Retailers turn to virtual reality to lure shoppers back into stores

Washington

JOHN Goodwin has never been sky diving before.

But here he is, staring out over a craggy, sun-drenched canyon in Moab, Utah, lurching toward a gutsy jump off a 420-foot cliff. He instinctively searches for something to grasp onto as the edge gets near. But the red rocks disappear from under his feet as he declares: "I'm flying!" Well, sort of.

Mr Goodwin's daredevil adventure is happening on a virtual-reality (VR) headset. In Manhattan. Inside a North Face store.

North Face is among a growing group of retailers testing whether VR technology - once largely thought of as a playground for gaming nerds - can help bring in big dollars. It is part of an urgent push b…