Over the last century, academic thinkers from architecture to economics have predicted that “shared spaces” – areas where people gather – would fade away. They thought telecoms and transport would lead to a world of endless cookie-cutter suburbs where people rarely left their homes; they saw the demise of Main Street and High Street with humanity’s tribal instincts fading. “There’s no there, there.”

And they were wrong.

Downtowns, city centers, retail zones: whatever you call them, their entertainment and commercial potential come from the fact they’re places you visit. Distinct recognizable environments that can be shared with others. People enjoy going to place. Not in spite of the fact they’re discrete locations requiring travel, but because of it.

Those thinkers missed a fundamental point: we humans are social animals. People want to be where people are. They enjoy communal experiences and the reassurance of being somewhere “known for” something. From the popularity of Singapore’s hawker centers to the excitement of New York’s Fifth Avenue, this sense of place matters.

And as the metaverse starts to take shape in our technological lives, we’ll discover this is just as true in virtual commerce as the real-world variety. Let’s see why e-commerce is expanding into the virtual world – and why it’s here to stay.

Online interaction with a sense of occasion

On today’s web, shopping may be cheap and efficient, but it’s not a great sensory experience, not a “day out” to be looked forward to. When you click on an Amazon listing, there’s little sense it’s a special occasion.

And that’s what virtual commerce – e-commerce within the 3D environment of a metaverse – will bring. An experience that engages people across the sensory spectrum, not just visuals but sound, movement, even tactility. Which opens up a vast field of opportunities for greater customer engagement, smoother buying journeys, deeper relationships, and of course profit.

Where does it start? With the shop.

The shop matters. The portal shouldn’t

Somewhere in the world, a recent homebuyer is in the metaverse shopping for furniture. She’s seeing an interesting sofa in 3D, noticing how its color matches her wallpaper, understanding its size and shape. What’s important: visiting 3D retail environment doesn’t need her to strap on a headset and goggles. She can do that if she wants – but the for the 99%[1] of web users who don’t own a headset, her hi-res laptop (or web-enabled TV) works perfectly well.

This is a key enabler for virtual commerce: be portal-agnostic. To make your spaces easy and pleasant to visit, it shouldn’t require your customers to look like they’re auditioning for the sequel to “Ready Player One”.

Providing the place and making it accessible and inviting to everyone is of course a key factor in retail success in the real world. The same applies to virtual commerce in your metaverse properties. (For more on this, see rooom’s whitepaper on 3D in e-commerce.)

The right border between worlds is soft

A common misconception about virtual commerce is that it’s walled off from the real world, even from your normal e-commerce site. A completely separate space. Nothing’s further from the truth.

At rooom.com - your virtual experience platform , we see successful virtual commerce as connected to everyday life, just as neighbourhoods are connected by roads. The best virtual commerce providers won’t have a “3D inventory” and a “website inventory”. They’ll just have an inventory, and the same data will be used by the virtual store. (See how rooom does this “shop integration”.)

Where virtual commerce scores is the engaging extra layers the 3D experience allows. Customers won’t just see a photo; their planned purchase is in situ, something you can walk right up to and check for material quality, color tones, even texture. It’s the same product on sale elsewhere – but the experience of that product in a virtual world is totally different. Which means customers linger longer, absorb your brand more deeply, and feel more comfortable about buying from you.

Experiential marketing gets taken up a notch

In the real world and the web, “experiential marketing” tends to be one-off, staged events that take time and money to organize. Of course, the virtual world carries costs too – but an experience (like a presentation or show) can be recorded and re-experienced, making the cost equation balance sooner.

How is this different to the endless “watch our latest ad” videos on every corporate site? It’s because the 3D virtual commerce is, well, three-dimensional. A branded event with a live band on stage can be watched from different perspectives, walked around, enjoyed more than once. In virtual commerce, your special event can be always-on.

Retails things that aren’t retailable

OK, we know Tesla has showrooms in shopping malls. But most big consumer buys, and almost all B2B capital purchases (like industrial machinery) aren’t often seen in a physical store display. For obvious reasons.

In virtual commerce, there’s every reason to showcase your large-scale products in the same way as objects on a store shelf. We’re talking bicycles. And cars. And  home appliances. And medical devices. And even buildings, “actual size” and designed to be walked around.

Putting the purchase in perfect context

And as virtual commerce evolves the 3D store will become far, far more than a showroom. You’ll see that sofa – not as an object in a showroom, but in the context of your own home, your own walls surrounding it so you can see how well it fits. The same goes for clothes: virtual try-ons are far more fun in a 3D space.

This is another reason e-commerce is going virtual: creating context. In a home viewing, any realtor will tell you the customer needs to “imagine himself living there” for a successful sale. Virtual commerce gives their imaginations a helping hand.

Expanding the role of art

People don’t visit the Hard Rock Café for the burgers. It’s for the memorabilia on the walls: famous photographs, art and artisanry, guitars and outfits touched by fame. It’s the reason “destination” and resort-style outlets can cost millions to fit out.

In the virtual environment, art (everything from paintings and sculptures to live performances) isn’t one discrete object or event; it’s a licensable property that can be expanded and extended in different ways. If you were lucky enough to own Michelangelo’s David in the real world (dream one) virtual commerce lets you put a full-size version of it into every metaverse property you own. You could make it a mile tall if you want. Or paint it purple. Hell, even sell AI-modified copies of it as NFTs.

That’s virtual commerce: replicating both the sensory experience of real places and the convenience of online shopping – then taking both into the metaverse, whether with virtual reality, augmented reality, or full-on headset-assisted immersion. Or even with the smartphone you already have in your pocket. The possibilities are endless. Literally.

CONCLUSION: to the first movers go the spoils

The metaverse will take time to evolve, and won’t be what most people expect today. But here’s another prediction: the real world – with its real places – won’t fade away, either. Commerce is big enough for both. What’s key for retailers today is to get in early – so you can learn, try new things, develop competencies within your organization, and build out your virtual worlds that enhance and add value to your real one.

And with a complete suite of applications for designing, stocking, and operating your 3D virtual store, we’d like to help. Why not see rooom’s e-commerce solutions here?

[1] https://www.zippia.com/advice/virtual-reality-statistics/