Case Study: Metaverse Marketing in the Industry

View of an industrial hall as digital showroom

04/24/2023

Clarissa Leithiger

Case Studies
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Virtual showrooms are gaining more and more importance in marketing and sales. Find out how product presentation in the Metaverse could look like.

Marine engines "Made in Germany" are known for modern technology and decades of product experience. We created an authentic virtual showroom for one of the leading brands of engines for ships, stationary power plants and oil and gas drilling platforms. In our case study, we introduce the project as an example of successful B2B marketing in the Metaverse.

Making highly technical products digitally accessible

Engines are niche products that require explanation – customers need personal contact and detailed information. That's why manufacturers primarily rely on face-to-face sales via a network of distributors. But how can these highly complex technology products be made digitally tangible and easily accessible to customers? Driven by the advancing digital transformation, many companies are looking for a digital alternative and have found it with the Metaverse solutions by rooom. A 3D space with various product models offers the ideal tool for hybrid and future-oriented sales.

The first milestone in many projects is to set up a virtual exhibition booth where products – in our example a cylinder head and an injection nozzle - are presented and explained as 3D models. This allows vendors to gain initial experience with a 3D environment.

Example of 3D exhibition booth with products presented by avatars — Virtual exhibition booth with 3D products

For the creation of the 3D models, the existing CAD data from the construction department was used. The challenge was that 3D construction models are not designed to be used as a marketing tool. Thanks to rooom’s powerful platform and experience in 3D marketing, the data can easily be repurposed for the new application. The result are detailed 3D Product Viewers that match the quality of the engines and components themselves.

Solution used: rooomProducts

rooomProducts is the perfect tool for 3D product visualization: from digitizing and creating 3D models to editing and integrating them into websites, online shops and 3D showrooms.

The next step to the Metaverse

The feedback for the virtual exhibition booth and the 3D models was consistently positive, which is why the next step was to decide on a comprehensive 3D showroom to display even more areas and products – and so the groundwork for a Corporate Metaverse was made. To best display the dimensions of the components and engines, the choice fell on an industrial space. The project team designed a 3D environment that emulates a real production hall and exudes an industrial charm, like a ship harbor. The smart utilization of features like click spots, annotations and a mini-map allows visitors to enjoy intuitive user guidance and navigation. The hall contains not only product brochures, videos and contact information, but also the most important products in 3D Product Viewers. A full-size ship’s engine forms the highlight. It comes in different variants and is provided with annotations that explain the individual parts and components.

Ship Engine Product Placement in Metaverse Showroom — Ship engine in a Metaverse showroom

What are annotations?

Annotations are labelled points on a 3D model that can be used, for example, to highlight the main features of your product. Annotations are also useful for marking components. These can also be equipped with links, for example to order spare parts directly.

The 3D space now serves as a collection point for comprehensive product information – from spare parts to energy efficiency and service offers. With the virtual showroom as a central access point to all important information, the manufacturer offers its vendors a powerful multi-tool for sales and, at the same time, a new connection point to the customers. The sales team can present the virtual showroom during meetings and explain the products in detail without having to travel halfway around the world. Training sessions for sales staff as well as customer meetings can also be simulated in the virtual space. There are also advantages for the remote training of technicians: In combination with a 360° tour of the training center, online training on ship engine maintenance is also possible.

Solution used: rooomSpaces

rooomSpaces empowers you to create interactive 3D environments (such as showrooms, exhibition booths, learning or shopping spaces). They can be designed with custom or ready-made content.

In addition, there is a need for other digital solutions. As a service, customers are offered the possibility of making certain changes to the certified motors that make them even more energy-efficient and sustainable. For the next stage of the project it is planned to visualize this offer with annotations on the 3D engines. rooom’s easy-to-use 3D Content Management System allows the product marketing team to add and continuously maintain the annotations themselves in multiple languages.

rooom’s Metaverse solution enables us to provide a comprehensive package when it comes to product information.
- Product Support Marketing Manager at a German marine engine manufacturer

Data & brand protection in the Metaverse

Our customer placed special emphasis on the protection of intellectual property rights. To prevent industrial espionage, the 3D models were slightly modified. With this high level of brand protection, a detailed and high-quality product representation was made possible. With the data protection-compliant rooom platform, it was also easy to fulfill GDPR requirements.

A new perspective in B2B product marketing

The Metaverse showroom demonstrates how sales processes can be simplified and accelerated with 3D visualizations and Metaverse tools. The complex ship engines and their component parts were visualized with the help of 3D models and given the ideal setting for online presentation in a digital industrial hall. Through visual and interactive storytelling with a combination of different media formats, sales staff and vendors are given valuable support in their work. This means that even for manufacturers and suppliers of complex high-tech products, sales meetings can become interactive experiences – on a very personal level. As a digital marketing and sales tool, the showroom fits seamlessly into the corporate communication and strategy: The company’s high service orientation is also reflected in the Metaverse. Customers are particularly proud to own the high-tech marine engines, and we are thrilled to provide the right platform for them.