NearLondon virtual retail world is no Second Life

Buckingham Design Associates (BDA) has considered whether virtual retail world NearLondon can succeed where Second Life failed.

Christmas is fast approaching, and with it the rush to get to the shops.

But with all the traffic and crowds, you would be forgiven for staying away and buying your gifts online.

Well, this year you can visit some of London's top retailers from the comfort of home thanks to a new virtual world called NearLondon.

NearLondon offers laser-scanned 3D recreations of Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street, with more streets to follow.

Many retailers have signed up to advertise their wares, although they are currently limited to selling from a shop window.

But as NearLondon evolves, retailers will be able to house fashion shows, interactive games and virtual concerts in their branded stores.

Does this all sound familiar?
Well, NearLondon's creators have been at pains to point out that it isn't another Second Life, and for good reason.

It was only two years ago that Second Life was basking in the media spotlight as brands, businesses and even nations rushed to grab their piece of online real estate.

In fact, the number of people joining jumped from 450,000 to four million in just one year.

Unfortunately, Second Life just wasn't accessible enough for most people, and failed to attract the numbers needed to make it a successful marketing platform.

The branded shops and buildings became ghost towns when the crowds failed to materialise and the buzz fizzled out.

In many brand managers' eyes, Second Life is now dead.

However, the site still attracts a million regular users and is now being touted as a platform for online collaboration, virtual meetings and a teaching tool.

But it remains to be seen whether Second Life will ever attract the numbers needed to tempt brands back to what was, for many, an expensive experiment.

The fact that NearLondon's creators are already talking about a NearNewYork and NearTokyo shows they've got big plans.

But will they be able to attract enough shoppers to keep the brands happy? Criticisms of Second Life have been its awkward controls and cartoony graphics.

In NearLondon, however, you just click around the screen to explore London's streets, which are rendered in detailed 3D graphics similar to the latest video games.

NearLondon is currently on limited release, with software disks to be handed out in London.

Whether it can compete with the buzz and physicality of the real-world shopping experience remains to be seen.

But it's certainly another step towards delivering more innovative branded experiences in the digital world.

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