For the past couple of years, VR (short for Virtual Reality) is a very hot topic in the gaming industry. As immersive as a good game is, nothing can beat the experience of you being placed right into the universe as if you are there yourself.
But make no mistake, if you own a small to medium business yourself, virtual reality can also take your business to the next level and attract customers not to just visit your site, but to connect deeper with your business.
I was at the REA Group (the guys behind realestate.com.au) office one day and tried a VR open house tour using the Oculus Rift VR headset. The experience was amazing and it felt as if I was there in person, inspecting the property. Their website has been updated to support this technology so you can virtually inspect a property from a web browser anywhere in the world (assuming the property advertisement is made in 3D).
And recently, I’m researching a lot of builders to build our first home and while looking at pictures and reviews was great, nothing can beat the experience of having a virtual tour of a display home. Sure, physically going to the display home will create a more accurate representation and feel, but it may not always be possible if the display home is not conveniently located near you.
At times, I’d visit their website and open these virtual tours pages multiple times within a few weeks to get a feel of a house’s colour theme and also to plan on how to lay our furniture out after the build is complete. VR does not just bring visitors back to your page, but can win customers over from your competitors if you have the right tools.
So if you’ve been wondering why your business is stagnant, then perhaps it’s time to embrace the new waves of digital trends. For example, think about how you can add a virtual reality experience such as a virtual tour into your website.
Own a pub or restaurant? If you can combine a virtual tour of the restaurant and a booking system, your customers can pick a table using the VR experience (and experience the view from a table) and book a table right on the spot.
Or if you sell items on a small shop, you can add a VR experience as if the customer is there at your shop physically, selecting the products to purchase.
Who says virtual reality is for entertainment only?
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of Telstra or its staff
