Virtual reality is the next big thing in e-commerce and it's time to find out how to start a virtual reality store and make money. In this article, I'll walk through 4 Steps to e-commerce success. You'll learn what the virtual reality e-commerce market looks like, the many ways you can monetize your store and/or products, how to choose your niche or product category, how to create an amazing VR experience that people will love and can't wait to share, why you should focus on customer service as well as other strategies for virtual reality stores.
First, let's define what virtual reality is. The Oculus Quest 2 can give you a full immersion experience that completely surrounds your senses. The HTC Vive can do so as well, but it takes up a lot more space — you need to set it up in a room and with an entire wire connecting your PC to the Vive. Then there is the Samsung Gear VR and Google Cardboard which are less immersive but give you something to experience.
Ecommerce is now starting to adopt VR into the customer experience and creating virtual immersive experiences that will blow your mind. It's simple: If you are not doing e-commerce in VR, you will not be around in a year or two.
Virtual reality needs immersive sites that try to make the experience as real as possible within these new VR headsets.
Let's dive into the 5 steps to e-commerce success with VR:
If you're not familiar with e-commerce platforms, here are some options to choose from:
Shopify - it is the leading e-commerce platform and is suited for VR shops.
Magento - it's a more advanced e-commerce platform that offers customizations and plugins.
BigCommerce - it's a free e-commerce solution for small businesses with a few features, but comes with many other options and integrations. It's good for e-commerce businesses who have some time before them to learn a new platforms and create custom stores.
If you want to learn how to sell in VR, the first thing you need is a great experience. Plus, if it's not fun or entertaining, people won't share it with their friends. This is where Sullivan Studios comes into play. We can help you create immersive VR experiences that people can't get enough of.
We use cutting edge motion capture and 3D technology to create experiences that will blow your customers away. Sullivan Studios also has a boutique agency that focuses on storytelling and is a great fit for businesses looking to add VR to their site.
But if you prefer to do it yourself, here are some ways to create a great virtual reality experience:
Now that you have your store, your platform and you have designed a VR experience. It's time for the world to experience this greatness. Here are some ways to launch your virtual reality store:
- Social Campaigns calling out the new experience: Giving away free virtual reality devices, offering content or even giving opportunities.
- Giveaway's: Give away free reviews or a free product to your customers. This is a great way to make their friends aware of your new experience and get them interested in the product or service.
- Sponsorships: The more exposure you give to this experience, the more likely people will see it and recommend it to their friends.
- PR: There are already one million monthly active Facebook groups related to VR, and 1.5 million YouTube channels putting out VR content. This is a great way to get your VR attention without even having a storefront.
- Reach out to influencers in your category: There are many influencers in each niche that can start spreading the word about your VR store.
- Paid advertising: There are already many ads for VR related products. This is a great way to show people that there is nothing better than your product or service.
- Email your audience: Email marketing can be a good way to write about your new VR features and what they can expect from the experience. For example, if your VR experience is a game, you could let people know that you have limited access to the beta and give instructions on how to get access to it.
Most products usually need continual improvement to create the ultimate experience for your customers. Here are some ways to get quality feedback from your customers:
- Create a VR review form that makes it easy for your customers to leave reviews about their experience in VR and what they thought of your product. It's best to offer an incentive for leaving a review.
- Create a VR community where your customers can help each other out. This way, you don't have to answer all the questions and you get more people involved with creating a better experience.
- Ask for help in forums related to your niche, who might have tips on how to improve your VR shopping experience.
Conclusion: Are you ready to take your business into the future?
Today is the time to take advantage of the new marketplace that will change e-commerce as we know it. If you aren't always on the cutting edge, you will lose your customers to the next cool new ideas.
If virtual reality is your niche, Sullivan Studios can create an amazing VR shopping experience for your business that will keep people coming back for more. With technology growing at a rapid rate, virtual reality is only just beginning to feel like the rest of the world. So it's no surprise that it's becoming one of the hottest topics in e-commerce right now.
So what are you waiting for? Join the VR revolution.
