We have already discussed [what Virtual Reality is](/blog/what-is-virtual-reality/ "what Virtual Reality is") and [what is BIM](/blog/what-is-bim/ "what BIM is") in previous articles. In this article we are going to talk about the benefits of both VR and BIM combined by answering the following question: **what are the benefits of Virtual Reality and BIM?** Keep reading and find out how Virtual Reality and BIM can help you to **#ONEUPYOURBUSINESS**!

## WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF VIRTUAL REALITY AND BIM?

Virtual Reality (VR) has been adopted by industries and used for multiple purposes such as video gaming, product prototyping, and training simulations to name a few. Incorporating VR technology into BIM (Building Information Modelling) models offers immersive and data-rich experiences by allowing you to view a VR model of your projects. Below we discuss how VR and BIM can benefit your projects and business: 
 
- **Improves decision-making**: incorporating BIM with VR can produce accurate virtual representations of facilities. 3D renders and building map visualisations can help make informed decisions about planning, design, and build and help manage equipment and infrastructure. This results also into better collaboration because everyone involved in the project can access the insights and reports enhancing workflow, productivity, and efficiency
- **Enhances collaboration**: BIM provides a collaborative way of working with all relevant key players on a project as it uses digital technologies (3D modelling) helping to improve designing, maintaining, and the delivery of assets throughout their entire life cycle. Since 2016, in the UK the Government Construction Strategy (GCS) outlined that BIM is now mandatory as part of the document process and combining BIM with VR can lead to better communication as everyone involved will be provided with a greater understanding of the project due to a greater design visualisation. Combining both technologies allows everyone to interact with the BIM model (e.g. visualise the measurements and geometry), discuss concerns, and make improvements, which forms better decision-making and improved communication 
- **Increases safety**: due to VR and BIM being able to identify problems in design before any construction takes place this helps to reduce coordination errors. Using BIM for 4D simulation, clash detection, and on-site spatial coordination can help contractors reduce risk levels and manage health and safety, design development, and coordination. Another example of how VR and BIM can work together to increase safety is when facility managers are conducting inspections on-site, they will have access to real-time virtual data which can consult them, help them analyse, or retrieve information saving time and resources
- **Enables walkthroughs**: VR provides an immersive interactive experience and can be used to present a space that has not yet been built. This gives professionals such as engineers, architects, and construction managers and their clients a visual representation of their design early on. Therefore, VR technology and BIM can enable a virtual walkthrough where people can gain multiple perspectives of the building, from inside or outside, allowing them to observe, walk around, reach out and touch objects through a 3D model in a virtual environment in real time
- **Helps improve design**: as everyone involved can get an idea of what the building or space would look like before it's constructed or complete allows interior designers to determine how to decorate the interior and gives them a whole new experience. Architects can also interact with their designs and blueprints and provide accurate measurements, scaling, identify any concerns, and easily make any adjustments. Having designs in a interactive digital format provides a more accurate design insights helping to improve designs and decisions making
- **More cost-effective**: due to VR and BIM making it easier for professionals and clients to visualise designs in the early stages, it can help save on costs as it can help determine the accurate amount of material and resources needed, spot any concerns early on, and reduce the amount of workers needed on the projects
- **Increases understanding of BIM models**: VR and BIM together can offer people a better understanding of BIM models as if there are any problems or difficult situations you will be able to communicate better by seeing the issue in full scale in first person

Find out in this article the advantages of VR and BIM combined as we discuss how adopting both technologies can benefit you and your business.

Virtual Reality and BIM

During the global Coronavirus pandemic, countries enacted lockdowns with stay-at-home measures, impacting on the way we went about our day-to-day lives and changing how businesses operate and adapt to change. Technology is playing a crucial role and as we have already previously explained [what Virtual Reality is](/blog/what-is-virtual-reality/ "what Virtual Reality is"), in this article we are going to explore how Virtual Reality Tours can help your business keep going by answering the following questions: **What is a Virtual Reality Property Tour?** and **How can Virtual Reality Tours benefit the Property Development Industry?** Keep reading to find out how you can implement Virtual Reality to help you **#ONEUPYOURBUSINESS**!

## WHAT IS A VIRTUAL REALITY PROPERTY TOUR?

A Virtual Reality Tour, also abbreviated to a VR Tour, is a full digital walkthrough of a property or building, allowing the user to scroll around and walk through the digital environment. VR Tours can be still images or videos of a property where shots are carefully combined to create a digital copy of the real property, enabling prospective buyers to browse and view properties online without having to physically go to the location.

Users are able to take a virtual tour anytime, anywhere regardless if the premises are open or closed. They can access the virtual reality tour on any device to explore the various rooms of the property from multiple angles, and can view featured floor plans that allow the user to understand the space along with any other additional data embedded such as background music, videos, links, etc to enhance user experience.

## HOW CAN VIRTUAL REALITY TOURS BENEFIT THE PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT INDUSTRY?

You may be doubting if implementing Virtual Reality Tours is worth it and we believe it is, especially as we all continue to navigate our way through the global Coronavirus pandemic, with more and more businesses adopting technology, and embracing the change of the transition into a new normal. Therefore, below you will find a list of the biggest benefits that Virtual Reality Tours can offer the Property Industry to deliver you insights on how adopting Virtual Reality can be a game changer:

- **Adheres to social distancing and lockdown rules**: Selling homes can be a tough thing to accomplish as we are among a global pandemic and everyone has been told to stay at home and save lives, abiding to social distancing and lockdown rules. Virtual reality Tours offer a solution for the Property Industry to continue to keep going and enable you to carry on selling homes without the need to be physically present. The realistic and Immersive 3D visualisations Virtual Reality Tours provide sellers and property developers the opportunity to not slow down and keep going during these unprecedented times as potential customers can browse property portfolios from the comfort of their own home
- **Cost-effective**: Investing in feature-rich, high-quality three-dimensional Virtual Reality Tours may seem expensive, however they can help you to save money when you compare it to the investment in traditional property marketing. VR tours serve well for first viewings, eliminating in-person viewings, allowing the most interested prospective buyers to follow up with you. This then easily allows you to narrow down your qualified clients, potentially cutting down the hours you spend with clients who aren't fully interested and therefore, this in turn increases your productivity and efficiency of doing other tasks as you chase leads
- **Saves time**: Implementing Virtual Reality Tours can save time for both you and your clients. With VR there is no need to travel from property to property to show off homes as clients can simply enjoy an immersive 3D tour from their own home to help them form a decision, saving you time that could be best spent catching up on leads, retaining loyal customers, and scheduling open houses as well as your potential customers time
- **Great for people who are restricted mobility**: Not only is viewing properties time-consuming, but those with disabilities may face certain challenges that can cause an issue for them to view a property. Virtual Reality helps individuals who are restricted to have access to view the property and look around without having to physically be there. Therefore, implementing VR Tours opens up and widens the scope for potential interest in properties as buyers can view them remotely
- **Reaches people globally**: As properties can be shown through Virtual Reality Tours enabling clients and customers to walk around and view your properties remotely and boost your productivity. VR helps you to showcase properties to long-distance buyers and those who are abroad as it doesn't matter where the person lives
- **Engages the customer**: VR Tours can engage customers by online communication to enhance interaction. Those viewing the property can comment and ask questions enabling you to reply back in real-time, all from the comfort of your office
- **Presents properties in a clean and tidy manner**: With a Virtual Reality Tour, you can clean and tidy the property once and every time someone views the property online it will be in excellent condition. This can help you to avoid making the property as appealing as possible for days on end and even potentially having to make multiple visits or staying over near the location of the property
- **Offers an immersive customer experience**: As people can access your properties virtually, remotely, at any time, anywhere, this means they don't have to be in a hurry and can be on the tour for as long as they want. This immersive customer experience can make people feel a sense of ownership over a property and a personal connection. With additional information and interactive add-ons for example, mortgage calculators and descriptions of the neighbourhood, also allows customers to find answers to any questions they may have had before contacting you. As VR Tours can offer an emotional and personal experience this can nudge customers to taking the  next necessary steps in signing a rental or purchase agreement

Find out why Virtual Reality Tours for Properties are business-critical, especially during a global Coronavirus pandemic, as we discuss the benefits of virtual viewings.

VR Tours for Properties

After already discussing [Virtual Reality](/blog/what-is-virtual-reality/ "Virtual Reality") and the [benefits of implementing Virtual Reality Tours into your properties](/blog/vr-tours-for-properties/ "benefits of implementing Virtual Reality Tours into your properties"), we will now explore what to look for when choosing Virtual Reality Tours for you properties by answering the following questions: **What are the purposes of implementing Virtual Reality Property Tours?** And **What should you look for in a company when considering a Virtual Reality Property Tour?** Keep reading to find how to get the most out of Virtual Reality Tours to help you **#ONEUPYOURBUSINESS**!

