How can we actually build a more layered and dynamic experience for our customers?”

Comparing the relationship between her company and its customers to that of a group chat, she added, “We’re going to have candid conversations about how to improve the space.”

Conversation is also important to Li, whose company showcases designers and brands using both in-person and virtual pop ups. Their focus is not on followers, but on creating community and providing opportunities for consumers to engage in peer-to-peer ways. Live streaming tech, Li said, provides brands with new ways to tell their stories, showcase their products, and allow consumers to interact with each other.

A further evolution of how people communicate, Li compared live streaming to going to church on Sunday. “We’re all going to the same place for the same purpose,” she said.

Subscribe to our newsletter to catch every headline.

Astrolab's New SpaceX-backed Rover Could Change Space Exploration Forever

Lon Harris
Lon Harris is a contributor to dot.LA. His work has also appeared on ScreenJunkies, RottenTomatoes and Inside Streaming.
Astrolab's New SpaceX-backed Rover Could Change Space Exploration Forever
Photo by Samson Amore

This is the web version of dot.LA’s daily newsletter. Sign up to get the latest news on Southern California’s tech, startup and venture capital scene.

Local Los Angeles-area startup Astrolab Inc. has designed a new lunar vehicle called FLEX, short for Flexible Logistics and Exploration Rover. About the size of a Jeep Wrangler, FLEX is designed to move cargo around the surface of the moon on assignment. It’s a bit larger than NASA’s Mars rovers, like Perseverance, but as it’s designed for transport and mobility rather than precision measurement, it can travel much faster, at speeds of up to 15 miles per hour across the lunar surface.

Read moreShow less

Meet the Creator Economy’s Version of LinkedIn

Kristin Snyder

Kristin Snyder is dot.LA's 2022/23 Editorial Fellow. She previously interned with Tiger Oak Media and led the arts section for UCLA's Daily Bruin.

Meet the Creator Economy’s Version of LinkedIn
Creatorland

This is the web version of dot.LA’s daily newsletter. Sign up to get the latest news on Southern California’s tech, startup and venture capital scene.

LinkedIn hasn’t caught on with Gen Z—in fact, 96% rarely use their existing account.

Considering 25% of young people want to be full-time content creators and most influencers aren’t active on LinkedIn, traditional networking sites aren’t likely to meet these needs.

Enter CreatorLand.

Read moreShow less
https://twitter.com/ksnyder_db

This Week in ‘Raises’: Total Network Services Gains $9M, Autio Secures $5.9M

Decerry Donato

Decerry Donato is a reporter at dot.LA. Prior to that, she was an editorial fellow at the company. Decerry received her bachelor's degree in literary journalism from the University of California, Irvine. She continues to write stories to inform the community about issues or events that take place in the L.A. area. On the weekends, she can be found hiking in the Angeles National forest or sifting through racks at your local thrift store.

This Week in ‘Raises’: Total Network Services Gains $9M, Autio Secures $5.9M
This Week in ‘Raises’:

It has been a slow week in funding, but a local decentralized computing network managed to land $9 million to accelerate deployment of its new product called Universal Communication Identifier (UCID™). Another local company that secured capital included Kevin Costner’s location-based audio storytelling platform and the funding will go toward expanding the app’s content library and expanding into additional regions in the United States.

Read moreShow less
RELATEDEDITOR'S PICKS
LA TECH JOBS
interchangeLA
Trending