Bookworms can experience a new way to shop this holiday season, thanks to a new project by acameo and Deutsche Telekom for the online bookstore genialokal.
This festive season, book lovers can enter a winter wonderland without leaving the comfort of their desk.
Online retailer genialokal has launched a Christmas concept store with NavVis Solution Partner acameo, where customers can explore a digital twin of a real bookstore in fully immersive 3D, scanning the shelves for the latest and greatest titles to stuff their stockings.
Captured using the NavVis M6 indoor mobile mapping system, bookstore Der Divan in Berlin is presented with high quality 360-degree panoramic images through a specially customized version of NavVis IndoorViewer.
Also involved in the project is Deutsche Telekom, a NavVis Mapping Partner who provided the scanning services. Telekom has been working closely with acameo through the Telekom TechBoost program.
Using the NavVis M6, the entire 150 square metre area of the bookstore were scanned in just 30 minutes.
“The time to decorate the rooms took a little bit longer. We only had a Sunday to do the whole work in Berlin”, explains Managing Director Frank Dürr.
Shopping in a winter wonderland
Visitors begin their journey outside the bookstore, standing in a flurry of heavy snowfall. Once inside, they find a welcoming space of Christmas trees, stuffed toys, and seasonal decorations.
Oh yes, and books too! With a click of the mouse they can move through the various departments, browse the shelves, and learn more about select titles.
"With our 3D web shop, users can shop online for the very first time in a real bookstore,” says Angelika Siebrands, Managing Director of genialokal.
“They get recommendations and at the same time experience the great variety of books and the special atmosphere that only real bookstores can offer".
Deck the halls: festive decorations like Christmas trees and snow to surprise and delight customers.
A customer journey from virtual to physical bookstores
This virtual, three-dimensional bookstore is an important pilot project for genialokal, where the emphasis is on more than just selling books.
The goal is to encourage users of the virtual representation to eventually browse and shop in the real physical bookstore.
On the website genialokal readers can order online and collect their books at their local bookstore, or have them delivered to their home free of charge.
"With our 3D web shop, users can shop online for the very first time in a real bookstore.”
The selection in the online shop covers more than 10 million books, eBooks, audiobooks, and more, with more than 650 independent bookstores connected to the network.
The new virtual shopping experience won’t be confined to just one bookstore, however. Plans are underway to expand the concept to other stores in the network.
Furthermore, additional seasonal themes like Easter and summer will be paired up with suitable book recommendations, or updates made for new releases in the spring and fall.
In the 3D bookstore created by acameo for Genialokal, curated content and recommendations are highlighted to visitors.
CUUUB is a brand new approach to retail
It’s all part of a broader offering from acameo called CUUUB, allowing companies to present their products in 3D spaces and sell them directly.
"CUUUB represents a completely new approach to showcasing and selling products with additional modules to guide though shopping malls and flagship stores, plus chat for social shopping," says acameo Managing Partner Norbert Ropelt.
"We've been working as a solution partner with NavVis for four years now, leveraging the NavVis IndoorViewer API to offer a custom shopping application for retailers, shop owners, airports, and museums.”
And what's next on the horizon for acameo? "We're very pleased to be creative ambassadors for the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg at SXSW 2020, to present the new shopping system in Austin after we go to CES in Las Vegas,” says Dürr.
Visit the store directly: https://genialokal-winter.cuuub.com/
Get more information about the 3D web system: https://www.cuuub.com/
Dr. Frank Dürr and Norbert Ropelt, Co-Founders and Managing Directors of acameo.