## WHAT ARE THE PURPOSES OF IMPLEMENTING VIRTUAL REALITY PROPERTY TOURS?

You have noted that a Virtual Reality (VR) Tour would provide your business with [a number of advantages](/blog/vr-tours-for-properties/ "a number of advantages"), however before you decide on where to shop, you should consider why you want a VR Tour and what purpose it would serve your business.

Knowing what you want to get out of having a VR Tour will allow you to make the best decision when it comes to narrowing down companies, so you can get the best support and the outcome you want. Here, we list several purposes of why you may want to implement VR Property Tours for your business:

### 1. SHOWCASING

Implementing VR Tours to showcase your properties helps you to save you time and money due to the elimination of having to travel to numerous locations all day to show potential customers around. Allowing customers to view your properties from the comfort of their own home can result in those with the most interest reaching out for an in-person viewing, allowing you to narrow down your qualified leads.

Showcasing your properties online allows people from all over the world, including those who may be restricted, to have access to your property portfolio, widening the scope for more potential interest.

### 2. INTERACTIVE AND GUIDED VISITS

There are two ways that you can offer your potential customers an enhanced user experience and that is by interactive or guided visits, where the potential buyer can virtually walk through a property without actually being there and allow them to view the property in a 360-degree view.

*Interactive visits* gives the ability for potential customers to move within the property by clicking on hotspots in the field of view. Whereas, *guided visits* can be fully virtual or in a panoramic 360-degree view and can wear VR headsets to get a more immersive experience and are great for existing buildings.

### 3. ARCHITECTURAL VISUALISATION

Virtual Reality can allow potential buyers to view both the exterior and interior to see what's being offered of properties that haven't even been constructed yet. This makes architectural visualisation a lot cheaper and immersive than creating three-dimensional models and investing in creating large showrooms that are full-scale.

### 4. VIRTUAL STAGING

In the 2019 [Profile of Home Staging report](https://www.nar.realtor/research-and-statistics/research-reports/profile-of-home-staging "Profile of Home Staging report") by the National Association of Realtors it states that 83% of buyers' agents said that when it comes to staging a home, it helps potential buyers to associate the property with their future home. Highlighting that staging a property full of furniture plays an important role in the selling process.

Virtual Reality offers stunning tours where you can stage the property once, and every time someone views the property virtually it will stay in the same excellent condition, meaning you don't have to keep the property clean and tidy and staged every time there is an online viewing. This helps you to save money and time as you do not have to worry about making the property as appealing as possible for days on end, and even potentially not having to take multiple visits to the location of the property.

### 5. VIRTUAL INSTRUCTIONS

When it comes to communication with a tenant, VR can help you to communicate efficiently. For example, implementing VR technology into the holiday rental industry can help people on vacation in your property to get questions answered quickly e.g., answering where a certain switch can be done by the tenant simply putting on a VR headset and experiencing a VR Tour that navigates them around the property where they can view instructions and additional information.

Therefore, embedding additional information and interactive add-ons into VR Tours allows people to find answers to any questions they may have had before contacting you.

### 6. VIRTUAL COMMERCE

VR Tours can go one step further when it comes to staging a property by allowing potential buyers to make changes to what they see. An example of this can be changing a piece of furniture and the interior of the property to match their own preferences. Potential buyers don't have to make any changes if they wish not to do so but they can be interested in purchasing the pieces already on show in the virtual tour, where they can be provided with a link to a virtual store to buy from. This immersive customer experience can make people feel a sense of ownership over a property and give them a sense of a personal connection.

## WHAT SHOULD YOU LOOK FOR IN A COMPANY WHEN CONSIDERING A VIRTUAL REALITY PROPERTY TOUR?

Now that you have some thoughts on your purpose of getting a Virtual Reality Tour and how it can benefit your business. To create highly detailed and comprehensive VR Tours, cutting-edge technology and expert knowledge is fully required. It's important to hire professionals who are fully insured and have permission to be handling various equipment, and that you understand how the VR Tours will be conducted, including what software they will be using so you understand what you will be receiving. Below we go more in depth on what you should look in a company when considering VR Tours:

### ARE THEY FULLY INSURED AND APPROVED?

When considering hiring a company for your VR Tours it is critical to make sure they are fully insured. You can ask the company to provide you with proof of Public Liability coverage that is the minimum of £5 million. Once you have established the contractor has sufficient insurance coverage, check that the insurance covers the entire time span of the VR Tour project. It could also be helpful to check out the company's previous work which may be available to view on their website, this can help you to get an understanding of the standards they deliver and how experienced the company is.

### DO THEY UTILISE MATTERPORT?

When it comes to software the company uses, you should look for a company that does not use Matterport. Matterport comes with potential downfalls such as additional licensing costs and no rights to your VR Tours. Therefore, we have compiled a list of things you should look out for:

- **If you own the rights of the intellectual property**: You need to get clear on who will have ownership of the VR Tours that are produced, if you want ownership of the intellectual property then Matterport should be avoided. Matterport keep all the rights to your VR Tours since you produced them using their tools and you'll be forced into a licence
- **Unwarranted surprises of additional costs**: It's important to make sure that all costs are declared so you will not be charged with any additional fees, extra hidden costs, or a monthly subscription fee to keep your VR Tours up and running
- **Your own branding**: You should consider if your own branding will be used and incorporated into the VR Tours as software like Matterport use their own logo as a watermark that takes up a large amount of space

You can learn more about why you should avoid using Matterport by clicking [here](/why-do-we-try-to-avoid-using-matterport/ "here")

### DOES THE PROPERTY NEED TO BE EMPTY?

To know if the property needs to be empty or not, the company providing you with the VR Tours will be able to offer suggestions on what would be best for conducting a VR Tour and whether other people can be around. However, it is worth noting that VR Tours are more effective when the property is empty as the company can focus on what the property has to offer.

### WHAT EQUIPMENT WILL BE USED TO PRODUCE THE VR TOURS?

It's important to ensure the company you choose is experienced and is using high quality and professional equipment in order to produce stunning and highly detailed VR Tours. Doing your research on what equipment the company uses will ensure you that you will not be hiring amateurs with unimpressive equipment. Industry-specific, high-definition 360-degree cameras for instance can offer your business a fully enriched user experience and 2D and 3D capabilities. Other additional elements to consider include:

- **360-degree spatial sound**: Adding background sound to your VR Tours could enhance a potential buyers immersive experience for example, if your property is surrounded by nature, or a waterfall, we can capture these sounds and add them to your VR experience, making the potential buyer feel even more like they're really there. If you are looking to add sound to your VR Tours it's important to know if the company can apply sound
- **Extracting floorplans from the VR Tours**: Floorplans can help potential buyers to understand the space and layout of the property and if this is something you are interested then this is something to enquire about
- **Embedding further additional information**: VR Tours can be embedded with additional data such as: images, videos, external links, documents, including stunning footage with drones, offering your customers and clients data-rich experiences. Look out for companies that can implement additional information and offer unique footage to your VR Tours such as: [4K anamorphic](/blog/what-is-anamorphic-video/ "4K anamorphic"), aquatic filming, aerial filming, 360-degree video with aerial drones
  
Overall, knowing why you want a Virtual Reality Tour can help you to understand what companies can offer you in order to meet your needs, allowing you to choose the right company for you.

Make the right purchase decision when looking for Virtual Reality for Properties by learning what you need to consider when implementing VR into your business.

Considering VR Tours for Properties?

Since you've read our previous articles, where we explained what [Virtual Reality](/blog/what-is-virtual-reality/ "Virtual Reality"), the [benefits of implementing Virtual Reality Tours into your properties](/blog/vr-tours-for-properties/ "benefits of implementing Virtual Reality Tours into your properties"), and 
[what you need to consider when choosing Virtual Reality Tours for your properties](/blog/what-to-consider-when-getting-a-vr-tour-for-property/ "what you need to consider when choosing Virtual Reality Tours for your properties"), you already have made up your mind that VR Tours are an essential tool for your business. In this article, we will be sharing how Virtual Reality Tours can be applied to renovated properties by answering the following questions: **Are you bringing a new lease on life on renovated properties with Virtual Reality Tours?** And **How can our Virtual Reality Property Tours help you to increase sales on your converted buildings?** Keep reading to find how to bring a new lease of life to your properties with Virtual Reality Tours to help you **#ONEUPYOURBUSINESS**!

