The virtual showroom is one of the rare concepts in tech that explains itself. The idea behind it is simple: your showroom, warehouse or shop is captured using high-quality images and then digitized. This allows your virtual environment to be accessed on any device that’s not older than a decade.
Online VR showrooms are always ready to explore, walk around in, or even fly through – without any of the practical issues that the latter endeavour would present in real life. A VR showroom can even be connected to your catalogue to enhance a visitor’s shopping experience and provide a seamless customer journey, from interest to purchase.
You shouldn’t take our word for it when we say that virtual showrooms are fantastic and nothing less than tomorrow’s technology, today. Bear with us!
As the first studio in Belgium to start developing 360-degree virtual tours and showroom experiences, our team at Poppr have noticed a shift over the past few years. A physical showroom today is, as its name implies, a space where items are put on display. To a large extent, many stores and showrooms are no longer being used by consumers as a point of sale in their shopping journey, since purchases are shifting to the online world – across all demographics. Showrooms are becoming increasingly expensive on the business end. On top of this, there’s currently a large elephant in the room – one that’s keeping everyone more grounded than ever and is eating away on physical showrooms’ ROI. COVID-19, indeed.
Caught in corona crossfire with your business? You’re far from the only one. Retailers and other organizations that rely heavily on brick-and-mortar stores or the display of physical products, will be affected for a long time to come. The solution is straightforward:
If your clients won’t come to your shop, your shop must go to your clients.
Online showrooms and virtual 3D shopping experiences are not some distant future – they are the present. Today’s technology allows you to record your showroom using 360-degree images. Alternatively, we can build a fully virtual shop from the ground up using 3D modelling. This virtual environment can be designed and programmed in any way imaginable.
Virtual showrooms aren’t meant to be the end of physical showrooms just yet, but the technology is far more capable and ready than the public opinion believes it is. Just have a look at our review of this home headset to see what we mean.
Discover all possible virtual showroom options
The current health crisis has merely sparked the anticipated shift towards a hybrid reality that merges virtual models with real-life experiences. Digital-first is the obvious default. New challengers and established tech leaders are working every day to map our surroundings and bridge the gap between the physical and the virtual world, until the divide becomes blurred.
The usual suspects like Google (Street View) and Facebook (LiveMaps) are taking the lead. Closer to home, our collaborative project with Voka is showing a glimpse of the new normal in virtual experiences.
At Poppr, we’re in it to make you successful. Your online showroom needs will depend on your KPIs and the position of your virtual environment within the bigger picture of your business model.
Depending on your customers’ behaviour, target market, digital presence and budget, we establish the requirements for your virtual showroom and design it to your needs for maximum impact that leads to customer conversion.
VR and AR experiences have quickly evolved from fashion to fact. Immersive digital experiences are here to stay. They can be used as standalone proofs-of-concept or showcases, to replace physical conference booths, or to deliver competitive advantage for your business. Smart online showrooms are integrated with your digital strategy and provide a future-proof addition to your business.
Still with us? Excellent. If you’re a marketing-driven business exec with no penchant for technical details, you can safely skip this section. Finally want to know the difference between VR and AR, however? Then keep on reading!
A VR showroom comes in different options, ranging from standard to highly bespoke. Here’s our virtual showroom showdown:
Like the panoramic pictures you can take using your mobile phone, but better. A team of professional photographers capture the different halls or rooms in your showroom. Users can later point, click and zoom in.
The same as above, in three dimensions. The depth of field in a 3D store or shop helps to get a sense of scale of objects for 3D online showrooms.
Virtual objects are projected on top of the real-world environment. In other words, virtual information is mixed with real-life input. Read the full run-down on AR.
A fully simulated environment, designed by creative and technical experts.
Challenge us and see how we can deliver conversion through immersion for your business.
Get in touch and tell us about your challenges. Together we'll make your organization thrive through premium, personalized immersive experiences.