Digital Realities in 2023

Connecting Your Brand to the Digital World

It’s becoming increasingly evident that the digital world is as real as the physical one. It allows us to push the boundaries of what’s possible, providing infinite ways to progress as a society. Over the past few years of pandemic life, the virtual realm and its digital tools became even more deeply ingrained in our lives, establishing itself as a necessity rather than a nice-to-have accessory. Now that life has largely returned to pre-pandemic routines for many people, it’s clear that our virtual processes and communications are here to stay.

New digital products and services come onto the scene every day, and it can be overwhelming if you don’t have context for what’s going on in the virtual world. That’s why we’re taking the time to dive into some hot topics surrounding the digiverse, AI, VR, and other technology that is slowly becoming a regular part of life. What exactly is the virtual world, and how is it that it affects our lives so deeply?

What Does Virtual Mean?

Sometimes, it’s helpful to go back to the basics. The word virtual is thrown around quite a bit, and in its most basic definition, it means “not physically existing as such but made by software to appear to do so.” A more comprehensible definition for our understanding is “occurring or existing primarily online.” 

By now, most of us feel like the virtual world is just as real as the physical one. A meeting can hold just as much importance virtually as it can in person. A post in your feed can be just as educational as print media. We can be influenced by someone online the way we can face-to-face. The virtual world is, in many ways, an extension of the physical one. 

What is Virtual Reality?

Virtual reality takes digital life a step further by allowing you to fully immerse yourself in a three-dimensional world that you can experience with your senses. There are different levels of virtual reality experiences. A VR simulation might be as simple as a 3-D model you view on your computer or device screen, and it can be as complex as a fully immersive experience that involves sight, sound, touch, and even smell in some cases. Some VR experiences only require a computer, while others require special goggles, gloves, helmets, or treadmills that connect you to a simulation.

 

How Does Virtual Reality Apply to Businesses?

Virtual reality has seemingly unlimited applications, including education, healthcare, business, fitness, recreation, agriculture, and much more. VR is so much more than a fad or a fun idea to consider before returning to ‘reality.’ It can be a very powerful tool to push your digital marketing, provide unique learning experiences, and allow you to see beyond the physical world. Some potential applications of VR in business include:

• Virtual tours for residential or commercial real estate
• 3-D product demonstrations 
• In-depth safety training 
• Finding engineering and manufacturing solutions
• Sizing and fitting tools for clothing, shoe, eyewear, headwear, or jewelry brands

What Does AI Mean?

Another term you’ve likely heard over the past year (if you hadn't before) is AI. AI stands for ‘artificial intelligence,’ which refers to programs that can mimic human cognitive capabilities such as answering questions, looking for patterns, creating content, and understanding languages. AI software is integral to many popular apps and websites, like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram — In the case of social media, AI is commonly used for content moderation. 

An example of AI that you’ve likely heard discussion around is ChatGPT. ChatGPT is an AI program that’s able to have conversations, write songs and poems, create shopping lists, develop training programs, write code, and answer practically any question you have. Complex AI chatbots like ChatGPT are constantly learning and improving themselves, drawing from conversations with users, information from the internet, and website data. ChatGPT’s complex capabilities have opened many people’s eyes to the possible applications of AI, and similar chatbots have been launched through apps like Snapchat. Many retail and company sites have simple chatbots that can answer FAQs and point you to specific locations on the website. 

Believe it or not, you've likely had AI in your home for quite sometime—virtual assistants like your Amazon Alexa use AI technology to interpret conversations, answer your questions, and complete your requests!

 

How Can AI Help Your Business

Though it may seem intimidating, AI was made to help people. AI chatbots are a common and helpful addition to company websites, guiding visitors around your site or connecting them with live customer service associates. Beyond answering questions, AI has amazing capabilities for analyzing data to help understand your customers, identify potential process improvements, weed out fraudulent activity, and overall seek ways to optimize your company’s practices. 

How the Digital World Meets the Physical World

The digital and physical worlds collide constantly, affecting one another, drawing information from one another, and ultimately working together to break new ground. As applications like VR and AI become a part of daily life, it’s important to prepare your brand and your team to best use these tools.

It’s also key to remember that the virtual realm is what you make it. If you want the digital world to work for you, it’s important to invest in researching and educating yourself about new technology. We have the freedom to choose how deep we delve into advancing software. However, missing trends and news about the digital world can cause you to get behind on exciting, helpful technology that you might very well end up using later on.

By learning more about the digital realm and staying up to date, you’ll prepare your brand and your team to make the most of helpful software, tools, and tech!

Digital Solutions for Corporate Gifting

Take your corporate gifts from the digital world to real life with online gifting portals! At Merchology, you can set up online group orders and create your own virtual merch storefront. Together, we’ll transform your merch from digital logo mockups to physical products that make your team members, clients, and business partners smile!

• With the Group Order Tool, you won't have to chase down all your team members with a clipboard to get their item selections, delivery addresses, or sizes. All you have to do is send a link!
• The MerchStore eliminates the need for a paper catalogue of corporate apparel and gift styles. Your team members and gift recipients can shop a simple online storefront!
• The Buy Now, Ship Later tool is an online merch inventory tracker! You can order ahead of time and manage how many of your items are shipped at once, all from an online portal!

 

 

Custom Gifts to Connect You to the Digital World

To help your brand stay connected, invest in custom gifts to plug your team into the digital world! Our trending high-tech corporate gifts collection has the products you need for connecting, creating, and collaborating virtually.

 

 

 

Contact Us

Looking for high-tech custom gifts that build brand recognition? Contact us at Merchology today! We’re here to help you find apparel and merch that helps you get connected with your gift recipients.