## ARE YOU BRINGING A NEW LEASE ON LIFE ON RENOVATED PROPERTIES WITH VIRTUAL REALITY TOURS?

The pandemic has sent shockwaves globally, unfortunately causing many businesses to close down. A record high of 11,120 chain store outlets closed between January and June in 2020 in the UK according to [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/oct/18/huge-rise-in-uk-shop-closures-with-worse-yet-to-come-covid-19  "The Guardian"), highlighting the severity of the number of buildings becoming vacant.

It's no surprise then that [our prediction](/blog/building-for-the-future-part-1/ "our prediction") of vacant buildings getting a new lease on life by being converted into residential properties is seemingly becoming truer by the day. The Netherlands have already started transforming closed down retail stores into housing and big technology companies such as [](https://www.spotify.com/uk/ "Spotify") and [Facebook](https://en-gb.facebook.com/ "Facebook") have started to introduce remote-working policies which allows their employers to work from anywhere, giving them flexibility and opportunities for them to live wherever they want to, making offices become less in use.

Therefore, the Coronavirus pandemic has shaped the way we work, live, and do things, significantly changing our lifestyles. Which has also impacted how and where we are going to build in a post-pandemic world. Converting buildings into residential properties with Virtual Reality Tours (VR Tours) offers amazing benefits such as:

- Allowing you to sell your renovated property during the ongoing global pandemic
- Adhere to the social distancing regulations currently in place
- Attract interest to your property worldwide
- Reach individuals who have reduced mobility access
- Keep your property accessible 24/7, even when your premise is closed, enabling potential buyers to efficiently view the property anytime, anywhere
- Enable potential buyers to see the property before it has even been built
- Provide an enriched and informative customer experience by giving them additional details about the property e.g., videos, images, documents, etc.

You can click [here](/blog/what-to-consider-when-getting-a-vr-tour-for-property/ "here") to read more about the purposes and benefits of implementing Virtual Reality Tours for Properties.

## HOW CAN OUR VIRTUAL REALITY PROPERTY TOURS HELP YOU TO INCREASE SALES ON YOUR CONVERTED BUILDINGS?

We can incorporate Virtual Reality Tours into your newly renovated premises (even if it has not been built yet) to enable potential buyers to have an data-rich and immersive interaction with your premises without having to physically visit them or touch them. And so, from the comfort and safety of their own home, your customers are just one click away from visiting your property in a virtual world on their favourite internet browser.

So, whether you are converting an abandoned retail building, an old factory, or a block of offices into residential living quarters, our team of industry-leading experts can help you to deliver the Virtual Reality applications that your business needs.

From day one we work closely with your team, taking your ideas and turning them into reality, providing you with support along the way. The VR Tours we deliver utilises cutting-edge technology in the smarties way possible to help you maximise your sales, profits, and efficiency. You will also receive the following benefits:

### THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

We [avoid using Matterport](/why-do-we-try-to-avoid-using-matterport/ "avoid using Matterport"), as we believe you deserve to own the rights to the Virtual Reality Tours that we produce for you. Owning the rights to the Virtual Reality Tours means that you will receive complete control over hosting your VR Tours as they will never expire. As well as, not be given any hidden charges or a monthly subscription fee to keep your Virtual Reality Tours up and running.

### THE INCORPORATION OF YOUR OWN BRANDING

Another massive advantage of not using Matterport is that we are able to incorporate your company logo as a watermark into the VR Tours to boost your brand awareness.

### EXTRACTION OF FLOORPLANS AND DOLLHOUSE VIEW

Our high-end equipment gives us the ability of extracting the floorplans of your renovated properties and export them to CAD formats and even create a dollhouse view of the property, which makes navigating the property much easier and gives more visual context of how the rooms flow between each other.

### DATA-RICH EXPERIENCE

All of our Virtual Reality Tours can embed additional data such as: thermal efficiency reports, CAD floorplans, photos, videos, music, external links, information coming from smart sensors, 360-degree spatial sound, and so on. We are also one of very few companies in the world that can offer [4K anamorphic](/blog/what-is-anamorphic-video/ "4K anamorphic"), aquatic filming, aerial filming, and 360-degree video with aerial drones to offer your VR Tours with unique footage.

Incorporating a range of additional data provides immersive and data-rich experiences to your potential buyers that will help to maximise your sales, profits and efficiency, all while being fully compliant with social distancing.

Learn how Virtual Reality Tours can increase your sales and bring a new lease on life to your renovated properties, by providing a data-rich, interactive experience.

Renovated Properties and VR Tours

Now that you implemented our [Virtual Reality](/blog/what-is-virtual-reality/ "Virtual Reality") solutions after learning and the [benefits of implementing our Virtual Reality Tours into your properties](/blog/vr-tours-for-properties/ "benefits of implementing our Virtual Reality Tours into your properties") after various [considerations](/blog/what-to-consider-when-getting-a-vr-tour-for-property/ "considerations"). In this article, you will discover how to maintain your Virtual Reality Property Tours as we answer the following questions: **Why is it important for you to maintain your Virtual Reality Property Tours?** And **What support can we offer to help you maintain your Virtual Reality Property Tours ?** Keep reading to find how to keep your Virtual Reality Tours up to date to help you **#ONEUPYOURBUSINESS**!

## WHY IS IT IMPORTANT THAT YOU MAINTAIN YOUR VIRTUAL REALITY TOURS FOR PROPERTIES?

As we discussed in a [previous article](/blog/bring-new-life-to-renovated-properties-with-vr-tours/ "previous article", incorporating extra additional data provides immersive and data-rich experiences to your potential buyers that will help to maximise your sales, profits and efficiency, all while being fully compliant with social distancing regulations.

If any information in your Virtual Reality Tours (VR Tours) becomes outdated for example, a product's information has changed and has not been updated in the VR Tour, this can cause inconsistency and miscommunication to potential buyers, reducing efficiency, and the customers user experience. Therefore, having easy access to all your VR Tours is very important to ensure they can be maintained and kept updated whenever changes to any information occurs, keeping your VR Tours the best immersive experience they can be.

## WHAT SUPPORT CAN WE OFFER YOU TO HELP YOU MAINTAIN YOUR VIRTUAL REALITY PROPERTY TOURS?

We offer a wide variety of Virtual Reality solutions tailored to suit your needs, from helping you to import extra additional or to gaining access to all your VR Tours and updating data.

### EMBEDDING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

With potential customers viewing your property portfolio via your Virtual Reality Tours, you may still receive frequently asked questions. We can overlay and attach almost any kind of information to your existing Virtual Reality Tours, saving you time responding to potential customers individually and allowing you to focus on other important matters. A few examples of additional data include:

- Thermal energy efficiency reports
- CAD floor plans
- 360-degree spatial sound
- External links
- Documents
- Drone videography and photography

With Permission for Commercial Operations from the Civil Aviation Authority to fly [fixed-wing](/blog/what-are-fixed-wing-drones/ "fixed-wing") and [multi-rotor drones](/blog/what-are-multi-rotor-drones/ "multi-rotor drones"), with a Public Liability insurance of £5,000,000. We are one of very few companies in the world that can offer [4K anamorphic](/blog/what-is-anamorphic-video/ "4K anamorphic"), aquatic filming, aerial filming, and 360-degree video with aerial drones to offer your VR Tours a whole range of enriched data to boost your customers user experience.

### EASY ACCESS TO YOUR VIRTUAL REALITY TOURS

With our support you will receive access to a secure client portal with centralised billing and library of all your VR tours available to download, making your intellectual property more organised, easier to access, and convenient.

### UPDATING YOU DATA-ENRICHED VIRTUAL REALITY TOURS

We are here to offer you the best support so there's no need to worry if the rich data we embedded becomes outdated. With all your VR Tours in one single location, we can always modify the embedded data such as links, videos, images, product information, if any changes happen. You will then never have to worry about clients and customers receiving misguided and data material and information.

Discover why it's important to maintain and keep your data-rich Virtual Reality Property Tours updated during their lifecycle and how we can support you.

Maintain your VR Property Tours

In previous articles we've explained exactly what Virtual Reality is and how it is useful for the [Property Development Industry](/blog/vr-tours-for-properties/ "Property Development Industry") which includes [renovated properties](/blog/bring-new-life-to-renovated-properties-with-vr-tours/ "renovated properties"). However, in today's article we are going to be applying Virtual Reality to the Retail Industry as we answer the following questions: **What is Virtual Reality?** and **How can Virtual Reality Tours benefit the Retail Industry?** Keep reading to learn how Virtual Reality can be applied to your store to help you to **#ONEUPYOURBUSINESS**!

## WHAT IS VIRTUAL REALITY?

To clarify what [Virtual Reality](/blog/what-is-virtual-reality/ "Virtual Reality") (VR) is, it is a full digital walkthrough of a premise or building that a user can interact directly with. The user has the ability to access the premise without having to be physically there, where they can scroll around and walk through the digital environment.

