Mastercard has teamed up with crystal jewellery company Swarovski to launch a VR shopping app for the Atelier Swarovski home décor line, which can be paid for in VR via Mastercard’s digital payment service Masterpass.

The app, created by immersive tech company Youvisit, enables consumers to place their phone into a compatible VR headset to enter the shopping environment. It lets them walk through five areas of a virtual home to browse designs, from the collection of crystal home accessories, by architects and designs such as Kim Thome, Aldo Bakker, Tomás Alonso, and Zaha Hadid.

Within the environment, the user can learn about the stories behind each piece, read descriptions, see prices, and watch videos about the creation of the products.

Consumers login to their Masterpass accounts via the app. If a consumer sees a piece that they want to purchase, they can add I to the cart and checkout by focusing their gaze on the Masterpass button.

“As our e-commerce business continues to grow, this partnership allows consumers a fully immersive shopping opportunity to interact with the product and then purchase seamlessly within the experience,” said Nadja Swarovski, member of the executive board for Swarovski’s Crystal Business. “The cutting-edge VR technology allows consumers to fully realise scale and engage more deeply with design details before making a purchase – anywhere. We’re grateful to have Mastercard join us for this exciting, first-time endeavour.”

The VR app will be available to download from the iTunes app and Google Play stores from next month.