The Block Shop launches 3D room tours online

Heather McIlvaine

2nd Sep 2016

Customers of The Block Shop are now able to take 3D tours of room reveals on The Block and buy the products they see from the comfort of their own home. The website partnered with technology companies Matterport and Phoria (formerly Scann3d) to create a completely immersive retail experience.

The 3D tour capability launched on August 28 2016, after the teams revealed their master ensuites to The Block judges.

“This is the sort of immersive engagement we have been wanting to offer our customers for a long time and now this technology has finally arrived,” Julian Cress, co-creator and executive producer of The Block.

Matterport and Phoria use a special 3D camera to photograph each room, turning real world spaces into virtual rooms that people can “walk” through online. The 3D tours also feature Matterport’s new Mattertag technology, which allows customers to click on any product in the room and initiate a purchase.

“Online shopping is quickly becoming more and more sophisticated and to be able to take our fans behind the walls of The Block and let them get up close and personal with what the couples have created is really exciting,” Cress said.

Co-founder of The Block Shop Emma Garland said the thousands of fans who have lined up to tour The Block homes in person in the past convinced the team of the demand for a virtual experience. “We’ve had over 6000 people take the 3D tours since it launched,” Garland said.

While sales on The Block Shop’s website have been particularly strong this week, Garland said it’s too early to say whether the 3D tours are driving purchases. “That is certainly something we’ll be measuring going forward,” Garland said.

This is the first time that The Block Shop has brought 3D tours to its customers, although The Block has previously experimented with virtual reality technology.

“When we started working with The Block in 2014, 3D tours had just been optimised across the portals, then in 2015 Matterport launched their VR showcase which enabled The Block contestants to navigate virtual versions of their apartments in pursuit of their hidden reserve price,” Trent Clews-de Castella, co-founder and CEO at Phoria, said.

“Now in 2016, we’re working closely with The Block Shop to create a never before seen online retail experience. Each week, fans of the show can jump online and explore each room reveal directly from The Block Shop site,” Clews-de Castella said. As more rooms are revealed, the tours will link up, allowing people to seamlessly navigate The Block homes as a whole.

“More importantly, using Matterport’s new Mattertag integration we can give users the ability to select products they like and click through to purchase withing seconds,” Clews-de Castella said.