Therefore, applying Virtual Reality Tours to Retail can enable your customer (the user) to have an interactive and immersive experience with your shop, all from the comfort of their own home using their favourite internet browser, even when your premises are closed, helping you to never have to miss out on making a profit.

## HOW CAN VIRTUAL REALITY TOURS BENEFIT THE RETAIL INDUSTRY?

As Retail is the [process of selling consumer goods or services to customers through multiple channels of distribution to earn a profit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retail "process of selling consumer goods or services to customers through multiple channels of distribution to earn a profit"), in recent years under the government lockdown restrictions, the operation of shops being open to the public ceased causing the Retail Industry to be severely affected with [thousands of chain store outlets to close down](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/oct/18/huge-rise-in-uk-shop-closures-with-worse-yet-to-come-covid-19 "thousands of chain store outlets to close down").

The shockwaves the Coronavirus pandemic sent to the Retail Industry has encouraged the growth of Technology in multiple sectors, and so future-proofing your business by making it digital can allow you to still operate in the current climate of a pandemic and be prepared if another lockdown happens. And so here, we list how Virtual Reality Tours can benefit the Retail Industry:

- **Business is accessible 24/7**: Even out of work hours when your premise is closed and even during open hours, potential customers from the safety of their own homes can virtually visit your store offering customers full accessibility and flexibility
- **Disability-friendly**: Due to efficient access to your business anytime, anywhere this can open up the doors for those with restricted mobility and disabilities to easily navigate around your shop and spend as much time as they need without having to stress or worry about going to your store 
-**Immersive experience**: VR Tours provides an enriched and informative experience by giving them additional details about your company, products, goods, services, etc, where customers can interact with the premise
-**Data-rich customer experience**: You can embed vast amounts of information into your VR Tours such as video, images, documents, floor plans, and links giving your customer all the information they could possibly need enabling you to have to answer fewer questions and attend other important matters whilst delivering an excellent customer experience
- **Adheres to social distancing and lockdown rules**: Selling goods has been merely impossible if your business isn't online due to lockdown restrictions requiring a majority of shops to close as we are challenged with a global pandemic. Virtual reality Tours offer a solution for the Retail Industry to continue to keep operating, enabling you to carry on selling your goods, products, or services without customers having to physically come to your store and therefore without breaking any rules in the process. The realistic and Immersive 3D visualisations of Virtual Reality Tours provide the opportunity for your business to not slow down and power through these unprecedented times as potential customers can browse your premises from the comfort of their own home and make a purchase online
- **Reaches people globally**: As your store can be viewed anytime, anywhere by anyone who has access to the internet, Virtual Reality Tours enable people not just from your local area but from around the world to view your shop and potentially make a purchase which is great as you can discover new markets of where people are viewing your products from or if you ship internationally
- **Presents your store in a clean and tidy manner**: With a Virtual Reality Tour, you only need to clean and tidy your store once for the VR Tour meaning that every time someone views your shop online it will be presented in excellent condition
- **Training employees**: Employees can benefit from 3D walkthroughs of your store as they can help new employees learn their way around helping them to hit the ground running. Using VR Tours to train employers is a good way to save time and money
- **Enables safe store reopenings**: After the pandemic, you can use VR Tours to limit in-store visits and provide customers with virtual assurance as they can view your store's layout before making arrangements to visit in-person or doing a quick pickup to ensure physical distancing and health and safety procedures are being met
- **Increases brand awareness**: You can increase your online digital exposure and brand awareness by showing off your store using modern technology, Virtual Reality.  Vr can help your customers engage with your brand and store on another level by allowing them to see inside and explore your store online

Find out why having Virtual Reality Tours for Retail is business-critical, especially as we navigate through a global Coronavirus pandemic, as we list ten benefits.

Virtual Reality for Retail

[Virtual Reality](/blog/what-is-virtual-reality/ "Virtual Reality") is a great way to keep your business up and running even when your premises are closed, and since exploring the ["benefits of implementing Virtual Reality Tours into your store](/blog/vr-for-retail/ "benefits of implementing Virtual Reality Tours into your store"), we will now look into what you should consider when choosing a company to implement VR Tours by answering the following questions: **What are the purposes of implementing Virtual Reality Property Tours?** And **What should you look for in a company when considering a Virtual Reality Property Tour?** Keep reading to make the right purchase decision with Virtual Reality Tours to help you **#ONEUPYOURBUSINESS**!

## WHAT ARE THE PURPOSES OF IMPLEMENTING VIRTUAL REALITY TOURS INTO YOUR STORE?

You've noted that a Virtual Reality (VR) Tour for Retail would provide your business with [several benefits](/blog/vr-for-retail/ "several benefits"), now it's time to decide what your main goal is for implementing a Virtual Reality tour. Determining what you want to get out of a Virtual Reality Tour (which could be multiple reasons) will help you narrow down your options when choosing the best solution for you. And so below, we have compiled a list outlining three purposes of adopting Virtual Reality (VR) Tours into your store:

### 1. ENHANCING YOUR CUSTOMERS SHOPPING EXPERIENCE

Implementing VR Tours can take the customers shopping experience to the next level as it's like an extension of online shopping. Customers can virtually visit the store, explore, and interact with the products and not just see them before deciding to purchase. Shopping can be perceived as a dull experience for some people, and VR offers something new and exciting. The personal experience makes shopping less like a chore as they view and engage with your products and services in a whole new way. Virtual Reality can create a whole fun and exciting environment, modernising the shopping experience and offering something unique compared to your competitors.

### 2. OPERATING OUTSIDE OF BUSINESS HOURS

A great way to future-proof your business is with Virtual Reality technology. If you are looking to make potential sales during opening and closed working hours, VR Tours make it possible for you to do that.

Your store can continue to stay open even during a lockdown as VR allows customers to have accessibility and flexibility to virtual shop at your store safely at any time, anywhere, enabling you never to have to miss out on a sale again.

### 3. MARKETING AND PLANNING PURPOSES

Virtual Reality Tours can go beyond just enhancing a customers experience. It can also help you understand your customers better with marketing psychology and planning your layout accordingly.

When it comes to displaying goods or rearranging the store layout, for instance, you can do a trial run using VR before actually committing to plans eliminating the guesswork, allowing you to see how your customers interact with your brand.

## WHAT SHOULD YOU LOOK FOR IN A COMPANY WHEN CONSIDERING A VIRTUAL REALITY TOUR FOR RETAIL?

Since uncovering why you want to implement a Virtual Tour into your business, hiring the right company to produce a highly immersive VR Tour is next on the list. And because we understand the importance of technology, we've compiled a list of things you should consider before hiring:

### PROFESSIONAL AND FULLY INSURED

It's important to hire professionals who are fully insured and have permission to be handling various equipment. A company can provide you with proof of Public Liability coverage which we believe should be a minimum of £5 million. You can also get a grasp of the companies previous work, which may be viewable on their website, for you to get an idea of what they can offer, the standards they deliver, and how experienced the company is.

### SOFTWARE

We advise researching what software a company will be using for your VR Tours so you can weigh out the pros and cons.
Most companies use Matterport. However, [Matterport comes with many downsides](/why-do-we-try-to-avoid-using-matterport/ "Matterport comes with a potential list of downfalls") such as additional licensing costs and no rights to owning your VR Tours. And so, to get suitable VR Tours for you, we have listed a few things you should be aware of:

- **If you can incorporate your own branding**: With Matterport software usually use their logo as a watermark promoting their brand on your VR Tours and so it may be a good idea for you to consider if you can incorporate your branding and use your logo
  **The intellectual property owner**: Get clear on who has ownership of the VR Tours produced for your business. If you want to obtain ownership, then it's best to avoid hiring a company that uses Matterport as they keep all the rights, and you can be opted into a licence just to keep the VR Tours they own up and running
- **Additional costs**: No one wants to have sprung on them unwarranted additional charges that they weren't expecting, so before any work is conducted and anything is signed, it's essential to make sure all the costs are declared from the get-go, so you don't get hit with any additional fees, hidden charges, or a monthly subscription fee to keep your VR Tours hosted

### EQUIPMENT

Moving on from software, you don't need to be an expert or knowledgeable in how the equipment works, but it can be useful to look into what equipment the company uses to deliver high standards and the quality you want to ensure you're not hiring amateurs.

