Websites are effective. The are the best tools we have currently for selling our products and putting information into the world.
But are they best at communicating exactly what a brand wants? I say no sir.
When a customer visits a website, it has images, videos, graphics and text that bring it to life and maybe, just maybe a chatbot.
All of these parameters are set and the user can interact with them slightly. They can add to cart, create an account, chat with a chatbot (or real person) they can leave reviews and add to their wishlist. But where is the freedom in that?
Websites have reached their peak, just like mobile phones. Phones are trying to get creative, but they are just using old ideas.
As soon as you introduce a 3d space, things start getting spicy. Instead of an image or a video, you have a 3d model that can interacted with. Just like this model below, click it to interact
Take makeup for example, instead of images/videos of models you have the live product in front of you that can be picked up and used on a model or the avatar of the user in the space.
That's great for interacting, but the real power of a 3d environment is the ability to make people feel immersed. With the right lighting, the perfect blend of audio and high end graphics,
brands can tell their story in a way that just isn't possible with a website or even instore.
In summary, websites are amazing and do what we want, for now. Once we transition into VR shops we will look back at websites as a tool that was great for its time, but as tech evolved and so did users expectations of what a brand could be, we had to evolve.
*Just to clarify, I mean 1978 Dawn of the Dead zombies, slow moving, doing repetitive tasks, not modern fast running zombies.