All Star Accreditation

Delighted to receive Business All-Star Accreditation

We have been very busy over the last 8 weeks working with the All-Ireland Business Foundation to achieve our Business All-Star Accreditation Certificate, Thought Leader in 3D Immersive Photography   This accreditation is an outstanding achievement and recognises our hard work and dedication in providing a best in class service to all our customers.  

Business All-Star accredited companies are defined as; progressive, indigenous Irish businesses which meet the highest standards of verified performance, trust and customer centricity. In achieving this accreditation we join a unique group of businesses and we believe this continues to demonstrate our commitment to improving our service to our customers and suppliers.

This would not be possible without all my wonderful customers and I’d like to thank you for your continued support. 

The three pillars of All-Ireland Business All-Star accreditation are Performance, Trust and Customer Centricity.


3D Digital Twins: The Retail Advantage

Last year, we were all forced to live a little differently and perhaps one of the biggest impacted areas was retail as companies and people adjusted to living virtually!

This speeded up the move to on-line or digital transformation that had been already underway. Looking to the future of retail, this is only going to develop further and to be competitive, companies are adapting and providing a better digital experience for their customers.

This unlocks extensive opportunities, and the virtual experience will parallel that of an in-person store experience.

A global survey* of consumers and research in several retail sectors revealed that:

  • Consumers appreciate the convenience afforded by shopping online but miss the feeling of an in-store experience.
  • The use of technology will be key to creating an omnichannel experience for consumers. 

3D digital twins combine the simplicity of eCommerce shopping with the buzz, spontaneity, and excitement of visiting your favourite store. 

A 3D tour of Paperchase stores in the UK was viewed over 20,000 times on Instagram, making it their most engaged post ever. A 3D digital store twin is a powerful digital marketing tool! (Ryan Becker, MD Visual Immersion, UK)

While consumers are enthusiastically adapting to this technology for their shopping experience, there are also many business benefits too. (Matterport, Blog: How retailers are adapting digital future)

  • Improved documentation and stock management. 
  • Consumer Data insights to improve marketing efforts.
  • Faster remodelling and rebranding retail sites

As a Matterport Service partner Lookinside.ie has created 3D Virtual Walkthrough tours for many Retail clients. See our Portfolio Why not Contact Us for a quotation.

Users Survey Report (1 of 2)

We have been working with Matterport 3D Virtual Walkthrough tours now for over 2 years. So, in December last we decided to survey our users, you!

We wanted to know how you are using your Matterport 3D Virtual Walk-Through tours and what improvements you have seen in a variety of categories since having the tour carried out.

In this first of 2 articles, we detail and comment on the survey, what it told us and what strategies we can implement to further improve our users’ experiences of their tours.

Survey Questions

  1. Please indicate when your 3D tour was created?

50% of the respondents had the tour less than 6 months, while 50% were between 1-2 years.

  • How often do you review the performance analytics of your tour?

17% review their analytics weekly while 83% look at them rarely if ever.

In an “Embedded space” (like a client web site) a visit is counted after the user clicks the play button to load the 3D tour. So, each Impression, Visit and Unique Visitors to our clients’ spaces are measured.

We feel it is a missed opportunity for clients not to be aware and monitoring what is happening on their tours. It could provide valuable insights into customer activity. We will be continuing to educate our clients about this as part of our strategy for 2022.

  • Which of the following digital functions have your utilised with your tour?

83% have embedded on web site

50% have shared on WhatsApp

33% have shared on Social Media Platforms

17% have used as part of their e-Mail signature

0% have linked to Google Street View

0% have used QR code

We would like to see all these figures in the high 80’s to be maximising the use of the tours.

Google Street view Integration is provided by default and not a user-initiated function. It can produce 1000’s of ‘image’ views when a viewer accesses the business via Google Maps or Google My Business search. This provides another great opportunity to promote your business and bring business to your site.

There is an increased use of and familiarity with the QR Code in recently times. With the return to in-person events and exhibitions there is an increased opportunity to utilise the QR Code due to its instant access capability. These can be used on brochures / promotions / backdrops / showcases.

