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Creating a virtual showroom: how to go about it
Five steps, with practical examples
By
By
By
Ton Kuper
Ton Kuper
Ton Kuper
Founder & managing director
Founder & managing director
Founder & managing director
Short answer: You create a virtual showroom in five steps. You first structure your portfolio according to markets and customer needs, then collaborate to populate a framework with your products and knowledge, translate that into a recognisable 3D environment, link it to your website and marketing, and adjust based on data. Most of the work is in the structure, not the 3D.
Many companies have a broad and complex offering, spread across multiple market segments. A visitor is looking for one thing: which product solves my problem? With hundreds of products, they lose track. Malvern Panalytical, a provider of X-ray instruments for various sectors, asked C4Real precisely that question: how do you make a portfolio of hundreds of products accessible, so that customers can find the right information faster?
This article describes how a virtual showroom is created, based on projects we have delivered for this purpose.
Short answer: You create a virtual showroom in five steps. You first structure your portfolio according to markets and customer needs, then collaborate to populate a framework with your products and knowledge, translate that into a recognisable 3D environment, link it to your website and marketing, and adjust based on data. Most of the work is in the structure, not the 3D.
Many companies have a broad and complex offering, spread across multiple market segments. A visitor is looking for one thing: which product solves my problem? With hundreds of products, they lose track. Malvern Panalytical, a provider of X-ray instruments for various sectors, asked C4Real precisely that question: how do you make a portfolio of hundreds of products accessible, so that customers can find the right information faster?
This article describes how a virtual showroom is created, based on projects we have delivered for this purpose.
When is a virtual showroom the right choice?
A virtual showroom is worthwhile when dealing with a large portfolio, multiple active markets, or an offering that often involves bespoke solutions. Solmax brought together more than 100 geosynthetics products in one place. Holland Hydraulics, specialising in hydraulic drive technology for industrial, maritime, and offshore markets, has a complex portfolio where customisation is the rule. As a result, it was difficult for clients to see what the company could do for them.
If your offering is small, a product explorer that interactively displays a single product or a small catalogue will suffice. The showroom is designed to provide an overview across products, markets, and applications.
How do you create a virtual showroom?
Step 1: Structure your offering
For Malvern Panalytical it started with an overview. Which market segments, sub-segments, solutions, systems, and products exist? And what does the customer's process look like? That analysis showed that the market segments share many similarities and that the same products provide answers in multiple segments. Without that structure, a showroom lacks a foundation.
Step 2: Populate the framework together
At Lighthouse Instruments, the whole thing quickly became very extensive. Thanks to filling in a framework together, both parties were able to work in a structured manner. That is also the division of roles at Solmax: C4Real provided the platform, Solmax the information, and together they populated it.
Step 3: Translate it into a recognisable environment
The environment must be recognisable to the client. For Lighthouse Instruments it became an interactive laboratory, for TenCate a virtual factory where you step into the process environment per division. For Malvern Panalytical, we built a 3D environment for each mining market segment, in which the market's greatest challenges are linked to the products that offer a solution. The visitor therefore does not search through a product list, but follows their own challenge.
Step 4: Connect it to website and marketing
A showroom does not stand alone. Lighthouse Instruments integrated the showroom into its own website, making it easy to track visitors, and placed it centrally in campaigns. At Holland Hydraulics, we assisted with marketing automation: which information belongs where, which KPIs are relevant, and where in the funnel do they sit? At Malvern Panalytical, the information at each step aligns with the stage of the customer journey the visitor is in.
Step 5: Manage and adjust
Titles and texts can be adjusted via a CMS, ensuring the showroom continues to match the offering. Every quarter, the data from the showroom is reviewed and analysed together to monitor objectives and identify desires for expansion.
What determines the scale of a virtual showroom?
We do not quote fixed prices because the scale varies considerably. The most important factors are the number of products and market segments, the extent to which you want to deploy 3D and animation to explain applications, the integration with your website and marketing automation, and the need for a dedicated CMS and analytics. We work in two phases: first concept and design, then production. During a consultation, we map out the scope together.
Where do showroom projects get stuck most often?
