A few years ago, watching a good science fiction movie, you might not have imagined that today, in the 21st century, we would be talking about virtual reality. What seemed like a distant dream and only possible in afternoon movies is now a reality.
In fact, we are increasingly immersed in this new virtual universe, and if you haven't noticed, stop for a second and think about how your brand has been communicating. Whether on social media, Instagram, WhatsApp or whatever platform, your company must be online.
But today, you need more than just being connected. With the arrival of virtual reality, you need to adapt. If your company is not yet part of this new reality, know that this is the next step in transforming your brand and we'll show you why.
Virtual reality in marketing: what changes in practice
Virtual reality (VR) is the creation of a fully digital environment that you can feel immersed in through specific goggles or headsets. Beyond games, it is already used in different sectors—such as training, psychology, education, entertainment, and marketing—to create more immersive experiences. For brands, VR can make the journey more personalized and memorable, increasing interest and making leads more likely to move forward. In 2025, with advances in devices and “spatial computing” experiences, brands are testing immersive journeys more often.
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Create fully virtual experiences with a sense of presence and interactivity;
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Personalize journeys and reduce friction in discovering products/services;
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Bring people closer to the brand through exploration and “try-before-you-buy” experiences;
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Increase engagement and make information and support easier to access;
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Start with 360° video or evolve to a VR platform/app.
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What you will see in today’s content
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What virtual reality is and how it creates fully digital environments;
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The difference between VR and other forms of extended reality (XR), such as AR/MR;
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How VR is used beyond games and which sectors already use it;
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Why VR can transform marketing actions and the lead journey;
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An example of an immersive experience applied to online retail (eBay and Myer);
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VR benefits for companies: mobility, immersion, and higher engagement;
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How to use VR for tours, meetings, and bringing audiences closer to the brand;
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Two ways to start: 360° video and a virtual reality platform/app;
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Considerations before scaling: LGPD, experience data, and user comfort.
Let's go?
What is virtual reality?
Before we go any further, you need to understand what virtual reality is. We're going to give you a brief summary so that you can understand more about this new tool in an uncomplicated way, okay?
As its name implies, virtual reality is basically the world you know, but within a digital universe. Using specific glasses or helmets, you can visualize these environments and feel like you're in them.
To avoid mixing concepts, it helps to remember that VR is part of extended reality (XR): VR places the user in a fully virtual environment, while AR/MR overlays digital layers onto the physical world. In 2025, “spatial computing” devices and experiences make immersive journeys more accessible, which is why more brands are testing them.
But if you used to think that virtual reality only applied to games, that's a big mistake. Despite being an innovation in the world of games, virtual reality goes much further and it is possible to live great experiences within this new universe.
As a user, you emerge into this 100% online scenario, which, by the way, is very real, and live as if you were really there. In this alternative reality, you are represented by an avatar and can interact with other people or carry out everyday actions, such as going to a concert or closing a deal.
Today, virtual reality is already used in various sectors for a variety of purposes, such as training soldiers. It is also used in psychology, education, entertainment and even marketing.
Virtual reality and its contribution to marketing
As we mentioned earlier, virtual reality is also directly linked to the actions of major brands. But how has this tool revolutionized marketing? In short, new technologies can promote a differentiated and personalized experience, contributing to the optimization of leads' journeys.
To find out how to attract customers online and see the effects of virtual reality marketing in practice, you don't even have to go very far. One example is the eBay brand - one of the largest e-commerce companies in the world.
A well-documented example is the eBay and Myer virtual reality department store, launched as an initiative in eBay Australia. It allowed shoppers to browse categories, view product details, and add items to their cart inside an immersive environment — a practical snapshot of how VR can reduce friction and increase engagement.
At any time of day and regardless of where you are, all you have to do is access the platform and experience a day of shopping on eBay. The personalized platform provides a differentiated experience for each user, who can choose their areas of interest and buy their desired items with just the movement of their eyes.
