When Virtual Worlds invited kbb Birmingham show visitors to its stand, we were able to see exactly how 4D Theatre and the theory of neuro-marketing works in practice
For those who haven’t read last month’s special kbb Birmingham 2020 Show Issue, we looked at how to trigger your customer’s ‘primal brain’ using 4D technology.
The article titled ‘The Science of Persuasion’ highlighted the six key biases that affect the primal brain – the part that dominates our thinking and drives decision-making.
Based on research by consumer behaviour experts Christophe Morin and Patrick Renvoise, we were able to address these six biases with the main features of Virtual Worlds 4D Theatre and show how it can benefit your business. Morin and Renvoise say that if you are to persuade someone to buy, your messages should be personal, contrastable, visual, tangible, memorable, and emotional.
But isn’t that just theoretical nonsense? Well, not quite. While at the show we spoke to Shahnee Taylor-Brown, specification executive at Vitra’s new showroom in Clerkenwell, and asked her about the experience of using 4D Theatre. Let’s see how the experience would have affected her primal brain.
Personal
The primal brain is the core of ‘me’ and ignores anything not immediately concerning its wellbeing. Virtual Worlds 4D Theatre centres on and around your customer. It’s incredibly personal, as Taylor-Brown found out. “4D Theatre is more realistic than images on a screen and you don’t have to imagine anything, because you’re completely immersed,” she said. “I can see a customer being able to easily grasp the design in their home a lot quicker than pictures. This may seem like a silly thing, but the Virtual Worlds demonstrator talking me through the design changed my virtual hands so they matched my darker skin colour. It’s a small detail, but it made it even more realistic for me.” Contrastable A solid contrast, such as ‘before/after’, allows the primal brain to make quick, risk-free decisions. At the press of a button, 4D Theatre can change things like worktop finishes, colours, and even product. “With the shower, I was able to change from an enclosed to an exposed system instantly,” commented Taylor-Brown. “And also with the furniture, I was able to change the layout and the finish, which was great.”
Tangible
“I could touch the water from a tap and see the water flow changing. I even put my head under the shower, which changed the sound, as it would do in real life. I could open drawers, too, and all these details are what make it feel real,” said Taylor-Brown. Virtual Worlds 4D Theatre allows your customer to walk around and interact with a room design. The primal brain is constantly looking for what is familiar and can be recognised quickly and easily
Emotional
The primal brain is affected by your emotional state, which the 4D Theatre plays on. When using the software, the experience begins with your customer standing on a stone platform on top of a mountain. At first, Taylor-Brown was a bit cautious because she was worried about spatial awareness, but that feeling soon went not long after the headset was put on. “
I was seeing the mountain top and I felt like I was there, but I wasn’t sure how to move. I stood still and listened to the instructions from the video and what the demonstrator was asking me to do. I felt at ease once I had spent some time looking around.”
This mountain top area not only allows the customer to adjust and orient themselves to their surroundings, but also starts to build anticipation. As your customer is transported into the design, an emotional lift is created at ‘the big reveal’.
If you weren’t at kbb Birmingham or if you haven’t had the opportunity to use Virtual Worlds 4D Theatre yet, now might be the perfect time. Virtual Worlds is offering retailers a guarantee of seeing a 30% uplift in sales or your money back. 4D technology is a strong sales tool backed by science, so doesn’t it makes sense to at least give it a try?
For more information on Virtual Worlds 4D Theatre, e-mail [email protected] or call 01908 663848.