Nowadays you hear the term virtual showroom come up more and more often, but what exactly does it mean? You can actually see it as an online showroom, or a visual representation of your products and services, which your customer can experience and discover in an interactive way. Because your products are made visible in a 3D environment that is very recognizable for the customer, it becomes immediately clear where you offer a solution for the customer. This also helps your own employees get a clear overview and understanding of the different solutions your company offers.

For example, it helps excellently for companies that supply products that are used for different markets and in different processes. It also creates clarity for companies that supply a semi-finished product whose purpose and what it solves is not immediately clear or visible.

Conversion tool for your website

A virtual showroom is integrated into your own website or on touch screens for trade shows and events, for example. On the website, the virtual showroom helps to increase lead conversion because customers will be able to find the right product faster. From an environment they can understand, they will arrive at the right product faster than having to search between complex product names or extensive product portfolio lists.

And let's face it: when customers find a solution to their problem faster and more clearly, they move more quickly to request information. Which results in a shorter lead time and more qualified leads.

Online presence

Being virtually present and visible with your business is nowadays an indispensable part of your marketing and sales strategy. A good website that is clear to the customer is a must, but more is needed. Consumers want an optimal experience regarding the solution and products they are looking for, and a virtual showroom fits that perfectly. By displaying the benefits of your product in an optimal way, the customer can quickly navigate to the right solution and view all the information, photos and videos at their leisure. This way, you offer the visitor a fun and original way to learn about your products and get inspired! 

The benefits

With a virtual presentation there are no limitations to surprise your customer, such as with inspiring movies and photos, music, texts and links to social media. Ideal for commercial purposes or as support at trade shows. Moreover, a virtual tour appeals to a large audience, this creates opportunities to introduce your label to a wide audience. And because the presentation is accessible 24/7, your customer can simply view the information from the comfort of his armchair at his convenience. 

Growing need for virtual showrooms

Thanks in part to the corona crisis, there is an ever-growing use of digital information gathering and purchasing in the B2B sector. Therefore, it is important to optimize your online presence. After all, at a time when new generations are growing up with an ongoing use of the Internet, it is unthinkable as a company not to offer the experience that potential customers are asking for! That's why you see more and more virtual showrooms. A smart marketing tool, which is increasingly being used for good reason, now that live customer contact is no longer as obvious as it used to be. 

Addition to a physical showroom

An online presentation of products and services not only generates many additional leads, it also creates a sense of professionalism, prestige and trust with the customer. A real showroom often takes up a lot of - expensive - square footage. Whether at a trade show or instore. In the visual world, however, space is not an issue, so you can make the fictional "space" as big and special as you want. Previously, customers were used to seeing and feeling products like machines before proceeding to purchase. That has changed radically. A large portion of sales are made online, so customers also expect you to convey the same experience and presence online as in a physical showroom. In some cases, a physical showroom is visited by people who enjoy seeing the product in person, but to a large increasing extent, business is done online. This makes a virtual showroom a perfect extension to existing physical showrooms to create a larger reach much faster.

Technology and costs

A virtual showroom is composed of a 3D environment with 3D images in which your products play a significant role. It shows what value the products add for the customer. Because customers can interactively move and navigate through this 3D environment, they can discover which products offer a solution at which point in the process. Once they arrive at the product they are looking for, information is available that is directly linked to a call to action. For example, requesting a quote or requesting product brochures or other documentation. The investment for a virtual showroom largely depends on the complete process, the quantity of products, the complexity of the 3D environment, its design and implementation.