Practicality, flexibility and personalization are certainly a unique and incredible experience! As a result of this new experience and greater immersion in your services, leads are more likely to close the deal.
In practice, VR’s marketing impact often comes from a sense of presence (telepresence) and interactivity, which make experiences more vivid and memorable. Research in immersive environments links these factors to higher engagement and stronger purchase/action intentions — which, in demand generation, can translate into more qualified time spent and better conversion outcomes when the journey is well designed.
You can already see how virtual reality impacts marketing strategies for prospecting and the sales process, can't you? But this is just one of the major transformations the tool can bring to your company. We'll talk more about this in the next topic!
Image: Visuals like this help convey the sense of immersion enabled by virtual reality.
Benefits of virtual reality for your company
By now you've understood that virtual reality is a way of introducing your company to the digital landscape. But the new tool can also bring great advantages to your company. Below, we'll list 3 benefits of the technology in customer prospecting.
Mobility
In addition to its contributions to marketing, two major advantages of virtual reality are its flexibility and practicality. Without having to travel to the location, both your clients and your staff can benefit from virtual reality for online meetings.
The new technology allows clients to get to know your institution without having to go to your company. That's right, through virtual reality, clients can visit your office or get to know your university without leaving home.
In education marketing, this becomes virtual reality for student recruitment: guided campus tours, lab visits, class simulations, and virtual open days help prospects picture themselves in the institution’s daily life. University projects and papers have documented VR specifically applied to recruitment and campus familiarization.
Similarly, you can hold meetings with all the members of your team. All you have to do is bring them together in the online environment, using avatars, and create your online meeting room.
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More interactive and immersive platforms
With the implementation of virtual reality, your platforms become more interactive and immersive, allowing customers to experience the services offered by your company in practice.
Customers no longer see your brand as something far from their reach. On the contrary, with technology, they get closer to your company and experience, within this virtual environment, a little of what you have to offer. It's a kind of free pre-purchase experience, you know?
Greater engagement and easy access to information
We've already talked here about how technology can change the way your brand positions itself, but have you ever stopped to think about how this whole new process can impact the way consumers position themselves?
Virtual reality is directly linked to customer satisfaction in services. Here , the calculation is easy: the more immersed the customer is in your product, the more likely they are to complete their purchase. In other words, virtual reality increases customer engagement, as most of the time they are better informed and have their questions answered in less time.
In addition, virtual reality is linked to content marketing and can improve your customer service channel. Consumers interact more with your company and the services you offer and find it easier to get in touch.
How to implement virtual reality?
Now that you've gotten this far and know more about this new universe, it's time to find out how to put it into practice in your brand. In this topic, we've brought you two ways of investing in virtual reality marketing to get you started.
1. 360° video
Starting with a video can be a great option for your first contact with the new technology. To explain what 360° virtual reality video is, let's give you a practical example. Imagine the following situation: you have a decorating company and the customer needs to take a tour of your store to choose some items.
With 360° video, they can visit the entire environment without even leaving the house. The video is made with objects and scenes that are as close as possible to the reality of your business.
In fact, nowadays there are specialized cameras for producing these 360° videos that help make the experience even more real. Such an investment is well worth it to get a satisfied customer and promote personalized service.
2 Virtual reality platform
We've already mentioned throughout this post that apps can bring great benefits to your brand, so they couldn't be left off our list.
As well as being a major trend when it comes to digital marketing, a reality app is the most immersive and personalized experience a customer can have.
With the platform, the customer not only connects with your brand, but can also carry out actions within the app and understand, in practice, the benefits that your company can bring.
But regardless of which tool your company uses, here's an extra tip: stay tuned and keep up with technology!
Before scaling, plan two areas: (1) what data the experience collects (forms, analytics, event tracking) with attention to privacy rules such as Brazil’s General Data Protection Law (LGPD); and (2) user comfort, since headsets can trigger discomfort for some people. Clear onboarding and shorter sessions typically reduce drop-off and improve satisfaction.