The volume of information. Solmax stated themselves that at certain moments, they couldn't see the wood for the trees. Therefore, allow sufficient time for supplying and organising the content, and decide on a clear division of who provides what.
A second pitfall is building from your own product classification. A showroom works when it is structured around the customer's needs, as with Malvern Panalytical, where questions and requirements lead to products and solutions.
The third is failing to agree on metrics. Without analytics, you won't know which products visitors are viewing and where they drop off.
When is a virtual showroom the right choice?
A virtual showroom is worthwhile when dealing with a large portfolio, multiple active markets, or an offering that often involves bespoke solutions. Solmax brought together more than 100 geosynthetics products in one place. Holland Hydraulics, specialising in hydraulic drive technology for industrial, maritime, and offshore markets, has a complex portfolio where customisation is the rule. As a result, it was difficult for clients to see what the company could do for them.
If your offering is small, a product explorer that interactively displays a single product or a small catalogue will suffice. The showroom is designed to provide an overview across products, markets, and applications.
How do you create a virtual showroom?
Step 1: Structure your offering
For Malvern Panalytical it started with an overview. Which market segments, sub-segments, solutions, systems, and products exist? And what does the customer's process look like? That analysis showed that the market segments share many similarities and that the same products provide answers in multiple segments. Without that structure, a showroom lacks a foundation.
Step 2: Populate the framework together
At Lighthouse Instruments, the whole thing quickly became very extensive. Thanks to filling in a framework together, both parties were able to work in a structured manner. That is also the division of roles at Solmax: C4Real provided the platform, Solmax the information, and together they populated it.
Step 3: Translate it into a recognisable environment
The environment must be recognisable to the client. For Lighthouse Instruments it became an interactive laboratory, for TenCate a virtual factory where you step into the process environment per division. For Malvern Panalytical, we built a 3D environment for each mining market segment, in which the market's greatest challenges are linked to the products that offer a solution. The visitor therefore does not search through a product list, but follows their own challenge.
Step 4: Connect it to website and marketing
A showroom does not stand alone. Lighthouse Instruments integrated the showroom into its own website, making it easy to track visitors, and placed it centrally in campaigns. At Holland Hydraulics, we assisted with marketing automation: which information belongs where, which KPIs are relevant, and where in the funnel do they sit? At Malvern Panalytical, the information at each step aligns with the stage of the customer journey the visitor is in.
Step 5: Manage and adjust
Titles and texts can be adjusted via a CMS, ensuring the showroom continues to match the offering. Every quarter, the data from the showroom is reviewed and analysed together to monitor objectives and identify desires for expansion.
What determines the scale of a virtual showroom?
We do not quote fixed prices because the scale varies considerably. The most important factors are the number of products and market segments, the extent to which you want to deploy 3D and animation to explain applications, the integration with your website and marketing automation, and the need for a dedicated CMS and analytics. We work in two phases: first concept and design, then production. During a consultation, we map out the scope together.
Where do showroom projects get stuck most often?
The volume of information. Solmax stated themselves that at certain moments, they couldn't see the wood for the trees. Therefore, allow sufficient time for supplying and organising the content, and decide on a clear division of who provides what.
A second pitfall is building from your own product classification. A showroom works when it is structured around the customer's needs, as with Malvern Panalytical, where questions and requirements lead to products and solutions.
The third is failing to agree on metrics. Without analytics, you won't know which products visitors are viewing and where they drop off.
Case study in the spotlight
Solmax: The key to an efficient customer journey
The challenge. Solmax, a global leader in sustainable infrastructure, had an enormous product range. Where do you start as a customer? And how do you showcase a broad offering to specific target audiences, such as engineers, at a trade fair?
The approach. C4Real brought more than 100 geosynthetics products together in a single virtual showroom with straightforward navigation, enabling customers to quickly find the information relevant to them.
The result. Solmax used the showroom at seven trade fairs that year alone and deploys it in webinars and presentations. Kathryn Grant, Director of Marketing at Solmax: "It doesn't just help to attract leads to our stand; they quickly find their way around, and leads become customers."
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