What Is a Digital Product Showroom?

While some people use the terms “digital showroom” and “virtual showroom” interchangeably, these terms also can be distinguished to refer to different types of 3D environments. Another closely related term is mixed reality showrooms. Understanding the differences between these technologies can help you decide which type to use for a specific application.

Virtual showrooms are digital environments that allow customers to simulate an in-store shopping experience. They use images or videos to allow shoppers to navigate a virtual shopping environment. Shoppers can see the showroom and items in it from different angles by zooming in or out, looking from side to side, looking up and down, virtually “walking” to a different location in the showroom or even “hovering” over the showroom from a bird’s-eye view. Virtual showrooms are most commonly interacted with using a VR headset.

Some virtual showrooms combine elements of VR and AR into what are called mixed reality showrooms. In a mixed reality showroom, shoppers can use VR or AR technology to interact with virtual or real objects. To take a simple example, a touchscreen might allow clothes shoppers to swap different outfits onscreen.
Both virtual and mixed reality showroom options are distinct from digital showrooms. Digital showrooms organize 3D images into line sheets or collages rather than environments that resemble the interior of a store. They don’t seek to replicate the in-store experience the way virtual showrooms do. Rather, they focus on experiencing products themselves from a 3D perspective.
Digital showrooms also don’t necessarily include the ability to interact with virtual or real objects the way mixed reality showrooms do. They deliver a 3D visual experience of objects rather than the experience of manipulating objects.

While these varieties of showroom environments differ, they are not mutually exclusive. It is possible to combine digital showrooms with features of virtual or mixed reality showrooms. Which option or combination of options is best for you depends on what type of 3D experience you need to deliver. Digital showrooms allow you to focus on letting customers visually browse 3D product selections, while virtual showrooms replicate the experience of walking around a store and mixed reality showrooms incorporate the tactile experience of manipulating objects. Use the sensory modality or modalities appropriate for your needs.