The configurator is more than just fun and games. It has created an important revenue stream, Brown says. The percentage of customers who buy boots after trying the configurator is quadruple the rate of purchases after the first version of the configurator. "That kind of lift is all related to the experience and interactivity," he says.

Bring the Store to the Customer

Another set of tools that makes the virtual shopping experience more engaging is audio and video. Multimedia technologies enable customers to view product demonstrations before they buy, much as they might in a brick-and-mortar store.

Auto auctioneer Manheim uses real-time audio and video to simulcast its used car auctions. The video feed shows the car that is in the auction lane and all the bidders onsite around the car raising their hands as they make their bids. The audio enables the remote bidder to hear the auctioneer make his calls so that the bidder can experience what’s happening on the auction floor.

Manheim’s VP and CIO, Joe Luppino, says simulcasting enables Manheim to reach a wider audience of potential buyers and makes it easier for buyers to participate in auctions since they don’t have to travel to the auction site; buyers can bid in real-time over the Internet. "Simulcasting offers online bidders the ability to attend more sales [virtually] than they’d be able to attend in one week, and it offers them the ability to [virtually] attend sales in multiple states in one day," says Luppino.

The more buyers Manheim can attract to its auctions, the happier the auctioneer makes its sellers. Since Manheim began simulcasting its auctions in 2002, approximately 3,200 new dealers have come on board. Luppino adds that his company has seen buyers participate in sales in which they hadn’t participated in the past.

When Manheim launched its simulcasts, the company knew it would have to create a realistic simulation of the auction environment so that dealers would believe watching the simulcast was as good as being in the room. So Manheim made a decision not to create an experience that would appeal to "the lowest common denominator," says Luppino. "We didn’t want to build on dial-up because it would prohibit us from building features into our product that would make the simulcast more compelling," says Gordon Warren, VP and general manager of Manheim’s dealer operating system, Tracker, who used to work on simulcasts. "We told our dealers, You have to have high-speed [Internet connections] or else you’re going to have a miserable experience."