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The Power of 3D Virtual Tours: Enhancing Engagement, Accessibility, and Marketing
Founded in 2018 by Cornwall-based Army Veteran and ex-Estate Agent Chris Wood, Ocean 3D are the UKs leading creators of interactive Virtual Tours - an acknowledged but severely underused aid to accessibility, inclusivity, and marketing. Chris explains "I originally set up Ocean 3D to run alongside my existing Estate Agency to supply Virtual Tours of the properties we marketed, as they proved to be the ultimate differentiator to our competition.
However, it quickly became clear that Virtual Tours offer enormous potential as essential accessibility aids, and this realisation took the business in a completely different direction to its' beginnings, to where we are now." Chris has not only travelled the country to produce tours, he has also been commissioned to work in the Greek Islands, Italy and the USA - and the list of companies in foreign destinations requesting Tours is growing steadily.
With the focus now on accessibility, Ocean 3D has taken the first step to expand its' capabilities across the UK and beyond with the opening of the first franchise in the North-East, with another ex-Estate Agent, Paul Barker, taking the reins as Associate Director.
With the focus now on accessibility, Ocean 3D has taken the first step to expand its' capabilities across the UK and beyond with the opening of the first franchise in the North-East, with another ex-Estate Agent, Paul Barker, taking the reins as Associate Director.
In today's digital-first world, businesses and organisations are increasingly turning to 3D virtual tours to showcase their locations. These immersive, interactive experiences allow visitors to explore spaces from anywhere, at any time, and offering numerous advantages to virtually any industry or business group. Here's just a few:
Improved Accessibility and Inclusivity
A 3D virtual tour provides an inclusive experience, enabling individuals with mobility challenges, anxiety, or sensory sensitivities to pre-explore a location without physical constraints. This is especially beneficial for care homes, hospitals, doctors and dentists, schools and further education establishments, and public venues, ensuring that people can plan their physical visits with confidence.
A 3D virtual tour provides an inclusive experience, enabling individuals with mobility challenges, anxiety, or sensory sensitivities to pre-explore a location without physical constraints. This is especially beneficial for care homes, hospitals, doctors and dentists, schools and further education establishments, and public venues, ensuring that people can plan their physical visits with confidence.
Accessibility example of a fully immersive interactive virtual tour. Press play to see how easy it is to interact.
Increased Engagement and Customer Interest
Studies show that people are more likely to engage with interactive content. A virtual tour captures attention longer than static images, allowing potential customers to immerse themselves in the space. This leads to higher conversion rates for businesses like hotels, event venues, Estate Agents, and tourist attractions.
Example of an interactive virtual property tour for use by estate agents
Enhanced Marketing and Competitive Edge
A 3D tour sets a business apart from competitors. By integrating virtual tours into websites, social media, and Google listings, organizations can improve SEO rankings, increase online visibility, and attract more visitors. For businesses in hospitality, retail, and education, a virtual tour builds trust and creates a compelling first impression. Virtual tours literally take marketing to another dimension.
Cost and Time Savings
For Estate Agents, Virtual Tours can reduce the need for multiple in-person visits. Potential buyers will be familiar with the property before they arrive at the front door, and won't need to revisit several times to check that their 3-piece/bed/whatever-it-is fits, as there is a brilliant Measuring Tool built in to the tour! This saves both the business and potential visitors time and money, streamlining operations while enhancing the customer experience. Chris can even digitally de-furnish a property on request so that a potential buyer can visualise it empty!
Versatility for Training and Safety Planning
Beyond marketing, virtual tours are valuable for staff recruitment and onboarding, ongoing training, and health & safety planning. Potential and existing employees can familiarise themselves with a workspace remotely, helping businesses maintain efficiency and preparedness.
Don't just think of a Virtual Tour as just a digital novelty... it's a powerful tool for improving accessibility, marketing, engagement, and operational efficiency. And as technology advances, those organisations that adopt and benefit now will stay ahead of the pack that follow, while offering seamless, interactive experiences that meet the needs of modern audiences.