Just like virtual reality, new tools can help you attract customers and transform your company's results.
That's why it's important to stay alert and connected. And to help you keep up to date, we have a special post for you. Check it out now: 5 digital technology trends for mobile devices.
Frequently asked questions about virtual reality in marketing
What is virtual reality (VR)?
Virtual reality is basically the world you know, but inside a digital universe. Through specific goggles or headsets, you can view virtual environments and feel inserted in them. In this fully online scenario, the user “enters” the experience and can live situations as if truly present. Interaction often happens through an avatar, enabling actions and social interaction within the virtual environment.
What is the difference between VR and AR/MR within extended reality (XR)?
VR is part of extended reality (XR), but it is not the only layer. While virtual reality creates a fully virtual environment, AR/MR mixes digital layers with the real world. This distinction helps avoid confusion: VR is complete immersion in a digital universe; AR/MR combines digital elements with the physical environment. In today’s context, advances in devices and “spatial computing” experiences have encouraged brands to test immersive journeys more often.
Is virtual reality only for games?
No. Although VR became prominent in gaming, it goes far beyond that. The text points to uses in several sectors with varied goals, including training (such as soldiers’ training), psychology, education, entertainment, and marketing. This reinforces that VR can be applied to leisure experiences as well as professional, learning, and audience relationship contexts.
How does the user interact inside a VR experience?
Within a virtual environment, the user is represented by an avatar and can interact with people and elements in the scene. The experience aims to feel quite realistic, creating a sense of presence (telepresence) and enabling interactivity. In practice, this can include participating in social activities, such as attending a concert, or even business-related actions, such as closing a deal, depending on how the experience is built.
How does virtual reality contribute to marketing?
VR can deliver a differentiated and personalized experience, helping optimize the lead journey. By making the experience more vivid and interactive, the technology tends to increase interest, qualified time spent in the journey, and willingness to progress to a business action when the journey is well designed. The benefit usually comes from the sense of presence and interactivity, which makes contact with the brand more memorable.
What example is mentioned of VR applied to e-commerce?
The text mentions a virtual reality department store developed as an initiative between eBay and Myer on eBay Australia. The idea was to let the user explore categories, see details, and add items to the cart in an immersive environment. It also describes an experience in which the user could personalize areas of interest and shop using eye movements, highlighting practicality, flexibility, and personalization as intended outcomes.
What benefits can VR bring to a company in lead generation?
The content lists benefits such as mobility, more interactive and immersive platforms, and higher engagement with easier access to information. Mobility is presented as an advantage for meetings and visits without travel. Immersion makes the experience feel closer and more hands-on, helping audiences “experience” services. And engagement tends to increase when consumers feel more inserted into the product, with questions answered faster and easier interaction with the company.
How can VR help with tours and visits without leaving home?
The technology allows customers to get to know an institution without physically going to the location. The text gives examples such as visiting an office or seeing a university remotely. In educational marketing, this can translate into guided campus tours, lab visits, class simulations, and virtual “open days,” helping candidates imagine themselves in the institution’s routine. The central idea is reducing access barriers and bringing people closer to the real experience.
What are the simplest ways to start implementing virtual reality?
The text suggests two ways to get started: 360° video and a virtual reality platform. 360° video is presented as a good first step, enabling tours of environments (such as a store) without travel, using scenes designed to be as close as possible to the company’s reality. A VR platform/app is described as the most immersive and personalized experience, where customers can take actions inside the application and understand, in practice, what the company offers.
What should you consider before scaling a VR initiative in a company?
Before scaling, the text recommends planning two points: (1) the data collected in the experience (registration, analytics, events), with attention to Brazil’s General Data Protection Law (LGPD); and (2) user comfort, since headsets can cause nausea or discomfort for part of the audience. It also recommends clear onboarding and short sessions to reduce drop-off and improve satisfaction.
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