'NearLondon' Replicates Oxford Street in Online Shopping Form
Peter Brown — November 28, 2009 — Marketing
References: prlog.org & nearglobal
Welcome to NearLondon, London’s Oxford Street as you’ve never seen it before--no litter, no traffic, no crowds, no queues, and best of all, no rain. Shoppers tired of the hustle, bustle and squash of London’s most popular retail location now have a new virtual alternative. NearLondon is an interactive 3D website that recreates the famous high street in virtual form, complete with all its best brands.
Just as Oxford Street is made for serious shopping, this NearLondon virtual shopping world is devoted to the same purpose. Based on gaming technology, NearLondon was created with the support of retailers and is based on painstaking real life research and mapping.
At NearLondon, shoppers can see the exact details of buildings and storefronts and browse the window fronts, which are digital offerings from real life retailers. From there they can interact with friends via social networking sites to discuss what’s on offer, and of course connect directly to the store’s online presence to complete their purchase.
NearLondon is not the first attempt to bridge the online shopping world with the real bricks and mortar world, but it is the first to create an exactly mapped replica of a real life shopping mecca. Further cities are already planned, but the creators are torn between making users visit a virtual airport or providing a teleport option.
Just as Oxford Street is made for serious shopping, this NearLondon virtual shopping world is devoted to the same purpose. Based on gaming technology, NearLondon was created with the support of retailers and is based on painstaking real life research and mapping.
At NearLondon, shoppers can see the exact details of buildings and storefronts and browse the window fronts, which are digital offerings from real life retailers. From there they can interact with friends via social networking sites to discuss what’s on offer, and of course connect directly to the store’s online presence to complete their purchase.
NearLondon is not the first attempt to bridge the online shopping world with the real bricks and mortar world, but it is the first to create an exactly mapped replica of a real life shopping mecca. Further cities are already planned, but the creators are torn between making users visit a virtual airport or providing a teleport option.
Trend Themes
1. Virtual Retail - Creating interactive 3D websites that replicate real-life shopping experiences, allowing consumers to browse and purchase products online.
2. Brick-and-mortar Integration - Developing innovative ways to connect physical stores with their online presence, blurring the boundaries between online and offline shopping.
3. Mapping Technology - Utilizing mapping technology to create detailed and accurate virtual replicas of real-life retail locations, providing a more immersive shopping experience.
Industry Implications
1. E-commerce - Opportunity to create virtual shopping environments that offer a seamless online shopping experience for customers.
2. Retail - Potential for stores to integrate their physical locations with online platforms to enhance customer engagement and increase sales.
3. Technology - Opportunity to develop advanced mapping technologies that enable the creation of realistic virtual replicas for various industries, including retail.
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