How InReality Solutions Transformed MPL’s Five-Story Sporting Goods Store into an Interactive Virtual Shopping Experience

Project Overview

Client	MPL
Company	Maha Padda Lestari
Industry	Sporting Goods & Retail
Location	Medan, Indonesia
Solution	Interactive Virtual Store
Technology	Matterport
Project Completed	2023
Physical Store	Five Stories
Marketplace Integration	Shopee
Interactive Product Categories	50+ Categories
Photography & Scanning	Completed by InReality Solutions
Development Period	Approximately 4 Days
Devices	Desktop, Mobile, Tablet & Compatible VR Devices
Primary Objectives	Brand Trust, Online Sales, Product Discovery & Customer Engagement
Reported Online Sales Impact	Approximately 20% Increase
Reported Average Basket Size Impact	Approximately 25% Increase
Scope	Virtual Store Strategy, 360° Capture, Development, Product Tagging, Marketplace Integration & Deployment

On This Page (27)

1. The Challenge: Bringing the Scale of a Physical Retail Business Online
2. The Opportunity: Turning the Physical Store into a Digital Asset
3. The Strategy: Combining Physical Retail Discovery with E-Commerce
4. Creating MPL’s Five-Story Virtual Store
5. More Than a Sporting Goods Store
6. Connecting the Virtual Store Directly to Shopee
7. Why We Integrated Product Categories Instead of Individual SKUs
8. Creating Natural Product Discovery
9. Building Trust with Online Customers
10. Supporting Wholesale and Large-Volume Customers
11. A Virtual Store Accessible Beyond Medan
12. The Operational Challenge: Capturing a Busy Five-Story Retail Environment
13. Preparing the Store for 360° Capture
14. Working Around Limited Scanning Windows
15. Maintaining Consistency Across a Dynamic Retail Environment
16. Completing the Project in Approximately Four Days
17. More Than 50 Interactive Product Category Connections
18. Multi-Floor Navigation
19. Accessible Across Desktop, Mobile, Tablet, and VR
20. Used Across MPL’s Website and Social Media
21. Ongoing Maintenance and Knowledge Transfer
22. The Results
23. 20% Increase in Online Sales
24. 25% Increase in Average Basket Size
25. Strengthening Customer Trust
26. The Client Response
27. More Than a Virtual Tour

The Challenge: Bringing the Scale of a Physical Retail Business Online

MPL operates an extensive five-story sporting goods store in Medan.

The physical store itself communicates something important about the company.

It demonstrates scale.

It demonstrates product variety.

It demonstrates that MPL is an established retailer capable of serving different types of customers and fulfilling substantial orders.

However, this physical credibility did not automatically translate to the online environment.

A customer discovering MPL through an online marketplace might see individual products and product listings.

But they would not necessarily understand the scale of the company behind those listings.

For conventional retail customers, this could affect brand familiarity and trust.

For wholesale customers and organizations considering larger orders, understanding the scale and capabilities of the supplier could be even more important.

MPL needed a stronger online presence that could communicate not only what they sold, but also who they were as a business.

The Opportunity: Turning the Physical Store into a Digital Asset

InReality Solutions approached MPL with a different idea.

Instead of treating the five-story physical store as something that could only be experienced by customers visiting Medan, why not make the store accessible online?

The physical store was already one of MPL’s strongest business assets.

It demonstrated:

• Product variety
• Business scale
• Retail presence
• Organizational capability
• Brand credibility
• Extensive inventory categories

The opportunity was to transform that physical asset into an online experience.

Customers anywhere could then virtually enter the store, move between departments, explore different categories, and understand the scale of MPL’s operations.

But we wanted to go further.

The objective was not simply to let customers look around.

We wanted them to shop.

The Strategy: Combining Physical Retail Discovery with E-Commerce

Conventional e-commerce is efficient.

A customer searches for a product, finds a listing, compares options, and makes a purchasing decision.

But conventional online shopping can also remove an important part of the physical retail experience: discovery.

When customers walk through a physical store, they do not only see the product they originally intended to purchase.

They see related products.

They discover other categories.

They remember items they need.

They notice products they may not have initially considered.

This natural discovery process can contribute to impulse purchases and larger basket sizes.

