Business Bytes
Renee Oricchio

Google Toys With Store View 360 Feature

 

Okay, think about Google's street view feature for a moment. You know; the ability to zoom in via Google Earth and get a 360 degree street level view of a neighborhood with an archived sweep of a camera.

Apparantly, Google camera crews are poised to do the same at the store level. The web site, Search Engline Land, is the first to report this rumor. It's based on a tip they got from a Manhattan store called "Oh Nuts" that claims Google used their store as a guinea pig for the new project.

The ramifications are staggering when you think about it.

Imagine what it would do for online retailers to be able to offer a virtual tour of their store shelves and displays.

Imagine the pressure it will put on online retailers who have no bricks and mortar storefront. Would those discount Manolo Blahnik shoes seem as appealing if you saw the moldy storage shed it originated from?

I see a new cottage industry cropping up if this comes to pass; stock footage of retail stores!

Renee Oricchio is a technology writer and former supervising news producer for CNN Financial News. She has been covering the computer industry since 1987. @oricchio