  • Have you availed or utilised the analytics reporting?

67% indicated that they had not availed of it while 33% said they did not know it was available.

The Analytics Report functionality is an additional reporting tool available from Matterport providing more detailed analytics on tours.

Here the Average Tour Time and Heatmaps can tell you how long the people stay on your tour and where they spend most of their time respectively, allowing clients to target their promotional activity on other areas or maximise the user experience in this area. Either way it provides you with more insights on which to make your marketing and sales decisions.

We will be continuing to educate our clients about this as part of our strategy for 2022.

In our next article we detail the 2nd half of our survey, we investigate what results our clients are seeing and whether they would recommend a tour to a similar business.

What’s involved in having a 3D Tour of my premises?

In our previous blog How much will a 3D Virtual tour cost me? we shared guide prices for creating a 3D tour. Here we will try to answer some other questions we are often asked about 3D Virtual Walkthrough Tours.

  • How long does it take?
  • What do we have to do to prepare?
  • Does it have to be out of hours?
  • Can it take external views? Is the weather a factor?

How long does it take?

As with pricing we cannot be specific about this but generally a large room, e.g., A Ballroom may take 1.5 hours. If you are filming many rooms and areas in your hotel, it could take approx. half a day of filming.

A Retail Showroom may have many more areas with lots of details and may take longer.

What do we have to do to prepare?

As with Photography etc. you want to present your space in the best possible way. The beauty of the Matterport is that it picks up everything, the downside of the Matterport is that it picks up everything!!!

It looks in corners, it will record out of date stuff on your shelves, it will notice a blown light bulb etc. so you should use the opportunity to make everything look great! It is a good time to have all those little renovations and fixes done!

Take special care of what your signage is saying e.g. up to date logos, the cleanliness of bins, remove all personal items from areas being filmed etc.

Also, the tour will be set at a point in time so if you create the tour with Xmas decorations up then that’s going to represent your premises while you use this tour.

If a hotel is planning a Wedding Showcase Event it is an ideal opportunity to have a 3D tour carried when the room is dressed and set up for an event.

Perhaps the best form of preparation you can do in advance of your tour is to decide what you want to achieve from your tour.

  • Do you already have video content you want to reuse or link with the tour?
  • What areas do you specifically want to include in your tour e.g., is there a specific area a wedding couple love to have photos taken?
  • Think about maximising the tour impact by preparing a quick piece to camera.
  • What item / products / services /offers etc. do you want to highlight with ‘Tagging’ on your tour?

Does it have to be out of hours?

Ideally there should be minimum to no personnel activity going on in the areas. Some unavoidable things can be blurred out, but these edits are not ideal….so, we can sometimes look like we’re hiding from the Matterport camera while its moving around!!

We also offer some out of busy hours services.

Light and the Matterport Pro2

One of the features of the Matterport Pro2 camera is HDR. It balances external and ambient light ensuring that filming can continue indoors even on a very bright or very dark day.

If you want to capture an external view e.g. a transition to a balcony or courtyard this is also possible in most cases, exception being very bright cloudless sunshine. The alternative is to capture some 360 degree panorama images which can be incorporated into to the final tour. This is also the best method to include other external areas of interest e.g. gardens, outdoor dining etc.

These are among the most frequently asked questions, put if you have additional questions or queries, please contact us for advice or a quotation.

What the numbers say!

In this article we start to explore the Analytics that are available behind the Matterport 3D Virtual tour.

Numbers and data can tell a positive story very quickly and they certainly do so with 3D virtual Walkthrough tours. 

Matterport Inc., the leading spatial data company, has passed an incredible milestone of  5 million spaces captured in over 150 countries around the world!!

As a service partner of Matterport we have seen a massive increase in visitors exploring our clients’ spaces also.

In August of 2020 the above figure was 15.9K, so in 15 months there has been phenomenal traffic and “eyes” on our customers’ websites. Our growth and the success for our clients is mirroring the growth seen globally by Matterport.