InReality Solutions wanted to bring this behavior into MPL’s online shopping experience.

The concept was simple:

Enter the Virtual Store → Explore the Physical Environment → Discover Products → Select a Category → Visit the Relevant Shopee Page → Purchase Online

The result combined elements of physical and digital retail into one connected customer journey.

Creating MPL’s Five-Story Virtual Store

InReality Solutions was responsible for capturing and developing the virtual experience of MPL’s physical store in Medan.

The store extended across five floors and occupied a substantial physical space.

Each floor contained different products and departments.

The objective was to create a virtual representation that allowed customers to move naturally through the store and understand how the different departments and product categories were organized.

Using Matterport technology, InReality Solutions digitally captured the physical environment and transformed it into an interactive virtual store.

Users could move between floors, walk through departments, inspect the retail environment, and discover different categories of sporting goods and other products.

More Than a Sporting Goods Store

One of the most important aspects of the MPL virtual experience was communicating the extensive variety of products available.

MPL’s physical store carried products across numerous categories, including:

• Sporting apparel
• Athletic footwear
• Badminton equipment
• Rackets
• Shuttlecocks
• Swimming equipment
• Sporting accessories
• Equipment for various sports
• Musical instruments
• Music-related products
• Other sporting and recreational goods

The store also included an extensive musical instrument section with a wide variety of instruments.

By allowing customers to virtually explore the real store, MPL could communicate the breadth of its product offering more effectively than through conventional online product listings alone.

Connecting the Virtual Store Directly to Shopee

The most important functionality of the MPL virtual store was the connection between the physical retail environment and MPL’s Shopee marketplace.

Throughout the virtual store, InReality Solutions incorporated interactive Mattertags.

These tags were connected to relevant product categories.

For example, a customer exploring the badminton department might see the rack displaying badminton rackets.

By clicking the relevant interactive hotspot, the customer could be taken directly to MPL’s Shopee marketplace page filtered for badminton rackets.

The same principle was applied throughout the virtual store.

More than 50 product categories were connected to relevant marketplace pages.

This created a direct connection between:

Seeing → Discovering → Exploring → Clicking → Shopping

Instead of asking customers to leave the virtual experience, open a marketplace, search for MPL, and then search again for the relevant product, the virtual store shortened the path between discovery and purchase.

Why We Integrated Product Categories Instead of Individual SKUs

One of the most important strategic decisions in the project was determining how products should be connected to the online marketplace.

One option would have been to connect every individual product inside the store to its corresponding online SKU.

However, this approach would not have been practical.

MPL carries a substantial number of products.

Inventory changes.

Individual products sell out.

New products arrive.

Displays change.

Products move between locations.

Maintaining individual links for every SKU would therefore create significant ongoing management requirements and could quickly result in outdated links.

InReality Solutions recommended a more scalable approach.

Instead of connecting individual SKUs, we connected product categories.

The physical location of departments and product categories remained considerably more consistent than individual products.

For example:

• Badminton rackets
• Shuttlecocks
• Swimming equipment
• Sporting apparel
• Footwear
• Musical instruments

When customers clicked a relevant hotspot, they were taken to the corresponding category on MPL’s Shopee marketplace.

This approach made the virtual store more scalable, easier to maintain, and better suited to the realities of a large retail operation.

Creating Natural Product Discovery

The virtual store gave customers a different way to shop online.

Rather than immediately searching for a specific item, users could browse.

They could walk through the physical environment.

They could move between departments.

They could discover categories they had not originally intended to explore.

Consider a customer initially interested in purchasing a badminton racket.

While virtually exploring the badminton section, that customer might also discover:

• Shuttlecocks
• Sports bags
• Shoes
• Clothing
• Accessories
• Other related equipment

This behavior more closely resembles shopping in a physical store than using a conventional online marketplace search bar.

That was an important part of the strategy.

The virtual store was designed to bring an element of retail discovery and impulse purchasing into the online customer journey.

Building Trust with Online Customers

The MPL virtual store also addressed another important business challenge.

Trust.

