Vuzix Receives Follow-on Blade Smart Glasses Orders to Provide On-Demand 'Virtual Shopping Visits' to the Automotive Industry

Integrated Vuzix Blade Smart Glasses and Vuwzer solution is currently being deployed into automotive dealerships

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Aug 07, 2019, 11:05 ET

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Aug. 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Vuzix® Corporation (NASDAQ: VUZI), ("Vuzix" or, the "Company"), a leading supplier of Smart Glasses and Augmented Reality (AR) technology and products, today announced the Company has received additional orders for Vuzix Blade Smart Glasses from Vuwzer, a software provider that enables true virtual visits between customers and enterprises across an array of industries, creating a customer experience that makes the interaction with customers more enjoyable. Vuwzer had previously ordered a number of Blades for evaluation, development and testing purposes and these follow-on orders are the first steps towards broader implementation.

In the automotive industry, Vuwzer is providing the first 'on-demand' virtual shopping visits by enabling automobile shoppers to seamlessly connect to dealerships via Vuzix Blade Smart Glasses technology. The online customer simply clicks on the Vuwzer logo on the car dealer's website regarding the vehicle details page (VDP) they are interested in or its search results page (SRP) to connect with a salesperson on the showroom floor at the dealership where the vehicle of interest is located. The customer can see, hear and interact with the salesperson and see other available vehicles as if they are standing right there from the comfort of their web browser, connected to the salesperson wearing the Vuzix Blade Smart Glasses. The salesperson becomes their eyes and ears inside the dealer showroom or lot.

Commonly asked questions can be easily answered by a salesperson wearing Vuzix Blade Smart Glasses powered by Vuwzer simply by looking at specific areas of the car and conversing with the caller. Since customers initiate Vuwzer virtual visits, salespeople can engage those warm leads in a low-pressure sales manner. A true virtual visit creates trust, building loyalty to a dealership before customers even set foot on the showroom floor. Even though a majority of consumers start their car-buying journeys online, most end it with in-person purchases at the dealership. Vuwzer's virtual visits enable salespeople to build relationships with prospects and make a good first impression. So, when it comes time to make a deal, chances are those buyers will choose that dealership and even that salesperson.

In addition to the automotive industry, the Vuwzer AR business intelligent platform supports manufacturing, training and technical support, construction and engineering and medical industries, providing a new level of engagement and excitement for its customers.

"The Vuzix Blade Smart Glasses best fit our clients' needs to facilitate a virtual visit using our software. The Vuzix Blades Smart Glasses are not only comfortable to wear, but most importantly these smart glasses enable Vuwzer to deliver a reliable and quality integrated solution to our customers. Vuwzer is currently targeting more than 28,000 automotive dealerships including many of which we already have existing relationships with. Our goal over the next 18 months is to achieve a 10% penetration rate with the automotive dealerships and place two or three smart glasses units for each rollout," said F Eric Hinkle, Founder and CEO at Vuwzer.

"The consumer facing use cases for normal looking smart glasses continues to expand and now includes virtual visits that connect car buyers to Blade-equipped salespeople on the showroom floor. The team at Vuwzer has developed an incredible foundational experience in the automotive industry and Vuzix is excited to support their efforts to roll this solution out to thousands of dealerships across the country and across several other markets including manufacturing, training and construction," said Paul Travers, President and Chief Executive Officer at Vuzix.

About Vuzix Corporation

Vuzix is a leading supplier of Smart-Glasses and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies and products for the consumer and enterprise markets. The Company's products include personal display and wearable computing devices that offer users a portable high-quality viewing experience, provide solutions for mobility, wearable displays and augmented reality. Vuzix holds 146 patents and patents pending and numerous IP licenses in the Video Eyewear field. The Company has won Consumer Electronics Show (or CES) awards for innovation for the years 2005 to 2019 and several wireless technology innovation awards among others. Founded in 1997, Vuzix is a public company (NASDAQ: VUZI) with offices in Rochester, NY, Oxford, UK, and Tokyo, Japan. For more information, visit Vuzix website, Twitter and Facebook pages.

About Vuwzer, Inc

Vuwzer, Inc is a software development company focused on providing on demand, peer to peer visual and audio communications using smart glass technology. Industry clients include retail operations such as auto dealerships, real estate sales and high-end auction houses; as well as, government contract construction management firms, damage restoration companies and insurance claims. The founders of Vuwzer have established roots in the automotive industry and co-founded the largest dealership CRM provider VinSolutions in 2003. VinSolutions was acquired in 2011 by AutoTrader.com. Vuwzer is based in Lenexa, Kansas.

Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer

Certain statements contained in this news release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward looking statements contained in this release relate to the Vuzix Blade Smart Glasses, our business relationship and eventual sales opportunities with Vuwzer and among other things the Company's leadership in the Smart Glasses and AR display industry. They are generally identified by words such as "believes," "may," "expects," "anticipates," "should" and similar expressions. Readers should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are based upon the Company's beliefs and assumptions as of the date of this release. The Company's actual results could differ materially due to risk factors and other items described in more detail in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's Annual Reports and MD&A filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and applicable Canadian securities regulators (copies of which may be obtained at www.sedar.com or www.sec.gov). Subsequent events and developments may cause these forward-looking statements to change. The Company specifically disclaims any obligation or intention to update or revise these forward-looking statements as a result of changed events or circumstances that occur after the date of this release, except as required by applicable law.

Media and Investor Relations Contact:

Ed McGregor, Director of Investor Relations, Vuzix Corporation [email protected] Tel: (585) 359-5985

Vuzix Corporation, 25 Hendrix Road, Suite A, West Henrietta, NY 14586 USA,
Investor Information – [email protected] www.vuzix.com

SOURCE Vuzix Corporation