Virtual Worlds Forum

"These technologies are going to change the way you interact with your customer, they're going to change the way people shop, they're going to change the way you manage your brands," said one speaker, before suggesting that more retailers should consider building stored within virtual worlds to boost their real-world profits. Admittedly, the speaker was Giff Constable, general manager at virtual worlds agency Electric Sheep, so he had a vested interest to say the least. The main barrier is the fear among retailers of an economic slowdown in 2008, which could cap spending on what they perceive to be non-essential experimentation. Of course, the smarter companies recognise that investing in new technology is the key to surviving such a recession, but it seems likely they'll be demanding early returns on any investment - representing a challenging sales pitch for virtual worlds companies, who tend to emphasize the long-term benefits. (via PC World)