As a retailing and consumer science student at the University of Arizona, Nicole Gil-Lopez studies how store layouts shape shopping behavior, how product placement drives sales, and how retailers use consumer science data to make decisions. She has analyzed case studies, developed merchandising projects and discussed various strategies in class. 

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This semester, she is doing something entirely new: stepping into extended reality and applying those lessons in a virtual environment. Gil-Lopez and her classmates are part of a merchandising systems course at the U of A that is integrating extended reality technology into the curriculum in new ways. 

Extended reality is a term for immersive technologies such as virtual and augmented reality that merge the physical and digital worlds. Using this technology, students in the retailing course interact with realistic, data-driven computer simulations that allow them to test ideas and explore retail environments in ways that would be impossible in a traditional classroom. 

Wearing a high-tech headset, Gil-Lopez enters the Lundgren Consumer Science Lab – but not the one she is used to. This version of the learning laboratory exists entirely in virtual reality as a full-scale replica known as a "digital twin," where shelves can be rearranged at the click of a button, product displays shift instantly, and shopper movements can be tracked and studied in real time. 

As she walks through the virtual aisles, Gil-Lopez picks up a digital shampoo bottle and reads the label – every detail identical to the real-world version. 

"Putting on the headset and visiting the digital twin for the first time was mind-blowing because of the amount of detail involved," said Gil-Lopez, a senior in the College of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences. "The carpet has the same color and patterns, the wood in the displays is there, the paint, the ceiling – even the mirrors. It is all really mind-blowing." 

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Combining digital immersion with traditional classwork allows students like Gil-Lopez to experiment with retail concepts in entirely new ways, said Soo Hyun Kim, a retailing and consumer science assistant professor of practice. Kim redesigned his merchandising systems course this semester to help introduce extended reality into the curriculum.  

"I saw an opportunity for students to learn in a three-dimensional, interactive environment," Kim said. "In order to complete certain projects in class, they visit virtual stores and investigate how shoppers move, what they buy and where they spend their time. Not only do we use real data in a virtual environment, but students also gain experience with advanced technology before competing for jobs." 

From brick to click 

In 2022, former Macy's executive chairman Terry Lundgren and his wife Tina gave $5 million to the U of A with a vision to overhaul how the next generation of retail professionals and consumer scientists learn. Their gift spurred the creation of the Lundgren Consumer Science Lab, a state-of-the-art facility designed to bring immersive technology, data analytics and cutting-edge research methods under one roof. 

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The lab's physical location – which is mirrored in the digital twin – features a staged retail space, advanced in-store analytics technology that tracks and records shoppers' movements, a touchless point-of-sale system, and space for student entrepreneurs to host pop-up sales of their merchandise. The lab also includes the Digital Makers Space & Creator Corner, a video and podcasting area that includes professional lighting and sound equipment and the technology to scan and develop 3D renderings of products. 

"The Lundgren Consumer Science Lab is truly integrating cutting-edge technology into studying how consumers shop and experience products, while also allowing students to create, scan and showcase their own products in person and virtually – it is absolutely fantastic," Lundgren said. "I do not know of any other retail program in the United States that is as advanced as the University of Arizona." 

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"When we first talked about digital twins and how they replicate real life, I realized how much I loved the idea of recreating entire spaces or specific moments in time," Guerra said. "You can visit places you've been before or perhaps never visited, so you can experience them almost exactly as they are. Imagine capturing your home the way it is now so that in 20 years, you could revisit it virtually." 

Guerra and her team spent months refining every detail – from recreating store shelves to adding an AI-powered cashier named Andre to help guests in their virtual shopping experience. Even after the initial development, Guerra continues to oversee and maintain the digital twin, ensuring the platform remains aligned with the evolving needs of students and faculty. 

After months of scanning, modeling and integrating real-world data, the 3D environment is now a place where ideas can be tested and insights discovered. 

"It is really interesting to see what extended reality can do," Gil-Lopez said. "Not just socially or for entertainment, but in a professional or academic setting as well. The great thing about extended reality is that you don't need to go to a place to have an experience, and we are studying how to incorporate that immersive experience into business."