Purpose & Benefits of 360 Virtual Tours

In the age of digital innovation, 360 virtual tours have emerged as a powerful tool for various industries. These immersive, interactive experiences offer a unique way to explore spaces remotely, providing numerous benefits for businesses, real estate agents, educational institutions, and more. In this blog, we will delve into the purpose of 360 virtual tours, their benefits, and how they can transform the way we interact with spaces online.

What Is a 360 Virtual Tour?

A 360 virtual tour is a digital copy of a physical space that can be explored online. Each 360 virtual tour is created by 3D scanning a property or business with a 3D camera. The resulting 3D scans and images are stitched together to create a fully interactive virtual tour allowing viewers to “walk” around a space online. Using a computer, tablet, or smartphone, users can navigate through the tour, experiencing the space in a way second only to physically being there. You can find more in our “What is a virtual tour?” blog.

To create a virtual tour, 3D cameras are used to accurately capture a space

Why Use a 360 Virtual Tour?

Virtual tours can benefit a range of businesses in a variety of ways. However, there are some universal benefits to applying for any virtual tour:

1. Increased User Engagement

One of the primary purposes of a 360 virtual tour is to enhance user engagement. Unlike static images or traditional videos, virtual tours provide an interactive experience. Users can control their navigation, exploring areas of interest at their own pace. This engagement leads to increased time on the page and a more memorable experience.

2. Comprehensive Exploration

360 virtual tours allow users to explore a location in detail. This is particularly beneficial for estate agents, property managers, and architects. Prospective buyers, renters, or designers can virtually walk through a property, inspecting every room and detail. This comprehensive exploration helps them make informed decisions without the need for multiple physical visits, saving valuable time and money.

3. Accessibility and Convenience

Virtual tours make spaces accessible to a wider audience. Whether it’s a business showcasing its office, a university offering campus tours, or a hotel presenting its amenities, anyone can explore these spaces from anywhere in the world. This convenience saves time and travel costs, making it easier for potential customers or clients to engage with your offerings. Virtual tours also offer significant accessibility benefits to those who may not be physically able to explore a space in real life, allowing them to conveniently explore a space from anywhere

4. Increased Customer Confidence

Providing a virtual tour of your space increases customer confidence in your property or business. It allows potential customers to see exactly what they will get. Businesses can showcase their available spaces online, reducing the number of bad-fit inquiries so their sales team only spends time with truly interested prospects. This transparency also builds trust and credibility, which is crucial for converting prospects into loyal customers.

5. Competitive Advantage

In today’s competitive market, offering a 360 virtual tour can set your business apart. It demonstrates a commitment to innovation and customer experience. Having interactive content like a virtual tour on a website or property listing is proven to increase the time-on-page by as much as 300%. The longer a prospect spends looking at your business or property and not someone else’s, the more likely they are to inquire. Virtual tours can also be linked with google maps, increasing a business’s visibility to potential customers searching online. Whether you are in real estate, hospitality, education, or retail, a virtual tour can give you an edge over competitors who rely solely on traditional marketing methods.

How 360 Virtual Tours Benefit Different Industries?

1. Residential Real Estate

Real estate agents use virtual tours for houses to showcase properties in detail. Listings with a virtual tour are proven to receive a higher volume of qualified enquiries. This technology allows potential buyers to explore homes from the comfort of their own devices, making it easier for prospective buyers to shortlist properties. Virtual tours show in detail the layout, size, and features of a property, providing a realistic view that photos or video alone cannot achieve.

2. Commercial Real Estate

Virtual tours are a powerful tool to achieve faster leasing and increased occupancy rates for commercial spaces. By giving immersive, detailed views, office virtual tours attract serious, well-informed prospects. With a virtual tour commercial spaces can broaden their reach and benefit from a competitive market advantage.

3. Hospitality

Hotels, resorts, and wedding venues use 360 virtual tours to give potential guests a preview of their accommodations and event spaces. Guests can explore rooms, amenities, and surrounding areas, helping them choose the best option for their stay or event. This immersive experience influences booking decisions and increases customer confidence.

4. Education

Educational institutions, such as universities and schools, use virtual tours to attract prospective students. These tours can showcase campuses, facilities, and accommodations, giving students and their parents a feel of the environment before making a decision. This is especially useful for international students who cannot visit in person, as they can explore campuses remotely with university virtual tours.

Using ‘data-tags’, media such as video can be embedded throughout the virtual tour

5. Retail

Retail businesses can use a virtual showroom to enhance their online shopping experience. By providing an immersive view of their business, customers can explore products in detail, creating a more engaging and interactive shopping experience. This leads to increased customer confidence and a higher sales volume.

6. Museums and Galleries

Virtual tours for museums have emerged as a powerful digital marketing tool for institutions around the world. Museum and gallery virtual tours allow art and history enthusiasts to explore exhibits and collections from anywhere in the world. This not only increases accessibility but also helps institutions improve their online presence attracting more real-world visitors.

What Makes an Effective 360 Virtual Tour?

1. High-quality Imagery

The quality of a virtual tour depends heavily on the quality of the images or videos used. Visuals should be high-resolution and professionally shot on a 3D camera to provide a clear and immersive experience.

2. User-friendly

Selecting a platform with a user-friendly interface is crucial for a successful virtual tour. The best virtual tour platforms offer navigation controls that are intuitive and easy to use, allowing viewers to move seamlessly through the tour.

3. Use Data-tags

Data tags are clickable hotspots that add photos, videos, and information within the tour to enhance the user experience. Use data-tags to highlight key features, provide context, and include any relevant details that can help users better understand what they are viewing.

4. Make It Easy to Find and Explore:

Once your virtual tour is ready to launch it’s vital to deploy it effectively to gain the maximum benefit. The virtual tour should be embedded directly on your webpage or property listing so viewers spend longer on your website. Having a link to the virtual tour in your email signature can also be a great way to encourage prospects to check it out. We have a whole article on virtual tour best practices to maximise R.O.I. that covers this topic in more detail.

360 virtual tours are transforming the way we explore and interact with spaces. They offer enhanced engagement, comprehensive exploration, and increased accessibility, making them a valuable tool for various industries. By adopting this technology, businesses can provide a more immersive and interactive experience for their customers, setting themselves apart in a competitive market.

At Scene3D, we specialise in creating high-quality 360 virtual tours tailored to your needs. Whether you are in real estate, hospitality, education, or retail, we can help you showcase your space in the most engaging and interactive way possible. Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you create stunning virtual tours.