Notably, industry-specific, high-definition 360-degree cameras, for instance, can offer your business a fully enriched user experience and 2D and 3D capabilities, and it's great to look into if the company can provide more additional elements, for example:

- **The embedding of further additional information**: If you want to add data like videos, external links, images etc., into your VR Tours, then look out for companies that can offer a range of data services to give your customers a data-rich experience
- **Sound**: Background sound is an incredible way to enhance a customers user experience when interacting with a VR Tour. For example, in the Retail Industry, in-person shopping experiences include music in the background, and you can bring that experience over to the virtual shopping world by adding additional 360-degree spatial sound
- **Extracting floor plans**: Floor plans are great for helping customers to navigate around your shop as it allows them to understand the space and layout of the store

### DOES YOUR STORE NEED TO BE EMPTY?

Conducting VR Tours is a lot more effective when the premise is closed and empty of people. However, the company providing you with the VR Tours will be able to advise what's best when conducting VR Tours, if the premise needs to be empty or if it's okay to have people around.

Now with all these considerations in mind, you can narrow down the company that best suits your needs, enabling you to make the best decision possible.

Are you looking to get a Virtual Reality Tour for your business? Then learn what you should consider when choosing a company to make the right purchase decision.

What to consider for Virtual Reality Tours

To follow on from our previous articles where we explained what [Virtual Reality](/blog/what-is-virtual-reality/ "Virtual Reality"), the [benefits of implementing Virtual Reality Tours into Retail](/blog/vr-for-retail/ "benefits of implementing Virtual Reality Tours into Retail"), and [what you should've considered when choosing Virtual Reality Tours for your store](/blog/what-to-consider-for-vr-tours-for-retail/ "what you should've considered when choosing Virtual Reality Tours for your store"). In this article, we will be sharing how Virtual Reality Tours can improve customer experience by answering the following questions: **Are you enhancing your customers' shopping experience with Virtual Reality Tours?** And **how can our Virtual Reality Tours help you to deliver an immersive customer experience?** Keep reading to find how you can offer interactive and data-rich experiences to help you **#ONEUPYOURBUSINESS**!

## ARE YOU ENHANCING YOUR CUSTOMERS' SHOPPING EXPERIENCE WITH VIRTUAL REALITY TOURS?

Since the Coronavirus pandemic sent devastation to the Retail Industry with shops in the thousands in the UK ceasing to operate and make sales found us having to adapt and change the way we work, live, and operate.

The pandemic accelerated customers to shift towards the digital world of online shopping, which is predicted to have long-lasting effects after a survey titled,  ***[COVID-19 and E-commerce](https://unctad.org/system/files/official-document/dtlstictinf2020d1_en.pdf "COVID-19 and E-commerce")*** was conducted by the United Nations Conference of Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

With technology playing a significant role and estimated to continue doing so even after the pandemic, you can bring your store to life with Virtual Reality Tours helping you to:

- Stand out hangouts your competitors
- Never miss a sale with your business being accessible 24/7
- Provide a safe and social distance store re-opening
- Attract interest to your store globally
- Reach those who are restricted mobility-wise
- Provide a fantastic and immersive customer experience
- Adhere to the social distancing regulations currently in place

To find out more about the wonderful benefits Virtual Reality Tours can bring to the Retail industry, then click [here](/blog/vr-for-retail/ "here").

## HOW CAN OUR VIRTUAL REALITY TOURS HELP YOU TO DELIVER AN IMMERSIVE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE?

In the comfort of their own home, a customer is just one click away on their favourite internet browser to interact with a virtual visualisation of your store where they can explore the products, goods, or services you have to offer, even when your store is closed enabling you to sit back enjoy a cuppa and not miss out on making a sale again.

Our team of industry-leading experts will help you to deliver a data-rich and immersive customer experience by providing you with a Virtual Reality Tour of your store. From day one, we'll work with you to map out the ideas you have and what you want to achieve, and turn them into a reality, keeping you up-to-date along the way.

In a previous article, we listed four key things you needed to consider when hiring a company for your Virtual Reality Tours, and below we will run through them outlining how our Virtual Reality Tours can benefit you:

### EXPERT KNOWLEDGE AND FULLY INSURED
We’re fully insured with Public Liability and Professional Indemnity covers.

### WE DON'T USE MATTERPORT
Believing that you deserve to own all the intellectual property rights to your VR Tours that are produced for you, [we avoid using Matterport](/why-do-we-try-to-avoid-using-matterport/ "we avoid using Matterport"). You get complete ownership and control over your hosting without any additional charge or monthly subscription fees to keep your VR Tours up and running.

By not using Matterport, you will receive:

- Complete ownership of the Virtual Reality Tours we produce
- No additional costs
- Ability to incorporate your logo onto the Virtual Reality Tour

### INDUSTRY-SPECIFIC TECHNOLOGY
With over 23+ years of experience in the industry, using cutting-edge technology in the smartest possible way to make your business safer, more efficient, and more profitable, we only use industry-specific technology to deliver you the very best immersive and interactive Virtual Reality Tours to enable you to take customer service to the next level.

Feel free to browse our website to gain extensive knowledge on how technology can give you a technological advantage over your competitors and learn all about [Virtual Reality](/blog/what-is-virtual-reality/ "Virtual Reality") technology and how our high-definition 360-degree cameras, for instance, can offer your business a fully enriched user experience and 2D and 3D capabilities.

### DATA-RICH EXPERIENCE
The more data-rich your Virtual Reality Tours are, the more immersive the experience will be for your customers helping you to maximise your sales, profits and efficiency, all while being fully compliant with social distancing.
We can provide your Virtual Reality tours with a range of additional data such as:
- **External links**: You may want to incorporate external links to products or services you have on offer or a video or image. We can embed external links into your VR Tour so your customers can interact with that content without leaving the VR experience.
- **Stunning Videography and Photography**: We are also one of very few companies in the world that can offer [4K anamorphic](/blog/what-is-anamorphic-video/ "4K anamorphic"), underwater filming, aerial filming, and 360-degree video with aerial drones to help your VR Tours provide your customers with stunning and unique footage helping you to stand out from the crowd
- **360-degree spatial sound**: We can insert background sound into your VR Tours, enhancing the personal experience your customers will receive as it will help them feel as if they are there in your store, in-person
- **CAD floor plans**: We can extract floor plans, enabling new employees and your customers to easily navigate around your store as they get to view the layout and space of your store

In this article, learn how Virtual Reality Tours can enhance your customers' online shopping experience and help you to never miss out on a sale again.

VR for Customers

Since incorporating [Virtual Reality Tours](/blog/what-is-virtual-reality/ "Virtual Reality Tours") into your business, information may have become outdated since trends, seasons, pricing, and so on can frequently change. In this article, we look at how you can maintain your Virtual Reality Tours by answering the following questions: **Why is it important to maintain your Virtual Reality Tours for Retail?** And **What support can we offer to help you maintain your Virtual Reality Tours?** Keep reading to find how to stay updated to help you to **#ONEUPYOURBUSINESS**!

## WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO MAINTAIN YOUR VIRTUAL REALITY TOURS FOR RETAIL?

When it comes to maintaining your Virtual Reality (VR) Tours, having helpful and up-to-date content is crucial. The products you sell, the pricing, even the layout of your store can change over time. Suppose you do not update your VR Tours. In that case, this could potentially reduce your customer's user experience as it can cause miscommunication and inconsistencies, which ultimately impacts your brand's reputation. Keeping your Virtual Reality Tours update provides you with the opportunity to make sales even when your store is closed. Therefore, it is a great marketing opportunity where correct, and high-quality information needs to be shared to offer a fantastic customer experience.

## WHAT SUPPORT CAN WE OFFER YOU TO HELP YOU MAINTAIN YOUR VIRTUAL REALITY TOURS?

You may be wondering then, how can you maintain your Virtual Reality Tours? It's pretty simple; with instant ease of access, you can keep the information updated and make updates whenever changes occur as you now own the intellectual property rights to your tours. The Virtual Reality solutions we provide are customisable to suit your needs whether you want to import additional data, remove, or update existing information.

### EASY OF ACCESS
You will have access to a secure client portal with the centralised billing and a library of all your VR tours available to download, providing you with an organised, more accessible access and convenient workflow.

### SUPPORT WITH UPDATING INFORMATION
We can support you in updating your information to avoid misleading customers as we can modify any material or information that is outdated in one single location.

### EXTRA ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
If you want to stand out even further against your competitors, adding additional data to your VR Tours offers an even more enriched data-driven experience to your customers as they virtually walk through your store.

For instance, floor plans can be a great addition as they can support online training, helping new employees navigate around your store and grasp the layout quickly and efficiently. And incorporating background music into your VR Tours is a great way to help customers feel that they're in-person in your store as it adds a personal touch. There's plenty of information we can overlay and attach to your existing Virtual Reality Tours to enhance and maintain a data-rich experience:

- External links
- Thermal energy efficiency reports
- CAD floor plans
- 360-degree spatial sound
- External links
- Documents
- Drone videography and photography

We take pride that we are one of the very few companies that can offer stunning drone operations such as [4K anamorphic](/blog/what-is-anamorphic-video/ "4K anamorphic"), aquatic filming, aerial filming, and 360-degree video to add uniqueness to your virtual tours.

