Virtual store
Products are examined where they stand in the store and bought through the official Shopify integration.
Virtual space: a 3D place you step into online.
A virtual space is a three-dimensional place you can enter and explore online: a store, an apartment, a showroom or an exhibition area. The visitor does not look at a photo or a video; they walk through the space, move close to products and look at details in their own order. At Viniona, virtual spaces are built at real scale, open in the web browser and need no install.
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How is a virtual space different from photos, video and a 360° tour?
The difference is how free the visitor is. With a photo or a video, the person behind the camera decides where you look; in a 360° tour the visitor looks around but cannot leave the capture points. In a virtual space they walk wherever they want and interact with what they see.
| Photo or image | Video | 360° tour | Virtual space | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What does the visitor do? | Looks. | Watches. | Looks around at the capture points. | Walks freely inside it. |
| Who sets the order? | Whoever made the image. | Whoever shot the video. | Partly the visitor; the points are fixed. | The visitor. |
| What can be done with products? | They can only be seen. | They can only be seen. | Info points can be added. | Info cards, product options and shopping. |
| If the space does not exist yet | An image can be prepared. | An animation can be prepared. | It cannot be shot. | It can be built from a plan. |
For a detailed comparison of 360° tours, 3D scans and interactive 3D spaces, see our virtual tour page.
What types of virtual space are there?
Virtual spaces are named after what they are used for: virtual store, virtual apartment, virtual showroom, virtual exhibition and trade-show space. They all rest on the same idea; the difference is what happens inside.
Virtual apartment
A home is explored at real scale before it is built; colour and material options are tried out.
Virtual showroom, exhibition and trade show
Products are shown with info cards and options, in a space that never closes.
What makes a good virtual space?
Five things: accurate scale, light and materials close to reality, free movement, interaction and easy access. When one is missing, the space stops being a place you are in and becomes an image you look at.
- True scale: Room widths, ceiling height and product proportions match reality; the visitor senses distance correctly.
- Light and material: Daylight, surface textures and reflections are built to behave as they really do.
- Free movement: There are no fixed tour points; the visitor walks wherever they want.
- Interaction: Info cards, product options, colour and material changes, shopping.
- Easy access: It opens from a single link in the web browser; no app, plug-in or sign-up.
Are virtual space, virtual tour, digital twin and metaverse the same thing?
No; they are close but describe different things. A virtual tour is the general name for letting people explore a space online. A digital twin is a 3D counterpart of a space, true to its measurements. A virtual space is the explorable 3D place itself: it can mirror a real place, or it can be a design that exists only online.
| Term | What does it describe? | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual tour | Exploring a space online; it can be made of photos or of a 3D space. | A 360° photo tour of a venue. |
| Digital twin | An exact 3D counterpart of a physical space, built with its measurements, light and materials. | A real-scale 3D counterpart of a store. |
| Virtual space | An interactive 3D place you walk through; it can mirror a real place or be an entirely new design. | A 3D store for a brand with no physical store. |
| Metaverse | A general name for connected virtual worlds where many users are present at the same time, mostly as avatars. | Game-like, multi-user platforms. |
The spaces Viniona builds sit in the virtual space and digital twin rows of this table: they open from a single link, in the web browser. More on our digital twin page; short definitions of the terms are in the Glossary.
How is a virtual space built?
In four steps: a plan or an idea, a real-scale 3D space, products and interactions, test and launch. An existing space does not need to be photographed or scanned, so a space that has not been built yet can be created too.
Plan or idea
If you have an architectural plan or a floor plan, we work from it. If not, you describe the space or leave the design to us.
3D space
The plan becomes a 3D space true to its measurements.
Products and interaction
Your products take their place; info cards, product options and, if needed, shopping are added.
Test and launch
Everything is tested; your space goes live behind a single link.
You can see the steps of each solution one by one in the Process section on the home page.
Which businesses is a virtual space for?
Businesses that want to show their space or their products to customers. Viniona focuses on three areas:
- Retail, fashion and e-commerce: The store is explored online and products are bought in the 3D virtual store.
- Developers, estate agencies and architecture offices: Housing projects are toured before they are built.
- Showrooms, exhibitions and trade shows: Products from automotive to furniture are shown in a space that is always open.
We are based in Ankara and work across Turkey and remotely; the work runs on plans, descriptions and product files.
Example: the Blackbörk virtual store
In the virtual store we built for Blackbörk, the store’s architecture, lighting and product layout were rebuilt at their real scale and texture.
Visitors can walk around, shop and interact in many ways. For an example on the housing side, see our own design, the viHome demo house.
Frequently asked questions about virtual spaces
Is a virtual space the same as a virtual tour?
Not exactly. A virtual tour is the general name for letting people explore a space online, and it is often made of 360° photos. A virtual space is a 3D place you walk through freely and where you interact with products. Viniona’s virtual tours are virtual spaces.
Do I need a virtual reality headset to explore a virtual space?
No. Viniona virtual spaces open in the web browser; a computer, phone or tablet is enough. No app, plug-in or sign-up is needed.
I have no physical space; can a virtual space still be built?
Yes. We build the space from a plan or a description, not from photos. If you have no plan, you describe the space or leave the design to us.
Can people shop in a virtual space?
Yes. In the viStore solution, shopping runs through the official Shopify integration; shopping in the 3D store stays fully in sync with your Shopify store. You can see it in the Blackbörk virtual store.
How is a virtual space shared?
With a single link. You can add the link to your website, your social media accounts or the messages you send to customers.
Let's take your space virtual together.
A plan — or just an idea — is enough to get started.