The Economy
There’s no doubt that the world economy will continue to face uncertain effects from the COVID-19 crisis, with some countries facing greater challenges than others. As unemployment numbers go up and spending power decreases, companies of all kinds will have to shift their business strategies to offer people the most relevant products and services. The companies that will perform well during quarantine measures will be characterized by their ability to reassure and make things easy for customers. For example, “sanitary shipping” may soon become a selling point, as workers in Amazon warehouses test positive for the virus.
Industries that rely on in-person meetings and tours, such as real estate and retirement communities, will face particular challenges. If people can’t physically tour a location, they’re going to feel more uncertain about committing to it, and uncertainty - especially now - translates to caution. Caution means less sales.
What We Can Do
Because TechGuilds always keeps an eye on the future, we’re uniquely positioned to help our clients meet their needs at this time. Our Peek technology, a web-based virtual tour and VR solution made specifically for Sitecore, is ready for deployment.
With Peek, our clients can quickly and easily set up web-based virtual tours. Because Peek is web-based, no app download is necessary. No fancy VR hardware is necessary either - you can run these experiences from the browser on your computer or on your phone.
For content authors, it’s easy to create virtual tours using Peek. Because Peek is designed for Sitecore, it uses the same concepts and technology that drive Sitecore sites - the content tree and the experience editor. Content authors already trained on Sitecore understand Peek intuitively.
It’s also easy to deploy! Peek is a plugin and can be installed as a Sitecore package, so there’s no need for a lengthy upgrade engagement.
Right now, in these unprecedented times, we want to do what we can and support the Sitecore community. We are offering our Peek license for free! Click for more details
What You Can Do
1. Consider Your Current Strategy
If you’re running a business that requires in-person meetings, you’re probably already switching to calls, which is the smart and safe thing to do. However, if your marketing approach relies on people showing up in-person to convert, now is the time to assess whether switching to a virtual tour may be the prudent way to retain leads. Many people in the real estate market have already started making virtual tours available for future tenants, and this practice will now be crucial in the time of quarantine.
2. Take 360 Pictures
If you want to give Virtual Tours a try, getting started is fairly simple these days. Most smartphones are now able to take 360 photos, which are used for virtual tours and VR experiences. If you have a location that you want to show to people virtually, just take some 360 pictures of this space. We can then take these 360 photos and give you a personalized Peek demo.
(Note: please don’t leave your home! The last thing we would want is for people to endanger themselves, their loved ones, or communities by spreading or catching this virus.)