When customers purchase from an unfamiliar online retailer, particularly when considering large or wholesale orders, they may ask questions such as:

• Is this an established business?
• Does the company have a real physical presence?
• Do they carry an extensive product range?
• Can they handle large orders?
• Are they capable of serving customers outside their local area?
• Is the business credible?

The virtual store helped answer these questions visually.

Potential customers could enter the real MPL store online.

They could explore all five floors.

They could see the extensive product range.

They could understand the scale of the operation.

They could see that MPL was not simply an anonymous marketplace seller.

It was a substantial physical retailer with an extensive real-world presence.

Supporting Wholesale and Large-Volume Customers

MPL serves more than conventional retail customers.

The company also handles wholesale requirements and substantial orders from customers across Indonesia, including regional government requirements.

For these customers, supplier credibility and capability can be particularly important.

A large-volume buyer may need confidence that a supplier has:

• Sufficient business scale
• A broad product range
• Physical operations
• Experience handling different product categories
• The ability to support substantial requirements

Before the virtual store, customers outside Medan might have limited opportunities to understand MPL’s physical scale without visiting the location.

The virtual experience changed this.

Customers could remotely inspect the store and gain a clearer understanding of MPL’s business presence.

This helped the company build confidence with potential customers regardless of their physical location.

A Virtual Store Accessible Beyond Medan

MPL’s physical store is located in Medan.

However, its customers are not limited to Medan.

The company serves customers and organizations across different parts of Indonesia.

The virtual store helped remove geographical limitations from the physical retail experience.

Someone outside Medan could still:

• Visit the store virtually
• Explore the different floors
• Understand the product range
• Navigate between departments
• Discover product categories
• Connect directly to MPL’s Shopee marketplace

The store remained physical.

But the experience became nationally accessible.

The Operational Challenge: Capturing a Busy Five-Story Retail Environment

Creating the MPL virtual store presented a significant operational challenge.

This was not an empty showroom.

It was an active retail business.

The store contained:

• Customers
• Employees
• Extensive product displays
• Merchandise
• Changing inventory
• Numerous departments
• Multiple floors
• Constant activity

The InReality Solutions team needed to digitally capture the complete environment while minimizing disruption to the store’s operations.

Preparing the Store for 360° Capture

Preparation was critical.

Before scanning, the environment needed to be organized to ensure the final virtual store presented MPL professionally.

This involved:

• Organizing products
• Removing unnecessary clutter
• Preparing displays
• Coordinating with employees
• Managing customers and people within the environment
• Ensuring different areas were ready for capture

Much of this preparation was conducted before the main scanning process.

This allowed the InReality Solutions team to work efficiently during the limited periods available outside normal operating hours.

Working Around Limited Scanning Windows

Because MPL was an active store, our team could not simply close the entire business for an extended period.

The available scanning periods were limited.

Each floor needed to be captured efficiently within the available time.

This required careful planning.

Our team needed to understand:

• Which areas would be captured
• In what order they would be captured
• How the scanning path would progress
• How different sections would connect
• How consistency would be maintained between scanning sessions

The objective was to capture a large, complex retail environment without disrupting normal business operations.

Maintaining Consistency Across a Dynamic Retail Environment

Another challenge was maintaining visual and spatial consistency.

Retail stores are dynamic environments.

Products move.

Customers move.

Employees move.

Displays can change.

Objects may be relocated between one scanning session and another.

Because the five-story store could not be captured instantaneously, the InReality Solutions team needed to carefully manage these changes.

If objects or displays moved significantly between connected scanning locations, the final virtual environment could become visually inconsistent.

Our team therefore needed to work quickly, coordinate carefully, and maintain as much consistency as possible throughout the capture process.

Completing the Project in Approximately Four Days

Despite the scale of the five-story store and the operational challenges involved, the main project was completed in approximately four days.

Within this period, InReality Solutions handled:

• Store preparation
• Capture planning
• Matterport scanning
• 360° photography
• Multi-floor integration
• Navigation
• Interactive Mattertags
• Product category mapping
• Shopee marketplace integration
• Testing
• Deployment

The ability to complete the project quickly minimized disruption to MPL’s business while allowing the virtual store to launch efficiently.

More Than 50 Interactive Product Category Connections

One of the most extensive parts of the project involved mapping the physical retail environment to MPL’s online marketplace.

