Most respondents thought that the concept was interesting and generally a good idea. Respondents found the platform innovative and unique in the context of a product aggregator, although many of the respondents wanted more information before they could give a definitive commitment, although they showed at least some interest in marketing on the platform. One major concern was the uncertainty of the cost – fees for the platform to host their products; and production and maintenance costs for producing and uploading content on the site. Other areas for concern include ‘user experience’ and ‘product mix being featured on the site’.

Application

Based on the findings from this study, our client made a few key changes to their marketing strategy.

• Focused on making the experience realistic and easy for consumers to use.
• Thoroughly tested the prototype with actual consumers and potential partners to identify potential scenarios where the environment does not provide a realistic experience.
• Considered partnering with retailers to test prototypes with consumers using an in-store kiosk for insights into potential enhancements.
• Added additional capabilities like video reviews and tutorials, and made it mobile-friendly.
• Created an introductory training video on how to manoeuvre in the environment and interact with products.
• Conducted usability/ user experience testing with multiple scenarios.
• Made being on the platform easy from the suppliers’ perspectives by making clear specifications for digital assets needed for the 3-D/VR environment.