Infinite Path

The world’s first virtual shopping district is set to launch in a move designed to allow shoppers to experience the excitement and choice available in London’s West End without the less desirable elements of pollution, long queues, and street crime that a trip to the capital at Christmas can bring.

NearLondon is an innovative new interactive project that will allow shoppers to explore the streets of London’s busy shopping district, complete with buses driving along the road and real time weather conditions. Shoppers will then be able to enter the shops in this virtual world before browsing products and goods.

So far, major retailers including John Lewis and Marks & Spencer have agreed to take part in the project, which will be launched in November. A spokesman for the latter store revealed that the retailer is well aware of the potential financial benefits of “maximizing” both “online and store offerings”. As with so many new ideas such as this one, social media is likely to make or break the initiative.

Alex Wrottesley, who created NearLondon, revealed that the website will be closely aligned with Facebook. Users of both sites will be able to go shopping with their online friends in this virtual space. Online shopping has often suffered from the absence of the social aspect that shopping with friends on the high street brings, so this particular element to the project could yet prove to be its most important.