The Strange World of 3-D E-Commerce - ' Multidimensional Shopping Experience '
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Multidimensional Shopping Experience
Such shopping could also be practical. Which cable connectors will we need? How many? Will that 5-foot cord reach the electrical outlet on the south wall? Do we need more outlets? An extension cord?
What if the customer wants to remodel the room? Such an application could allow him to see what impact such movements would have on the surround sound system.
In the early stages of e-commerce, e-tailers were content to replicate the functionality of in-store. Amazon's look-inside-this-book feature—intended to reproduce the in-store book browsing experience—was a good example.
But does the 3-D shopping world have the potential for sharply improving the shopping experience? Not just in terms of making it more enjoyable and easier, but with actually helping consumers make more intelligent purchase choices?
John Butler is the CEO of Kinset, which is the 3-D company that Tweeter is working with. Butler said the Tweeter 3-D purchase scenario is possible, but there are many hurdles. "Going from the video to a 3-D representation that picks up sound-reflecting characteristics of the space, whether that surface is sound-absorbent, is a tricky set of steps," Butler said, but added that those obstacles could be overcome in time.
The more near-term 3-D value, Butler said, has to do with mere size issues. For example, when shopping for a washing machine or a refrigerator, a 3-D depiction could answer the questions: Will this model fit in my space? Will it fit through the door?
"There's a lot of work that still has to be done on capturing and synthesizing 3-D," Butler said. But he argues that there is a bigger potential issue with 3-D shopping. It's more "immersive" and it can force consumers "to get their brain moving into the space." Rather than create the consumer's home on the screen, why not create the retailer's storefront?
If successful, it can have a brand-reinforcing capability when that online consumer visits the store "and has a déjà vu moment," thinking that he/she has already been to the store. "It toys with their neurological reality" and monkeys with their mental point of view, Butler said. "It uses different parts of your brain and it creates different memories."
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