Create a virtual shopping studio to simulate the in-store shopping experience

Imagine a new type of virtual shopping experience: One where customers are able to visit a virtual store, even if an ecommerce brand has zero brick and mortar locations. 

These ‘ghost stores’ carry the same inventory as a regular store and may look like a retail location, but in fact, they are virtual stores set up solely for the purposes of taking live shopping calls. The live shopping experiences are staffed by real people, in real time, but take place entirely online.  

The benefits of a virtual store experience are clear: Brands get to control the virtual shopping experience, and customers get to ensure they’re always connected with the latest merchandise. A studio can be set up with minimal investment and even hosted out of a brand’s headquarters. 

The studio model also doubles as a content creation hub; if there’s downtime between calls, live shopping associates can record video overviews and product reviews for sharing on social or on PDPs. 

Who should offer studio-based virtual shopping?

An obvious candidate for the studio model is any DTC brand without any (or very limited) brick and mortar locations. Just because you don’t have a storefront, doesn’t mean you can’t create the look and feel of one in a virtual store–you can even get creative with how it’s designed in a way that might not be practical for an actual retail location.

Brands that don’t want to sacrifice retail square footage for a live shopping setup may also adopt the studio model. This also gives brands the ability to have complete control and security over the wireless connectivity, lighting, equipment, and merchandise used for a virtual shopping call. Finally, the studio model allows brands to proactively refresh the look and feel of their virtual store regularly to complement new drops or a change in seasons.

Create a store-like environment for DTC brands

No store? No problem. A virtual store experience gives your two-dimensional online store a personality by attaching live shopping associates to an immersive experience. Let customers see products up close as if they were in a store, without needing to build one. Plus, add products to cart and checkout within a call.

Design a virtual store with minimal investment

The actual construction process and investment of building a brick and mortar store is no small feat but virtual studios can be outfitted in as little as a 10x10 foot space. Plus, you control every element of the studio setup, ensuring that all calls are answered by virtual shopping assistant team members in a pristine environment with exceptional audio, visual, and connectivity.

Create a hybrid content studio

Think beyond the virtual store experience and consider leveraging your studio to be a content machine. Task associates to build content such as reviews, demos, and previews that can be shared on product detail pages, in social, or even in the waiting room before joining a live shopping call.