Learn why it's important to maintain a data-rich experience and how you can keep your Retail Virtual Reality Tours up-to-date with our solutions.

Maintain your Retail VR Tours

After providing you with a list of how [Virtual Reality Tours can benefit the Hospitality Industry](/blog/vr-for-hospitality/ "Virtual Reality Tours can benefit the Hospitality Industry"). In this article, we explore ideas of why you may want to implement Virtual Reality into your business and what to consider when hiring a company by answering the following questions: **What are the purposes of implementing Virtual Reality Tours into your Hospitality business?** And **what should you look for when considering a Virtual Reality Tours for Hospitality?** Keep reading to find how Virtual Reality can help you to **#ONEUPYOURBUSINESS**!

## WHAT ARE THE PURPOSES OF IMPLEMENTING VIRTUAL REALITY TOURS INTO YOUR HOSPITALITY BUSINESS?

Our previous article detailed how [Virtual Reality Tours can enrich the Hospitality Industry](/blog/vr-for-hospitality/ "Virtual Reality Tours can enrich the Hospitality Industry") from presenting information more engagingly, giving your customer's a try before buy experience to increasing up-selling and cross-selling. Now, we explore ways in how you can implement Virtual Reality technology into your business:

### 1. HOTEL TOURS
A common use of implementing VR Tours is within the hotel sector. The tours can be made available on a hotels website, enabling guests to virtually walk through the hotel and view the rooms before they book or arrive.

### 2. VIRTUAL BOOKINGS
Virtual Reality technology can make bookings easier and efficient for customers as they can easily book flights, select seats, book rooms, compare prices, and so on. A leading travel technology company, Amadeus, has already started using VR to enhance customer experience without guests having to be physically present.

### 3. ONLINE TRAVEL EXPERIENCE
Guests can experience immersive virtual travel experiences with the use of VR. Using cutting-edge technology such as 360-degree cameras, experiences like travel, flight, sightseeing can be created. For instance, if you have a travel experience that involves swimming with dolphins, you can recreate that experience with VR.

## WHAT SHOULD YOU LOOK FOR WHEN CONSIDERING A VIRTUAL REALITY TOUR FOR HOSPITALITY?
As technology evolves, businesses evolve too when implementing advanced technology. Since now you understand how Virtual Reality can level up your business, it's essential to hire the best company to get high-quality VR Tours suited to your needs. Therefore, we have prepared a list of things you may want to consider when hiring a company for your Virtual Reality Tours.

### THE SOFTWARE USED
You need to be aware of what software a company uses as there are pros and cons. For instance, if you're looking for Virtual Reality Tours that can operate offline and do not require a subscription, then a company that supports Matterport may not be the best option for you. You can read a full list of pros and cons for Matterport [here](/blog/why-do-we-try-to-avoid-using-matterport/ "here").

Researching is critical as you do not want to waste money on Virtual Reality Tours that do not serve your intended purpose. Understanding what you will be receiving will prevent you from enduring additional costs or be met with inconveniences.

### WHO HAS OWNERSHIP OF THE VIRTUAL REALITY TOURS
Do you own the intellectual property rights to your Virtual Reality Tours you will receive? This is an important question to ask and stated in a written contract. Again, if you want to have ownership of your tours, then avoiding a company that uses Matterport is a safe option as you won't opt into a license to keep the tours running.

### INCORPORATING YOUR BRANDING
Brand consistency is an essential factor for all companies. If you would like to brand your Virtual Reality Tours with your company logo, then this is something you could enquire about, especially if you own the intellectual property rights to the VR Tours.

### OFFERING OF ADDITIONAL SOLUTIONS
To produce VR Tours, high-definition 360-degree cameras are used to create enhanced 2D and 3D experiences. But, it could be a good idea to look for a company that could also provide an enriched Virtual Reality experience with other solutions such as photography, videography, CAD floor plans, information that can be embedded into your VR Tour.

The more data-rich your Virtual Reality Tour is, the more immersive the experience will be for your guests.

### LEGITIMATE AND FULLY INSURED COMPANY
To make sure you're hiring a legit company, you can make sure they are registered, fully insured, and have permissions to be operating industry-specific equipment. You can also look at the company's website to view previous works. You could even ask the company to provide you with evidence of Public Liability coverage which we suggest shouldn't be under £5million.

### THE PROCEDURE
With lockdown restrictions easing up, health and safety measures should still be at the company's heart. The company you are considering should advise if the premise is best emptied or not and if people can be onsite when VR Tours are being conducted. Every company will have different procedures for completing the Virtual Reality Tours for you, so it's best to ask every company you consider.

Now that you have a list of things you may want to consider, you can hire a company to deliver the best solution for your needs.

Before you settle on making a VR Tour purchase for your hospitality business, first explore what you should consider when implementing VR.

Considering VR Tours for Hospitality?

Leading on from our previous articles: [Virtual Reality](/blog/what-is-virtual-reality/ "Virtual Reality"), the [advantages of implementing Virtual Reality Tours into the Hospitality sector](/blog/vr-for-hospitality/ "advantages of implementing Virtual Reality Tours into the Hospitality sector"), and [what you should look for before choosing a company](/blog/vr-tours-for-hospitality/ "what you should look for before choosing a company"). In this article, we will be explaining how you can improve the guest experience by answering the following questions: **Are you improving your guests' experience with Virtual Reality Tours?** And **how can our Virtual Reality Tours help you to enhance the guest experience?** Keep reading to learn how you can get data-rich Virtual Reality Tours **#ONEUPYOURBUSINESS**!

## ARE YOU IMPROVING YOUR GUESTS' EXPERIENCE WITH VIRTUAL REALITY TOURS?

If the Coronavirus pandemic has taught us anything, then it has to be the value of adopting technology into businesses. In the unfortunate circumstances of the pandemic, the Hospitality Industry was presented with an unprecedented challenge due to stay-at-home orders, mobility restrictions and lockdowns, which resulted in lengthy temporary closures of businesses around not only the UK but globally.

Due to the pandemic, most businesses had to change how they operated. While the Hospitality Industry is still recovering from the crisis, we believe that technology is the way forward in helping the industry thrive again.

As we mentioned in our previous article, [What to consider for Virtual Hospitality Reality Tours](/blog/vr-tours-for-hospitality/ "What to consider for Virtual Hospitality Reality Tours"), Virtual Reality Tours provide the Hospitality Industry with endless opportunities, from enhancing your guest experience to giving you an advantage over your competitors and helping you to safely re-open. Below we provide an overview of how Virtual Reality Tours can improve your guests' experience and help you thrive after the pandemic:
- Allows guests to explore your premise, the rooms available, surrounding locations all from the comfort of their own home
- People from all over the world can access your services
- Provides guests with online travel experiences
- Enables for guests to browse safely and at a social distance
- Improves selling as your business can be accessed 24/7
- Increases guest engagement as it provides an immersive experience
- Supplies all the information a guest may need before making a purchase
- Helps guests navigate their way around before arrival

## HOW CAN OUR VIRTUAL REALITY TOURS HELP YOU TO DELIVER AN IMMERSIVE GUEST EXPERIENCE?

If you're looking to implement Virtual Reality Tours, then look no further as from the very get-go, our team of leading experts will work with you to achieve your goals.

Allowing your guests to be one click away from your virtually walking through your premise via their favourite internet browser, we'll deliver data-rich Virtual Reality Tours for your business with several advantages:

### 1. WE DON'T USE MATTERPORT
We mentioned in our previous article to do your research on what software a company works with, and for several reasons, [we prefer to not work with Matterport](/blog/why-do-we-try-to-avoid-using-matterport/ "we prefer to not work with Matterport"). Due to not using Matterport, we can offer you ownership of the Virtual Reality Tours and no additional costs, so you'll receive:

- **The intellectual property rights**: That's right! You will receive full ownership of the Virtual Reality Tours we produce for you, giving you complete control over the hosting
- **No subscription fee**: We will not charge you any extra fees or monthly subscriptions for you to keep your tours up and running
- **Ability to brand**: We won't brand your Virtual Reality Tour with our company logo, in fact; instead, you'll receive the ability to brand your Virtual Reality Tours with your business logo for brand consistency

### 2. WE ARE FULLY INSURED
To give you peace of mind and trust in our operations, we have Public Liability, Professional Indemnity, and Cybersecurity insurance policies.

