Monday, January 08, 2007

V-tailing, where virtual worlds meet e-commerce

Steve Rubel reports on the Sears/IBM collaboration into Second Life where users can change the look of their kitchen - all intended to drive traffic to Sears stores.

(this hotel lobby is one of our favourite interiors!)

This is something we have developed some time ago (screenshot to follow) although not into Second Life.

Using a flash-base and integrating cgi-based models of kitchen units, handles, splashbacks etc., we are able to provide a fully interactive model of any kitchen/bedroom/bathroom, or indeed any room of the house where options are available.

Unsurprisingly, this is used in the house-building industry to sell add-on options and is proving to be quite useful revenue generator.

Equally and a somewhat undervalued benefit is that is allows the seller to engage the buyer via other media than the brochure or telephone. Typical users (or at least house-builders who currently use it) report back that they enjoy feeling in control of the buying process.

In the habit of being in control at work, these property buyers like the experience of chopping and changing the interiors at their leisure (whether using a DVD or online) without a pushy salesperson.

Equally, marketeers benefit from an enhanced relationship with a potential buyer. There is no more anonymous collection of brochures. More time is spent with each client allowing a post-site channel of communication to open.

Check out some of our interiors on flickr.

If you want to learn what we can do for you too, just email whiterosenewmedia (at) gmail (dot) com!

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