On Our Minds

Google Virtually Steps into the Business down the Street 

Imagine this. A new furniture shop opened an hour transit ride away from your home. Interior Designers are calling it the “most spectacular furniture shop in town.’ But is it really? No one wants to take that long and lonely transit ride to the new shop only to find out that it’s a flop.

Enter Google Street View. Indeed, Google has their fingers soaked in this market and they have long been known for being more than just a search engine. Google broke into the virtual industry when they introduced Street View to the U.S. in 2007 and Canada in 2009. Users had the ability to look at an image of a map and were capable of virtually walking the streets of locations in Canada, U.S. and beyond.

Google has recently expanded this virtual meandering into the business market. Businesses are invited to contact a trusted Google photographer and develop a virtual page of their business online. The photographer will take photos to develop a 360 degree image of the business itself, similar to Street View but with the focus on the independent business. This new feature is only available in the U.S. for the time being but as demand grows, it will likely expand.

So instead of dragging your furniture-savvy self to the newest shop in town you will soon be able to check out the place virtually and share it with the world. 

What do you think?

Is this a step too far for virtual technology or is this a step in the right direction?

Let us know @zenergycom with your thoughts and insights!