### 3. WE CAN PROVIDE ADDITIONAL SOLUTIONS
We understand that the more data you feed into your Virtual Reality Tours, the more enhanced a guests experience will be. So with over 23+ years of using cutting-edge technology in the smartest possible, we can deliver you the very best immersive and interactive Virtual Reality Tours to enable you to take customer service to the next level as we can provide other solutions such as:

- **Videography and Photography**: We can help you incorporate stunning images and footage that will wow your guests and help you stand out from your competitors as we are one of the very few companies in the world that can offer [4K anamorphic](/blog/what-is-anamorphic-video/ "4K anamorphic"), underwater filming, aerial filming, and 360-degree video with aerial drones
- **CAD floor plans**: Adding floor plans into your Virtual Reality Tour can help guests easily understand the layout of your premise and navigate around easier before they even arrive. For instance, if your own a hotel, this can prevent your guests from wondering the corridors trying to find their room
- **360-degree spatial sound**: To give a guest a personal feel and stimulate their hearing senses, then we can embed background sound to your VR Tours, making them feel as if they have really teleported to your premise
- **External links**: We can insert external links such as links to products, services, videos or images that, when a guest clicks on it will directly send them over to where you want them to go

In this article, learn how data-rich Virtual Reality (VR) Tours can improve your guests' experience and provide you with a technology advantage.

VR Tours for Guest Experience

You already know how [Virtual Reality Tours can help you enhance your guest's experience](/blog/vr-tours-for-guest-experience/ "Virtual Reality Tours can help you enhance your guest's experience"), and the [benefits Virtual Reality Tours can bring](/blog/vr-for-hospitality/ "benefits Virtual Reality Tours can bring") to your Hospitality business, so in this article, we will be discussing how to maintain your Virtual Reality Tours by answering the following questions: **Why is it essential to keep your Virtual Reality Tours for hospitality up-to-date?** and **How can we help you maintain and update your Virtual Reality Tours?**  Keep reading to learn about keeping your tours updated to **#ONEUPYOURBUSINESS**!

## WHY IS IT ESSENTIAL TO KEEP YOUR VIRTUAL REALITY TOURS FOR HOSPITALITY UP-TO-DATE?

In life, change is inevitable, and those who accept change and acknowledge it can embrace it. This is particularly true in the Hospitality Industry and business in general as maybe the price of your services has changed, you're no longer stocking a particular product, you've redecorated and changed a layout of a room you let out, or a view from a window has adjusted because now a skyscraper has been built near your premise. Many things can evolve, and when it comes to technology, systems, databases, your website, all need to be kept updated, so when it comes to Virtual Reality (VR) Tours, these too are essential to update.

As we discussed in our previous article, [VR Tours for Guest Experience](/blog/vr-tours-for-guest-experience/ "VR Tours for Guest Experience"), the more information added to your VR Tours, the more enhanced a guests experience will be, but what happens when you neglect to update your VR Tours? Miscommunication and inconsistencies with your brand can occur. For example, maybe on your website, you have a room pricing that is not the same as the room pricing on your Virtual Reality Tours. This can confuse potential guests. Instead of getting the answers they are looking for; it can cause more questions, resulting in them reaching out to inquire or click off altogether, contributing to losing a customer.

Virtual Reality Tours are an excellent way for guests to navigate your premises and book with you out of hours. It is a fantastic marketing tool, making them essential to have correct, valuable and high-quality information to maintain great customer satisfaction.

## HOW CAN WE HELP YOU MAINTAIN AND UPDATE YOUR VIRTUAL REALITY TOURS?

Since learning that it is crucial to keep your Virtual Reality (VR) Tours up-to-date, you may have a few ideas come into mind; pricing, the products you sell, layouts or that you need to add more external links to help guests get answers to the questions that you keep receiving in your inbox. Regardless of whatever it may be, our team of leading experts can help you implement and maintain your VR Tours and have a whole range of solutions to suit your particular needs.

### INFORMATION UPDATES AND REMOVAL
To prevent miscommunication and keep your brand consistent, we can edit, update, modify and remove any data and materials that you deem necessary and outdated on your Virtual Reality Tours, all in one single location.

### IMPORTING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Adding additional data is not a problem as we understand the more data-rich your VR Tours are, the better customer experience your guests will receive. Implementing extra data can lead to fewer questions coming your way, enabling you to focus more on other important matters. Therefore, we can incorporate plenty of information, including:

- **CAD floorplans**: Floorplans can help your guests find their way around your premise; this can avoid them getting lost and easing anxiety before coming to visit. Not only can it allow guests to navigate their way around with ease, but it can also be beneficial to training staff and new employees to understand the layout
- **External links**: We can add external links to wherever you want your guest to directly go when the link is clicked on, whether that be a video, product information or an image gallery
- **Stunning drone videography and photography**: Our fleet of drones can provide you with high-resolution crystal clear images and videography, which can be attached to your VR Tours. Video and Imagery is a great way to stand out from your competitors and market your products and services, and we are proud to be one of the very few companies to offer [4K anamorphic](/blog/what-is-anamorphic-video/ "4K anamorphic"), aquatic filming, aerial filming, 360-degree video, 3D 180-degree and 3D 360-degree videos to add innovative footage to your VR Tours
- **Reports from visual inspections**: From aquatic checks, roof inspections and thermal inspections, we can perform a range of visual surveys of your assets and produce thorough reports, which can also be helpful for court evidence and damage repairs
- **360-degree spatial sound**: You can make your guests feel as if they are there at your premises by stimulating their hearing senses by implementing background sound


### CLIENT PORTAL
To keep your Virtual Reality Tours organised, you will have access to a centralised billing and a client portal where all your VR Tours will be available to you for convenience and a better workflow.

Learn why it's essential to keep your Hospitality Virtual Reality (VR) Tours updated and what solutions we can offer to help you maintain your tours.

Updating your Hospitality VR Tours

Despite being a hugely popular platform for Virtual Tours, Matterport has way too many disadvantages and issues that make it unsuitable for the standalone and data-rich Virtual Tours and Digital Twins that we produce. In today’s article we are going to answer the following questions: **what is Matterport?**, **how does Matterport work?**,  **why do we try to avoid using Matterport?** and **what Matterport alternatives do we offer?**. Keep reading to find out how avoiding the Matterport platform allows us to help you to **#ONEUPYOURBUSINESS**.

## WHAT IS MATTERPORT?

Despite the common misconception that Matterport is a camera, at its core, Matterport is an online subscription service (gets quite expensive very quickly, by the way) that processes photographs taken with [iPhones](https://www.apple.com/uk/iphone-11-pro/ "iPhones"), certain 360 degree cameras, their proprietary [Matterport Pro 2 camera](https://matterport.com/cameras/pro2-3D-camera "Matterport Pro 2 camera") or the [Leica BLK 360 laser scanner](https://shop.leica-geosystems.com/gb/buy/blk360/blk360 "Leica BLK 360 laser scanner") in order to produce Virtual Tours.

For an additional cost per Virtual Tour, they allow you to download certain elements to integrate with BIM and even a CAD floor plan.

## HOW DOES MATTERPORT WORK?

In order to produce a Virtual Tour, you need a Matterport-compatible camera, which could be an iPhone, a handful of 360 degree cameras, the proprietary Matterport Pro 2 3D camera or the Leica BLK 360 laser scanner. 

After capturing the images from your chosen camera, they get uploaded to the Matterport platform for interpreting. The processing that Matterport looks very similar to how our photogrammetry software analyses the results from our drones in order to produce the 3D results.

Once the processing has finished, you can access the results from their proprietary cloud service and share them with colleagues and clients. Depending on the subscription plan that you have, you could have from just 1 space to 100, although they let you buy more spaces at a hefty expense.

## WHY DO WE TRY TO AVOID USING MATTERPORT?

For us, the Matterport platform has way too many drawbacks. We only use it in cases when the client considers it as their platform of choice.

