Introduction : 

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The methodological foundations of education are changing little or not at all, but the tools available to students are being modernized. Curricula are giving more space to practical experience, and this is also true for subjects such as marketing and merchandising. With a generation that increasingly zaps, students sometimes find themselves faced with a rather disappointing reality: courses can sometimes become repetitive and unstimulating, and solutions have to be found. 

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Students' expectations are sometimes at odds with the traditional learning methods offered by academics. The world of teaching does not systematically adapt to the communication habits and digital tools of the younger generations.

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Despite the importance of the theoretical concepts and knowledge covered in class, students feel a growing need for more practical application. For them, learning through theory alone is no longer enough to develop their skills and confidence in an education system that remains the antechamber to the world of work. There is often a disconnect between the tools used in the classroom and the reality of the workplace. 

Students aspire to an educational experience that will enable them to truly immerse themselves in the challenges and opportunities of the working world, by applying the knowledge they acquire in real-life contexts. 

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Their expectations, taking on real challenges, experiencing concrete situations. 

Group work on specific case studies is no longer enough. And yet, digital technology encourages the introduction of new tools and methods to meet their expectations. 

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Since the Covid-19 pandemic, online courses via videoconferencing have become increasingly widespread. In addition to face-to-face courses, more and more courses are also being delivered using virtual reality. It is now commonplace to find a variety of learning formats such as online courses, face-to-face courses and e-learning platforms. 

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In a recent PWC study, we reveal the figures confirming that virtual reality makes an enormous contribution to the learning assimilation process. 

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VR learners felt 3.75 times more emotionally connected to the content than face-to-face learners, and 2.3 times more connected than online learners.

The advantage of using virtual reality in learning is that it allows learners to mix theory with practice.

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The article highlights six key points: 

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• Putting it into practice
• Provide a distraction-free learning environment 
• Offer engaging learning experiences
• Providing personalized learning 
• Leave room for error
• Track learning progress 

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Virtual reality marketing courses offer the ultimate learning advantage: enabling students to seamlessly merge theory with practice. Thanks to this immersive technology, students are immersed in a realistic virtual environment where they can not only acquire theoretical knowledge, but also put it into concrete practice.

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Context: VR to help teach merchandising. 

Traditionally, merchandising is implemented directly in physical stores, which can limit the scope for experimentation and concept visualization. This is where virtual reality offers a significant advantage, enabling the benefits of immersivity to be enjoyed without the need to deploy costly means such as purchasing environments or fitting out specific physical stores. 

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Virtual reality makes it possible to create interactive simulations that faithfully reproduce real-life situations encountered in the marketing field. Students can immerse themselves in virtual scenarios.

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Using these virtual environments, students can interact and experience the consequences of their decisions and actions, enabling them to test their concepts with other classmates or even external panels. Virtual reality (VR) tools encourage collaboration within working groups, enabling collective progress in the project. What's more, students benefit from immediate feedback and valuable advice from teachers, enriching their learning.

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One of the most beneficial aspects of using virtual reality is the opportunity to make mistakes without real consequences. Students can explore different approaches, test innovative ideas and evaluate the results. This promotes experiential learning and enables students to develop their creativity and problem-solving skills in a safe, pressure-free way.

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What's more, virtual reality offers a dimension of immersion and engagement that stimulates learners' interest. By being immersed in captivating virtual environments, they are more motivated to explore, learn and actively participate in their training. This immersive approach also promotes knowledge retention, as experiences in virtual reality remain anchored in learners' memories.

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Case in point: Audencia, a business school using virtual reality!

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Did you know that Audencia, a business school based in Nantes, France, has used virtual reality to make certain courses more concrete and immersive? The following article explains .

The teachers came up with the idea of gettingstudents more involved with this fun, innovative technology.

Students can immerse themselves in a virtual store and apply their merchandising skills.

As this graph clearly shows, the majority of students expressed satisfaction with the experience. The positive results reflect the positive impact of virtual reality tools on student engagement and understanding, reinforcing their overall appreciation of this pedagogical approach.

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Conclusion: 

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The use of virtual reality in marketing and merchandising courses offers an innovative and enriching learning experience. It enables students to develop their practical skills, creativity and problem-solving abilities, while boosting their motivation and commitment. This technology opens up exciting new perspectives for education, and prepares students to meet real-world challenges with confidence and competence.

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Overall, the figures support the idea that integrating virtual reality into marketing courses is a valuable opportunity. It improves student engagement, promotes realistic practical application. Educational establishments can prepare future marketing professionals to meet real-world challenges in innovative and effective ways.

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Retail VR pioneers virtual reality merchandising. 

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We have long been convinced that virtual reality applied to merchandising courses is an advantage in student learning. 

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Based on this conviction, we have designed and adapted dedicated learning modules to enable teachers and students to create online virtual stores in a simple and intuitive way.

The Education offering is based on the Retail VR software suites that our retail and industrial customers use on a daily basis. 

We offer a very simple planogram tool that facilitates learning, enabling students to create from scratch planograms, flyers and furniture applicable to all target sectors (retail, fashion, pharmaceuticals, food, cosmetics, etc.), making it easier to understand micro-merchandising techniques. 

In addition, students can work on setting up virtual points of sale, boutiques, concept stores, corners and showrooms of all sizes, this time using macro-merchandising and visual merchandising techniques. 

These fully immersive stores are used to enhance the learning experience for students, who can work on point-of-sale design projects from A to Z.  

 Our commitments to teachers :

• An excellent teaching resource: students can learn business, merchandising and financial management skills by creating and managing their own virtual store.
• Create customized virtual stores: teachers and students can add products, set prices, create promotions and more.
• Use software that's easy to learn: it requires no technical skills and can be used by teachers and students alike.

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So, convinced?