While we have to create the environment for this, the use of virtual reality is taking us places we’ve never been.
There are places that offer us a convergence of the virtual and physical world. The question isn’t about using VR goggles that offer a gaming experience, but rather how to use VR in the marketing sphere to make it possible to grow sales. This could be seriously beneficial to car dealers in the future.
Create a Virtual Experience and Bridge the Gap
The idea of virtual reality in marketing is to bring the virtual world to the real one. This can be hard to do on a handheld device, but that’s where we are right now. Currently, Six Flags, one of the most famous theme park chains in the world, offers virtual rides of some of its roller coasters. This is meant to entice potential customers to visit their parks. Imagine offering a virtual test drive of a car and you can see the possibilities.
Stories Can Be Told Easier with Visual Media
When we think of videos as a way to tell a story, the question might be “why do we need virtual reality?” The answer has to do with the experience of the story and the immersion that can be offered. TheNew York Times found a way to use VR to engage with its most loyal customers a couple of years ago. What they did was send Google Cardboard glasses to subscribers to give them a way to watch a VR film.
Advertising Can Be Much More Engaging
Most companies can’t deliver a fully immersed virtual reality experience for customers, but the advertising can be more engaging through VR. There could be choices in the ads to show customers more of what they want to see and do so from various vantage points. This could be seriously helpful for car dealerships trying to get a leg up on the competition with better digital marketing.
Imagine the Educational Possibilities of Virtual Reality
Rather than watching a video where someone performs a task, imagine being able to immerse yourself in a virtual world enough to do that task on your own. Once you practice in this virtual space enough, you can then perform the task in the real world. How helpful do you think this could be to customers? Many would certainly appreciate the information and experience.
Bring Imagination to Life
Car dealers could follow in the footsteps of what Lowe’s Home Improvement is doing. At Lowe’s, you can set up a hologram of a house or room and decorate it any way you like. This allows you to see what your home could look like and then tells you what items you need from Lowe’s to make it happen. Car dealers could do the same with virtual test drives of various models and trims to give shoppers a better idea of what they’re paying for when they move up to higher trims.
Engage Fully With Virtual Reality Headset Users
The use of VR headsets has become increasingly more popular in the past few years. This means there are more of these headsets out there than ever before. You can engage with those customers who own them through VR marketing. This might be a great way to entice others to invest in these headsets and help you build relationships with your customer base. While this is a bit of a stretch, imagine a time with several customers watching a VR offering while learning more about the cars you sell.
Various Experiences Through Virtual Reality
Do you sell off-road vehicles? With the use of VR, you can put your customers in an experience that will show them the capabilities of the model they want to buy. Do you have sports cars on the lot? Allow your visitors to virtually drive around the track and enjoy the performance of the cars you sell. Even a regular commute can be presented to your customers through the use of VR.
The Possibilities are Virtually Endless
Currently, virtual reality is in its infancy. We know this, and we know there is a lot more that’s still left unexplored. Will the future feature a virtual visit to your car dealership with a virtual handshake that end of a sale or will VR continue to be mostly used for gaming? This technology has so many possibilities, it’s certain to be part of digital marketing for the next several years.
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