The main disadvantages of the Matterport platform are:

  - Only certain cameras and scanners work with it, they try to push you to buy their proprietary Matterport Pro 2 3D camera
  - For the price that it costs, the Matterport Pro 2 3D camera is subpar when compared to other competitors. Since it is not a 3D 360 degree camera, the workflow is quite clunky and requires much more frequent repositioning
  - The most useful functionality, like CAD floor plan extraction and downloadable assets for BIM integration, only works with the Matterport Pro 2 3D camera and the Leica BLK 360 laser scanner
  - You can only have a certain number of active Virtual Tours at any given time
  - The Virtual Tours are branded quite prominently with the Matterport logo at the bottom. The logo is quite big and makes everything look cheap and unprofessional. There is no way of removing the logo from the Virtual Tours
  - The Virtual Tours can only be accessed from the Matterport platform. You can share the link and embed the video in your website, but you will have to check your security settings, because it works as an iframe. The Virtual Tours DO NOT work offline, which is extremely inconvenient if you are on site and have no signal
  - If you stop the subscription the Virtual Tours are fully removed. This is a huge problem if you retire or close your business but your clients want to keep the Virtual Tours active
  - The subscription gets very expensive very quickly. Matterport pride themselves in having no extra costs, which is true, but the most useful functionality like downloadable assets for BIM integration or the CAD floor plan extraction are something that you have to pay for with each new Virtual Tour
  - Their whole business plan is designed to keep you locked in to their platform for an indefinite time and buying the proprietary 3D camera. As a specialist contractor providing services to other companies, making a sustainable and long-term business with this platform is simply not possible
  - Their customer service is one of the worst we have ever experienced. Their employees were rude and with a bad attitude. If we are going to pay for a premium subscription, we expect a premium service and this is definitely not the case

## WHAT MATTERPORT ALTERNATIVES DO WE OFFER?

With all those critical and business-destroying drawbacks of the Matterport platform, we spent a considerable amount of time doing research and trialling different alternatives until we came up with a sustainable and long-term offering for our clients.

In order to produce the best and most accurate results, and depending on the application, we use a combination industrial-grade of 360 degree cameras, 3D 360 degree cameras and survey-grade laser scanners. After processing the results, we gain several advantages:

  - Since we are processing the results ourselves, we have much more control of the outputs
  - Our results work both online and offline: if you are onsite and have no signal, you can still show the Virtual Tour to your colleagues and clients
  - Our results can be fully integrated with your website in many ways: we can give you the results in HTML to be uploaded to your current site or an external server, or if you prefer to avoid that hassle, we can host the results for you in a military-grade secure cloud platform
  - Our Virtual Tours are unbranded by default, but we can overlay your logo if you prefer
  - The 3D Point Clouds that we can produce for you are much more accurate since they made with a laser scanner
  - The Virtual Tours will still work after we retire in many years from now
  - We can always use the very best available cameras and laser scanners since we are not tied in to a proprietary platform
  - Our Dollhouse views and CAD floor plans are fully bespoke
  - We can integrate results from the drones with the Virtual Tours and 3D models, to let you have a fully immersive experience

We firmly believe in forming long-term partnerships with our clients and by moving away from the Matterport platform, you can rest assured that our Virtual Tours will be the highest possible quality and will be indefinitely available.

Despite being a popular choice, the Matterport platform has business-destroying disadvantages, so we tell you how we avoid it and what is our alternative for Virtual Tours.

Why do we try to avoid using Matterport?

In recent years Virtual Reality has changed and improved the customer experience of sectors like Construction, Property, Medicine, Insurance, Retail, Hospitality, etc. However, despite its popularity, people still have some misconceptions about it. In this article we will answer the following questions: **what is Virtual Reality?**, **what are the benefits of using Virtual Reality for your business?** and **what Virtual Reality solutions do we offer?**

## WHAT IS VIRTUAL REALITY?

Virtual Reality, commonly abbreviated as VR, is the use of different technologies to create a digital environment that the user can interact directly with. To achieve this direct and immersive interaction, the user wears specialist goggles (called *head-mounted displays* or *HMD*) that replace the glasses with digital screens, and in some cases they might also wear specialist gloves and suits in order to allow for a deeper interaction, like moving around the environment or grabbing things. 

Some of the most popular brands of head-mounted displays are [Oculus](https://www.oculus.com "Oculus"), [HTC](https://www.vive.com/uk/ "HTC"), [Sony](https://www.playstation.com/en-gb/explore/playstation-vr/ "Sony"), [Samsung](https://www.samsung.com/global/galaxy/gear-vr/ "Samsung") and [Google](https://arvr.google.com/daydream/ "Google"). Keep in mind that some of these head-mounted displays only work with specific devices or platforms.

The digital environment could be a digital copy of a real environment, what we call a digital twin. We covered the subject of [digital twins](/blog/what-is-a-digital-twin "digital twins") in a previous blog article.


## WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF USING VIRTUAL REALITY FOR YOUR BUSINESS?

Many people think that Virtual Reality does not have any apparent benefit for their business, but with the global pandemic in 2020 and with the need for social distancing staying with us for the foreseeable future, it is clearer than ever that it provides your clients and customers with unrivalled experiences from the comfort of their own home or office. 

For those in Insurance, Construction and Property a Virtual Tour of your property portfolio will allow your clients and managers to walk around and inspect all your properties safely and remotely. All our digital tours are enriched with additional data, like thermal efficiency reports, CAD floor plans, photos, videos, music, external links, information coming from smart sensors, etc.

If you work in Retail and Hospitality, you can give your customers the chance of interacting with your premises, product displays and services as if they were physically with you at whatever time of the day they want, even if your premises are closed, therefore increasing your sales and profits.

In this article we give an overview of what is Virtual Reality, how can your business benefit from implementing it and what Virtual Reality solutions we offer.

What is Virtual Reality?

BIM is a process that not everyone properly understands. In today’s article, we are going to answer the following questions: **what is BIM?**, **what is BIM used for?**, **what are BIM objects?**, **what are BIM levels?**, **what are BIM dimensions?** and **is BIM mandatory?** Keep reading and find out how BIM will help you to **#ONEUPYOURBUSINESS**. 

## WHAT IS BIM?

BIM is an acronym for *Building Information Modelling*, which is a process that those involved in the planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance of buildings use to share information between them by using a Digital Twin. The improved collaboration and additional data that be accessed by implementing BIM will help you and your stakeholders to make much more informed decisions.

## WHAT IS BIM USED FOR?

BIM is used for several purposes that apply during the project’s lifecycle:

  - **Planning**: during the planning phase, BIM helps by storing models of the existing built and natural environments, aiding during the planning application process by assessing the visual impact of your project 
  - **Design**: during this phase, BIM will store the different designs and their visualisations, as well as the necessary documents to generate the specification for the construction phase 
  - **Construction**: during the construction of your project, the main purpose of BIM is to keep track of the timing and compliance with the specification generated in the design phase to prevent delays and improve efficiency 
  - **Operation**: after the project has been successfully built, all the information stored in BIM will ease the asset management, renovation or even its recycling after its projected lifespan is over 

## WHAT ARE BIM OBJECTS?

A BIM Object is a component that is part of the BIM model and contains data. Due to the nature of BIM models, when a component changes, the model gets updated to reflect the changes, providing consistency and data integrity throughout the project.

## WHAT ARE BIM LEVELS?

BIM levels are used to refer to how collaborative the projects are:

  - **Level 0**: there is no collaboration at all. Models are just plain 2D CAD drawings 
  - **Level 1**: there is very limited collaboration. 3D CAD is used for conceptual designs and shared across different parties by using a common data environment, but 2D CAD remains at the forefront of drafting 
  - **Level 2**: there is much more collaboration. Every party involved in the process uses 3D models to work, although they might be different copies. When sharing the information across all parties involved, the file has a common format 
  - **Level 3**: this is the pinnacle of collaboration. All parties share the exact same model in a central repository with version control systems to prevent conflicts. In 2016 the British Government committed to implementing it in the near future 

## WHAT ARE BIM DIMENSIONS?

when talking about BIM, some people refer to different dimensions beyond the standard 3 dimensions, which are relative to space:

  - **4D**: this is the physical space represented in the 3D model plus time, using tools like Gantt charts to keep track of schedules and timescales 
  - **5D**: cost is added on top of the 3D model and time 
  - **6D**: the final *“as-built”* model of the project. We do not use this term in the United Kingdom, as we prefer the term **Asset Information Model** (AIM), as specified in [PAS1192-3:2014](https://shop.bsigroup.com/ProductDetail?pid=000000000030294672 "PAS1192-3:2014") 

## IS BIM MANDATORY?

Depending on where your project is going to be built, you might have different requirements, as each country has varying approaches to BIM. So far, the countries in which BIM is mandatory are:

  - United Kingdom 
  - Denmark 
  - Finland 
  - Norway 
  - Latvia 
  - Germany 
  - United States of America 
  - Brazil 
  - Chile 
  - Kazakhstan 
  - Vietnam 
  - Japan 
  - Australia 
  - South Korea 
  - United Arab Emirates 

Other countries like Spain, France, Italy or China are already planning on mandating BIM for projects.

In the United Kingdom, BIM Level 2 has been mandatory for Government construction projects since April 2016. If you want to know more about the BIM standards and requirements in the United Kingdom, like ISO 19650, please visit the [UK BIM Framework’s website](https://ukbimframework.org/ "UK BIM Framework’s website"). They are doing a phenomenal job and have a great number of useful resources.

In this new article we explain what is BIM, BIM objects, BIM levels and dimensions, and whether or not BIM is mandatory in your country.

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