How small business can engage with VR technology to gain a competitive edge

Small business may be tempted to not engage with trending technology but there are risks associated with not evolving and not staying relevant in a changing market. With the trajectory of digitalisation in business accelerated owing to the coronavirus pandemic which has fast become a catalyst in reviving business and consumer interest in emerging technologies such as Augmented and Virtual Reality, here is a first step to integrate virtual technology into your small business.

Use high resolution 360-degree images

If you are a business that engages with social media such as Facebook, YouTube and Google to advertise and market, you will be aware that visual media performs better than text. It is becoming more and more challenging to standout and connect with your customers and having stunning and compelling visual content is critically important to your digital marketing strategy. With 360⁰ images your customers get to view and experience your products or location from the convenience of their computer or smartphone. Using these immersive images on your social media and website allows customers to virtually interact with your business or product.

3 ways this increases customer contact

1. Increased customer engagement: as there is an element of exploration with 360⁰ images, customers will spend more time browsing and viewing your products. The longer they engage with your website the increased likelihood of them becoming a paying customer.

2. Google Street View: by adding 360-degree images to your Google Street View, you further entice customers by showcasing your location and products.

3. Increase Search engine rankings: these rankings are increased by increasing the amount of time a visitor spends on your website. 360-degree Images encourage a customer to spend more time browsing and exploring your website.

DO IT YOURSELF!

You can easily do this by creating and publishing your own 360⁰ images.

See here https://www.momento360.com/

Is your school ready for VR? Top 6 things to consider

When schools are seeking out the latest education opportunities in the area of emerging technology, it doesn’t get more exciting than virtual reality. But it can be daunting for educators to understand where to start. Through our work with schools and taking students from Key Stages 3 to 6 through this process, we’ve come up with a list of our top 6 things you should consider before jumping into the virtual reality world.

Top 6 things to consider

1. Consider the usability

There’s a variety of headsets available, cheap or expensive. Consider how many you need and if you hire rather than buy. If your school has firewalls in place with restricted internet access, IT will be required to support the implementation process.

2. Have Virtual Reality intro day

Consider having a day to allow the students to explore with various equipment and software. Find more content if headsets are stand-alone types and support students to do some research.

3. Be mindful of health & safety

When providing an immersive subject experience for your students, health and safety is imperative. Oculus offer a great resource with more information on what you may need to consider when using of headsets. https://www.oculus.com/safety-center/

4. Integrate VR with your lessons

You wouldn't want to have a box of VR headsets in the cupboard that never get used. Include it in a lesson plan so it becomes part of your subject teaching.

5. Combine creativity and technology

How far can you go? Student can create wonderful projects, you could decide to create your own content, students can design in VR, coding, taking 360-degree images, editing in Photoshop or building in 3D.

6. Teach, lead and inspire!

Exposing students to emerging technology opens doors to conversations on future careers and work placement opportunities. Help them join the dots!

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Have a look at our high school case study here

Mater Maria Catholic College Case Study

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