VRShop: Virtual reality electronic shopping system

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 97.0437-1

Key words (English)

Electronic commerce; 3D presentations; internet; VRML; living worlds

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: EP 25.024

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 4. Frame Research Programme - 1.3 Telematic systems

Short description (English)

See abstract

Partners and International Organizations (English)

Mellon Technologies (IL), Blaxxun (D), Exodus (IL), FhG-IAO (D), Hexmac (D), Italtel Spa (I), Kotsovolos (IL), Micro Compact Car (CH), 3D Scanners (UK)

Abstract (English)

Introducing virtual reality (VR) into electronic commerce makes the shopping experience for customers much more attractive. In a VR Shop a customer can inspect from his PC a realistic looking 3D product model from different sides and try it out interactively. He can meet and chat with others navigating in 3D.
In the first year the consortium build a first prototype of a VR mall with several shops. The malls, shops and avatars of customers are hosted on a 3D community server contributed by Blaxxun. Several concepts and tool prototypes were developed in order to simplify future creation of 3D content.
In the last half year the consortium improved and consolidated step by step the VR mall. It build also a collection of tools prototypes. Swisscom finished his demonstrator of the VR phone shop. Several demonstrations of the VR mall and the VR phone shop attracted high interest: Swiss TV SF/DRS (11.2.99; 21:00), TelenetCom in Zurich (Swisscom stand: 18-21.5.99) and others.
The market size of VR seems to be rather limited for the next few years due to the relatively high production costs of 3D models and 3D show rooms. But there are also concrete benefits like attracting people to make them visit and stay at special WEB sites and to offer them much better views of consumer goods like: cars, homes, furniture, etc.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 97.0437-1