In today's digital landscape, standing out is paramount. Ocean 3D, the UK's leading creator of interactive 360° tours, offers a cutting-edge solution to showcase your space like never before.
So why should you use Ocean 3D's Virtual Tours?
Unmatched Accessibility: Ocean 3D's app-free, browser-based tours are viewable on almost all Wi-Fi/4G connected devices - smartphones, tablets, desktops, and Oculus™ headsets. This ensures your audience can explore your space anytime, anywhere, with only basic equipment.
Swift Turnaround: Typically, when scanning a location using world-leading Matterport technology, a working draft tour can be produced by the next business day.
Versatile Viewing Options: Ocean 3Ds Virtual Tours offer multiple perspectives—floorplan, dollhouse, guided tour, first-person, and VR - allowing users to engage with your space in various ways that suit them.
Enhanced Engagement: Matterport™ customers report receiving 95% more calls and 65% more emails about properties featured online with a Matterport™ 3D tour.
Cost-Effective Solutions: According to Ocean 3D, creating a typical-sized interactive tour for a business often costs as little as your daily barista-made coffee in the first year; and for Agents, individual properties can be priced according to its' size and marketing requirements.
Ocean 3D welcome enquiries from Agents in the South-West and North-East who wish to find out more about creating immersive experiences that captivate and convert - turning lookers into bookers; browsers into buyers. Visit the website below.
Ocean3D – Interactive, accessible friendly, 3D Tours
Ocean 3D are the UKs' leading creators of interactive 360° tours, helping people experience new, unfamiliar, or potentially inaccessible locations wherever and whenever suits them. An acknowledged aid to accessibility*, marketing and many other uses; our App free, browser-based tours can be viewed on almost all Wi-Fi/ 4G connected smartphones, tablets, desktops and Oculus™ headsets.
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Comments 8
Thank you to all who have taken the time to read this article. We would genuinely welcome your thoughts and comments.
Nice work! Seen these on youtube for properties but great to see disabled being catered for as not enough done for us. I checked your website and see you do them for outside too. Do you cover Yorkshire?
Hi John. Thanks for taking the time to comment, most appreciated.
With regard to your enquiry whether we cover Yorkshire, we are more than happy to have a chat with you about any potential locations you are thinking about. We're only two counties away!
Please feel free to email me - paul@ocean3d.co.uk
I was just thinking, something like this could appeal to local authorities across the UK, producing the accessibility tours for public buildings, outdoor spaces etc. for the disabled in their local communities. Imagine if every council did this, it would make life so much easier, if for example going on holiday in the UK and being able to view the destinations to identify if they are suitable.
Well done guys. Given the percentage of population who are classed disabled its good to see more coming through who are tackling this.
Thank you, Dean_L - your comment is much appreciated.
There is no doubt - certainly in our minds - that the need for change and upping the accessibility game is massive, and that Virtual Tours offer perhaps the easiest and most effective way of making spaces more accessible, as it allows the individual the degree of control to satisfy their own individual needs.
It is this certainty, and belief in the difference that can be made in people's lives, which drives Ocean 3D to push for that necessary change.
However, as with all change, there is an element of resistance which we will cover in later articles - and we would love your views on these too.
Regards
The Ocean 3D team
Is it true that on a house tour we could remove the furniture and replace it with our own on these videos and also measure sizes for tables and things? That would be pretty cool!!!
Hi Geraldine, thanks for your comment.
In answer to your questions, it is possible in some Virtual Tours to 'digitally defurnish' a property, however we are not aware of any current software that allows you to then add your own furniture to the space.
Pleased to confirm that all of Ocean 3Ds Virtual Tours have a Measure tool, which allows you to check sizes and distances with incredible accuracy.
Hope this helps.
Regards The Ocean 3D team