Friday, May 30, 2008

An e-commerce lesson from Grand Theft Auto

I read an interesting opinion piece by Michael S. Malone on abcnews.com called Silicone Insider: Applying ‘Grand Theft Auto’ to Business. Most of the article discussed how GTA continues to be brutal and violent but also about how the graphics are dazzling. Players can open doors, make purchases and even go bowling.

How does this apply to business? If our kids are enjoying “dazzling graphics” everyday in the gaming world, why are adults subjected to boring, static websites? Mr. Malone thinks it is due to lack of imagination and I agree with him. Cost is almost certainly another factor. Regardless, it’s time for the e-commerce marketplace to begin upgrading their websites to be more visually appealing and interactive. I for one would probably shop on-line more if I could look at books, clothing and products in a lifelike alternate reality.

Here’s another thought: If our kids are already accustomed to impressive graphics, what’s going to happen when they become adults and can shop online? Will web merchants be ready for them or will they still maintain the same old static websites?

Labels: e-commerce, marketing, virtual reality

posted by Siobhan Caragine at 9:07 AM   2 comments

2 Comments:

At June 2, 2008 7:46 PM,  darryl ohrt said...

Today, the challenge is still bandwidth - which console games like GTA aren't constrained by.

But baby steps are being made. Two great examples:

MartinAndOsa (shop by outfit): http://www.martinandosa.com/web/sbo/

And Uniqlo (the most wonderful store ever):http://www.uniqlo.com/us/

 

At June 3, 2008 9:02 AM,  becky terhaar said...

Martin + Osa's site is really cool. Too bad we all don't weigh 90 pounds though. Maybe the next step would be to allow the user to select the models' body shape to see all clothes according to how they'd look on you. Or would that discourage purchases because not all outfits look good on all body types? Hmm...

 

Post a Comment

<< Home