IBM Brings Boulanger Retail Shopping Into SL-- But Why?

Last week IBM announced they'd launched a Second Life presence for Boulanger, a major French department store chain (kind of like Target), and I finally had a chance to check it out.  Maybe I missed something in translation, but it's mostly a recreation of a real life department store, and I couldn't discern how any of it provided a unique utility that made it worthwhile.  For example, this wall of HDTVs.  Now, if you could take a copy and move it around in a room prototype sized according to your specifications, I could see a unique value.  (Then you could get a better idea of how it'd look in your own living room.)  Instead, clicking the row of HDTVs just launches your web browser and takes you to the related product page on Boulanger's website.  (This is what happens when you click pretty much any item in the showroom.)  The press release mentions community-based applications that'll also happen at the island, such as cooking lessons-- which only makes me picture a would-be chef covered in flour and oil trying to log into SL from his kitchen counter.

But perhaps I'm just confused, so check it out for yourself.  (Direct SLURL teleport to Boulanger at this link.)  In recent months, however, the only really compelling use of SL for real world retail I've seen was modeling laptop tables.  What other examples are worth a look?

Comments

[Ann Otoole]

Another case of a helpless retailer being stupified by a "Corporate Secondlife Solution Provider".

Didn't take much creativity for that example did it?

And no neither I nor any other knowledgeable person will provide any tips for what might make it better. The corporations can get over the bogus "solution provider must be a company to be good" myth and seek out creative talent in world and cut out the middle man corporations that are developing a track record of failure.

[Twig Tomorrow]

I just visited and you are correct. It was a horrible disappointment. Why why why why is the same mistake being made over and over again. I mean, if I wanted to walk through a vast concrete parking lot into a big box cold store, I'd go to my local WalMart, not log into a virtual world.

[Gahum Riptide]

Yet another example of the corporate world not getting how Second Life is nor how it works. I agree with Twig, if I want tow alk through a building to shop for products, I'll go down to my local Target/Walmart/Bestbuy/whatever.

Until they can be creative about Marketing products, they'll come to a decision that Second Life is a failure and pull out, like all the others.

[Veejay Burns]

I also blogged the Boulanger build in French Boulanger could use rebake in Second Life and was also disappointed. I also tried to point out what they could have done with the build to make it usefull.

[Paisley Beebe]

Well you know if you want a nice relaxing place to chill out where you won't be bothered by one other single person this is the place for you!!!

Perhaps IBM ought to have looked at some other builds recently so they can see how 2006 this build looks the textures are flaring there is no shading or shadows its very badly designed, I hope the company didn't pay to get this done! and very messy unfinished looking.
regards Paisley

[Pavig Lok]

Without seeing it - and i'm going out on a limb here - we may not be the audience. There's plenty of reasons to do a 1:1 simulation of reality which may be nothing to do with direct mariketing. What some folk once called micromarketing - store layouts, which shelf to put a product on and if it needs a "shelf wobbler" to draw attention, in store promotions, subtle rebranding etc... that may be the meat. I'm sure there are others.

What I'm saying is that this build might fit into a completely different area of their marketing strategy - it may be a simulated store which doesn't add virtual value because they want to _simulate_a_store_ and draw some real world inferences from it. It may be a training or brainstorming space for store managers... who knows.

We get too tied up in what is possible in virtual worlds and how the virtual world experience "adds value" when we miss some of the most powerful things it does. Here the virtual value may be that, well, a real world store costs millions to build and stock... not something you do to experiment with marketing. This store doesn't have all the same benefits, but it cost peanuts, and if it teaches them one small marketing lesson it'll pay for itself many times over.

Just my two cents.

[Twig Tomorrow]

Pavig, you might have a point, except that Boulanger's stated purpose, according to their press release, was to offer their customers a new and "innovative" shopping experience. Certainly not to experiment with their traditional brick and mortar store design, nor train managers.

"Retailers have to explore new and creative digital channels to reach today's intelligent and informed consumer," said Colin Parris, vice president, Digital Convergence, IBM. "Boulanger's use of the virtual worlds demonstrates the company's capability to transcend traditional boundaries to provide an immersive and interactive shopping experience for customers."

Since they are making the claims, then I counter that they failed miserably.