There’s been a lot of buzz about our EYESPY Live platform. Leading PropTech influencer, James Dearsley, is just one of the voices waxing lyrical about what EYESPY Live means for the Property industry in his recent article in Estate Agent Today. Of course, we are the ones most excited about the possibilities that our platform opens up. So, at the risk of blowing our own trumpet, let’s talk about how live virtual 360 tours will change the way we search (and sell) property forever... and what other industries can benefit from the technology.
Just to get started… if you aren’t yet aware of the EYESPY Live platform, you can read about it in this blog post.
360-degree virtual tours are gaining popularity with estate agents and customers largely for the simple reason that they cut down the number of properties a person needs to go and see before deciding on the property they will rent or purchase. There are other benefits, including opportunities for buyers from further afield to view property with ease. But for the most part, virtual tours that can be accessed either on screen (mobile or desktop) or via a simple virtual reality headset save time, and thus money.
A 360-degree virtual tour hosted on an agent’s website, social media, or elsewhere, is a great thing for those sitting together in front of their computer or device, wandering around the property at will. Viewing it in a headset is a much more solitary experience. Neither are particularly interactive. What EYESPY Live does is to inject interactivity, presence, and engagement into the virtual property viewing, offering customer value in a way that is both memorable and effective.
The peer to peer aspect of EYESPY Live, in that you can join your friends or family from separate locations to tour the property simultaneously, is a new concept, one that overcomes one of the headaches of viewing property when you all have hectic, busy lives. You can either meet a live agent in the tour, have a pre-recorded agent talk you through it as you go, or meet without an agent altogether at any time of day or night. The keyword here is freedom.
We see the possibilities of live streaming virtual reality tools like EYESPY Live having vast applications across industries far beyond Property alone. Perhaps the most obvious is Retail.
Imagine being able to shop from your phone as though you were actually in a bricks and mortar store. You could tour the virtual store, selecting items to purchase from touchpoints like those you see in the EYESPY Live tool. It brings interactivity to the online shopping experience in the same way that it does for property purchases. You can imagine sitting on the sofa in the evening browsing Topshop Oxford Circus with your best friends alongside you, without looking away from your phone.
Add to this the upcoming AR tools that allow you to try on clothing remotely, and there’s scarcely much difference between online and in store shopping at all. Such a tool in Retail would also allow brands to launch exciting and engaging promotions and discounts for users with minimal resource outlay, particularly when the experience is combined with integrated AI functionality to gather and utilise your data to customise your shopping experience individually.
The very same concept could apply across various other Retail areas, including the supermarket shop. We all know what a dull activity the supermarket shop can be - but interactive Live shopping in a virtual representation of your local store could liven up the experience a bit! You could do the food shop with your partner simultaneously whilst on separate trains home from work. The virtual nature of the entire thing means that the elements you add to the tour can be as engaging and action-inducing as you like - the doors are wide open. From additional information on products’ content, origins, pricing, and nutritional value, to user reviews and discounts, delivering unprecedented customer value is incredibly easy with this technology.
We are proud to be championing the use of the live interactive virtual tour. We can see so many applications for the kind of engaging experience that platforms like EYESPY Live allow, and their vast appeal in our increasingly mobile, tech-savvy world. Can you think of any particular applications for live interactive virtual tours that you’d like to see? Get in touch and let us know!