More than 50 product categories were connected to corresponding Shopee marketplace pages.

Each relevant area needed to be:

• Identified
• Categorized
• Connected to the correct marketplace destination
• Tagged inside the virtual environment
• Tested

The result was a retail experience where physical exploration and digital purchasing worked together.

Multi-Floor Navigation

Because the MPL store extended across five stories, navigation was particularly important.

Users needed to understand:

• Where they were
• Which floor they were exploring
• What departments were available
• How to move between different areas

The experience was structured to allow users to explore the different floors and understand the overall store layout.

This prevented the size of the store from becoming overwhelming and helped users navigate more effectively.

Accessible Across Desktop, Mobile, Tablet, and VR

The Matterport-based virtual store could be accessed across different devices.

These included:

• Desktop computers
• Laptops
• Smartphones
• Tablets
• Compatible VR devices

This allowed customers to explore the store using whichever device was most convenient for them.

Used Across MPL’s Website and Social Media

Following completion, the virtual store became part of MPL’s online presence.

The experience was used across:

• MPL’s website
• Social media channels
• Online marketing activities

This helped MPL use its physical retail environment as an ongoing digital marketing and sales asset.

Ongoing Maintenance and Knowledge Transfer

Following the initial launch, InReality Solutions continued maintaining the virtual store for several years.

Over time, MPL developed the capability to manage the experience internally.

Responsibility for the virtual store was eventually transitioned to the MPL team.

This allowed the platform to continue supporting the company’s digital presence beyond the initial project period.

The Results

The success of the MPL virtual store was not simply determined by whether users could navigate the experience.

The objective was to create something that positively contributed to the business.

According to results reported by MPL, the virtual store contributed to an approximately:

20% Increase in Online Sales

By connecting physical retail discovery directly to MPL’s online marketplace, the virtual store helped create an additional pathway toward online purchasing.

Customers could discover products while exploring the physical store and move directly to the relevant Shopee category to continue their purchasing journey.

25% Increase in Average Basket Size

MPL also reported an approximately 25% increase in average basket size associated with the virtual store experience.

One of the key reasons was increased product discovery.

Customers entering the virtual store for one product category could encounter other relevant items while exploring.

This recreated an important characteristic of physical retail shopping.

Customers remembered additional products.

They discovered related categories.

They saw items they had not initially considered purchasing.

The result was a larger average purchase value.

Strengthening Customer Trust

Beyond direct sales performance, the virtual store helped MPL communicate the scale and credibility of its business.

New customers could see:

• A real five-story physical store
• Extensive product categories
• Substantial retail operations
• A broad selection of goods
• The scale of the company’s physical presence

This was particularly valuable for customers considering large-volume purchases and customers located outside Medan.

Instead of simply telling customers that MPL was capable of handling substantial orders, the virtual store allowed them to see the scale of the business for themselves.

The Client Response

For InReality Solutions, the greatest measure of success was that the completed platform became genuinely useful to MPL’s business.

The virtual store was not created simply as a technology demonstration.

It was actively used to:

• Build customer trust
• Strengthen MPL’s online presence
• Communicate business scale
• Support product discovery
• Connect customers to Shopee
• Increase online purchasing opportunities
• Support customers outside Medan
• Strengthen confidence among larger buyers

The positive response from MPL and the continued use of the platform demonstrated that the solution addressed a genuine business requirement.

More Than a Virtual Tour

The MPL project demonstrates how immersive technology can be used beyond conventional virtual tours.

The project began with a five-story physical sporting goods store.

InReality Solutions transformed it into:

• An interactive virtual store
• A digital brand-building platform
• A product discovery experience
• A trust-building tool
• A connection between physical and online retail
• An additional pathway to e-commerce
• A platform accessible to customers across Indonesia

The experience connected more than 50 product categories directly to MPL’s Shopee marketplace.

According to results reported by the client, it contributed to an approximately 20% increase in online sales and a 25% increase in average basket size.

The result demonstrated a simple but powerful idea: a physical store does not have to stop creating value when customers leave the building.

With the right immersive strategy, the physical retail environment itself can become a scalable digital sales and marketing asset.