V-tail: Where Virtual Words Meet E-Commerce

 

Electronic commerce, for all of its ease and convenience, still doesn't offer the same feeling of browsing a physical store. That's all about to change, however. The gap is narrowing as retailers enter the Second Life virtual world. Get ready for V-tail.

IBM and Sears today revealed that they are bringing the 120 year-old retailer into Second Life virtual world in a big way. The presence will include an area where customers can import their own kitchen and remodel it with Sears products. Sears plans to bring the entire catalog into Second Life. It's unclear if you will be able to buy products in Second Life and have them shipped to you, but you have to imagine that's the plan. However, the CNET/Reuters piece makes it sound like it's about driving foot traffic.

Sears isn't the first retailer to launch in Second Life. Circuit City has a presence as does Dell. This is a great way to capture the hearts and minds of geeks in the community. However, if it's going to really take off Second Life needs to get easier to use and available through a Web browser or an IPTV rather than as a fairly complex download.

Tags: SecondLife, Sears