The recent launch of two brand new 3D shopping sites could signal the beginning of a new era of online spending.

Gemsta.com, which launched in December last year, was developed by real world architects, landscapers, interior designers and programmers to create a photo-real world across a number of ‘islands', complete with light reflections on rippling water and the sound of rustling palm trees. Using the latest Flash animation technology, visitors can travel through different virtual arenas, browsing various shopping categories and clicking on brand ‘posters' to be taken through to that retailer's website. 

At Gemsta, you can buy everything from mobile phones and insurance to women's fashion, homeware or gifts. The first ever 3D Virtual Farmers Market (vfmuk.com), which launched this January, takes care of your food and drink. Using the latest games technology, this site lets you ‘stroll around' a 3D farmers market and ‘meet' the producers behind the products.

So whats the future?
In an era of iPlayer, Xbox and Playstation, when we take virtual exercise on our Nintendo Wii and watch movies such as Avatar in 3D, it seems only natural that we should be able to shop online in the same intuitive way. On Second Life, the virtual world, users interact and carry out activities via avatars, which they can send in to shops to pick up and try on items of clothing and pay with virtual money. While Gemsta and Virtual Farmers Market are not quite at this stage yet, at the rate technology develops, such an experience - but this time using real money and buying real items - cannot be far away.

The future of shopping - to be continued.

 

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This article on Advertising Age's website discusses how Starbucks has progressed it's social media strategy even further and started to cross the divide between Starbuck's physical and online environments. Chris Bruzzo, VP-brand content and online, says "that the company is benefitting from a trend toward this intersection between digital and physical. We're seeing the beginning of that," he said. "The experiences you have online can translate to rich offline experiences."

They are also doing loads of neat things with Facebook and iphone apps too. Read the full article here

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A new online archive of TV shows has been launched called Seesaw. A number of broadcasters have signed up including BBC and Channel 4. It will feature current shows and old ones. The whole site will be supported by unskippable adverts and there are a number of brands that have already signed up including BT and Diageo. There will, in the future, be a premium service with micro payments for shows and no adverts. This sounds a lot like Spotify for TV and a very good way to monetise old TV shows without running an expensive DVD production. I'm just wondering if they take requests; I want to see Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy again. Head here for the full story and here for the website itself.
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Stunning video directed by Edouard Salier for Massive Attack's new single "Splitting the Atom". This is the first single from the long awaited 5th album, Heligoland which was released yesterday.

In releated news Massive Attack have been banned from advertising posters featuring the artwork for Heligoland on the London Underground for looking too much like graffiti. The Londonist have the full story on their website here.

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The Teletransporter a great invention for letting men go to the bar with their mates without having to worry about the girlfriend.

 

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