At the Virtual Worlds Conference this week in Manhattan, as the talk went on, it was discovered that pretty much every problem that regular marketers face online like better ways to measure engagement, frequency and ROI, are also very much needed in virtual worlds as well.
One specific idea thrown around that really stood out was the value of virtual worlds that transcends a two-dimensional world and brings you into the three-dimensional experience.
Paul Hemp, senior editor at the Harvard Business Review said, "The idea of virtual shopping is an under-discussed, untapped opportunity. As we're increasingly able to replicate the real shopping experience [virtually], we'll see people shopping together, window shopping, and enjoying the activity of shopping together."
It think specifically with middle and higher priced products this would especially be true. Part of the shopping experience is getting input from friends on what they think. And as far as three-dimensional shopping goes, the higher the price of an item, the closer look someone wants to get.
Automotive companies are already offering this service on their Web sites, and it really gives you a different perspective and appreciation for the product when you can see it at all angles; including literally looking under the hood. The difference between this and what we're talking about is the creating of an overall shopping experience, not just looking at products alone.
With so many people spread across the country, and the world, this could be a potential opportunity to bring them together. It is something that is begging to be tried more.
The intermediate step seems to be at minimum experimenting with a few products and putting into a three-dimensional format to see how they perform in comparison to the same product when viewed two-dimensionally.
Comment Preview