“Digital engagement has been rapidly increasing with more than 2 billion views of digital twins served from all over the world. The number of Matterport digital twins has more than doubled since May 2020” *

In an “Embedded space” (like a client web site) a visit is counted AFTER the user clicks the play button to load the 3D tour. So, each of these 207,000 are unique visit to our clients’ spaces.

An example of Matterport Space Statistics is shown below. These are updated on a daily basis with adjustable timelines.

In our next article we will explore the additional Analytics that Matterport users can avail of including:

·        Average tour time

·        Heat maps

·        Google Street View

Lookinside.ie is a service partner of Matterport and utilises their Pro 2 Camera, the gold standard for professional 3D capture.

Contact us for a quotation https://www.lookinside.ie/#contact

If you want to know more about the many digital uses of 3D Virtual tours view our previous blog. https://lookinside.proimageblogs.com/digital-flexibility/

*https://matterport.com/news/matterport-accelerates-past-five-million-spaces-under-management. 

Digital Functionality

A Matterport 3D virtual walkthrough tour is a powerful digital tool which can be used to promote your hotel, venue, retail space, showroom etc.

Here are some of the digital functions of a Matterport tour you can use.

  • Share on Messaging: Text & WhatsApp links
  • Share on social media.
  • Embed on web site.
  • Link to Google Street View
  • Share a QR code
  • Link to your E-mail signature

Share on messaging

If you are in discussions with a client, you can share your 3D tour with them on WhatsApp or text message. It demonstrates your digital flexibility and can speed up a discussion or sales process by the availability to tour your venue on a handheld device.

Share on social media

A Matterport tour can be shared on your social Media platforms, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook etc. These are posts which get a lot of engagement and used correctly should increase awareness of your venue or retail outlet.

They can be repurposed for different posts also e.g., a shortened Fly-In version can be used in IG reels while a link to a full tour can be posted on LinkedIn.

Embed in Web site

A Matterport 3D tour can be embedded into your web site to allow clients to navigate around your space at their own pace.

This way your clients will spend longer on your web site, increasing your google ranking. It also means your clients are serious about buying when they come to visit your venue or showroom.

Link to Google Street View

Your Matterport can be linked to your Google Street View. Google is the go-to when looking for a business, and listings with photos or tours get more engagement. Embedding a virtual walkthrough of your business in GSV lets customers check out your business and allow their in-person visits can be more targeted.

Share a QR Code

If you are using more traditional off-line forms of marketing e.g., Fliers and brochures, then the 3-D tour can be distributed via a simple QR code. At an exhibition or showcase your clients can scan the code and visit your tour immediately on their device. A QR code can be used on packaging, pull-up banners, labels etc.

Link to your E-mail signature

Your routine sales emails can be a marketing tool by using a link to a Matterport tour on your email signature.

How much will a 3D Virtual Tour cost me?

We are asked this question all the time and of course there is not a completely straight forward answer to it. In this article we will try to tease out some of the pricing variables to provide a broad outline for different client types.

We know that price is not the most important factor in decision making. The benefits that will accrue from a 3D tour will be significant. However, we appreciate that it is important especially now.

Having said that virtual tours have many variables and options, and it is difficult to give a price until we know more of what the client is trying to achieve with the tour and how the location or space is laid out and its size and complexity. A chat with us is often sufficient to provide a good indication from the outset.

House: The cost for an average house would be €250-€450

This would include all the pre-scan consultations and discussions, the process of 3D scanning of the property and all the post productions required to bring it all together.

The variations are based on the size of the property and the layout.  There may be lots of “nooks and crannies” in the design the client would like to showcase which is more time consuming and complex to complete for the scanner.

Hotel: A hotel could expect an average price of €1,000-€2,000.

The price for a 3D tour of a hotel or venue is obviously quite variable depending on square footage and specific areas e.g. A client may want to focus on the reception and restaurant area only and not include hotel bedrooms. Or they may want a continuous tour to “go up the stairs” and into the bedrooms?

