What are the benefits of virtual stores? • Shoppers can create personalized avatars to walk around the 3D virtual store and browse through products while interacting with other shoppers and sales staff from around the globe. • Shoppers can also attend product demonstrations or tutorials given by the virtual store staff. • People can build social/virtual shopping communities/groups and host online shopping get-togethers with their network of friends, family and associates – a concept defined as assisted e-commerce or social shopping. • Customer service online is taken to an entirely new level as customers do not need to email, click to call or deal with hundreds of pages of forum based questions and answers. If a customer has a question, they can simply log on and walk up to a customer service representative or ask another customer with a high feedback rating. • Businesses can use their online stores to test out new store designs/ideas - in a virtual setting.

1. Will 3-D Virtual Worlds Become the “New Normal” for
E-Commerce Sales & Customer Service?
Dear innovative call centers of 2009, read the article below from Mediacaster Magazine about Nortel’s
new 3-D virtual world product “web.alive” if you want to stay ahead of your competition. Let’s just
say forget phone, chat & email support, think 3-D worlds, collaboration, live product demonstrations,
and avatars…
Link: http://www.mediacastermagazine.com/issues/ISArticle.asp?id=94346&issue=01092009
From the Nortel website:
What are the benefits of virtual stores?
 Shoppers can create personalized avatars to walk around the 3D virtual store and browse
through products while interacting with other shoppers and sales staff from around the globe.
 Shoppers can also attend product demonstrations or tutorials given by the virtual store staff.
 People can build social/virtual shopping communities/groups and host online shopping get-
togethers with their network of friends, family and associates – a concept defined as assisted e-
commerce or social shopping.
 Customer service online is taken to an entirely new level as customers do not need to email, click
to call or deal with hundreds of pages of forum based questions and answers. If a customer has a
question, they can simply log on and walk up to a customer service representative or ask another
customer with a high feedback rating.
 Businesses can use their online stores to test out new store designs/ideas - in a virtual setting.
LEARN MORE about web.alive at the Nortel Project page code named “Project
Chainsaw”: http://www.projectchainsaw.com/
FINALLY to see the new Lenovo eLounge, visit www.lenovo.com/elounge
- Tim Peters