A hotel may already have videos created of bedrooms and these can be linked to the tour, e.g., a 360 video of a bedroom in a hotel can be linked to your 3D tour. So, there is no loss of past investment.

Commercial tours: Showrooms / Gyms / Galleries: Based on our experience we have created tours commercial tours from €300 to €3000!

For obvious reasons, it is not possible to give an average price on these. All the above variables apply. However, a clear idea of what the client is looking to achieve with the tour is also important.

If you are a gallery owner, you may want to concentrate on individual images and tagging the details of these. If you are a gym you may want to focus on the equipment or showing the clients around the space. If you are a hotel you may want to focus on a specific high-profile area where brides want to have photos taken. All these factors plus the square footage and complexity of the space contributes to the overall price.

Do remember tour creators do not charge for a consultations and quotation. So do not hesitate to contact us for a chat any time.

Digital Flexibility

A Matterport 3D tour is a powerful digital tool which can be used to promote your hotel, venue, retail space, showroom etc.

To highlight this, here are 4 of the digital functionalities of a Matterport 3D virtual tour.

  1. Embed in web site.
  2. Share on social media.
  3. Add traditional video.
  4. Share on WhatsApp.

Embed in Web site

A Matterport 3D tour can be embedded into your web site to allow clients to navigate around your space at their own pace.

This way your clients will spend longer on your web site, increasing your google ranking.

It means your clients are much better qualified when they come to you. If you are a wedding venue this will potentially save you time on unproductive 1-2-1 tours.

Share on Social Media

A 3D tour can be shared on your social Media platforms, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook etc. These are posts which get a lot of engagement and used correctly should increase awareness of your venue or retail outlet.

They can be repurposed for different posts also, using a shortened Fly-In version for some posts or a more detailed tour for other posts.

Add traditional Video.

You may already have invested in a traditional video for your venue. There is still a place for these. Matterport can combine a video into the overall “Doll House” and link to these throughout the tour. If there is a specific area you want to promote use the link to the video. So, it complements previous investments rather than outdating it.

Share on WhatsApp.

If you are in discussions with a client, you can share your 3D tour with them on WhatsApp. It demonstrates your digital flexibility and can speed up a discussion or sales process by the availability to tour your venue on a handheld device.

Wedding Venue? Why 3D tours are invaluable.

Whether you are a large 5 Star Resort hotel or a small boutique hotel a 3D Virtual Walkthrough tour will be a powerful ally in promoting your hotel to your potential wedding clients.

A 3D walkthrough enables your couple to experience your property as if they were there, going far beyond photographs and 360 tours. While couples may hanker after the pampering “site tours”, for the moment the hotel can be showcased in its best possible light using a 3D Virtual Walkthrough tour.

The potential couple will get an immersive experience where they control what they want to see and where they want to go in your hotel. This is a powerful tool in this Covid era. Couples can research their hotels from the comfort of their own home. As a hotel owner you will save time as your leads will be better qualified as they have already seen what they want.

Using the “MatterTags” you can use the following promotional opportunities.

  • Details of wedding packages.
  • Highlight unique, non-traditional spaces e.g., a great photo location.
  • Presenting a short intro. to camera personalising the experience
  • List available Wedding dates available
  • Snippets of glowing testimonials

And all of this at the fingertips and cursors of your wedding couples.

If couples want to get as much information as possible before contacting you, then use the 3D tour to impart as much information as you can, creating a truly immersive experience for the couple.

Another major advantage of 3D tours is that they will boost Google rankings. This is a by-product of the tour as it increases the onsite engagement times and decreases bounce rates as people stay on your site for longer.

Great tours will likely be shared which will increase your followings and valuable website links. Wedding clients are more likely to share their good experiences!

3D tours can be a powerful digital marketing tool as they can be embedded in all your Social Media platforms and even shared on WhatsApp, always making them very accessible to your potential clients.

There are many excellent benefits to you and your wedding clients of creating a 3D virtual Walkthrough tour of your wedding venue.

If you would like to discuss this further, please don’t hesitate to contact me for further information and a quotation.