Who are the competitors of a VR venue?

To make your VR venue unique, several solutions are available to you. One of the advantages of virtual reality as a leisure activity is that this technology and the Octopod experiences are aimed at and are suitable for all audiences, adolescents and adults, curious and neophytes.

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The competition of a VR venue vs other leisure activities

Virtual reality makes it possible to stand out from the competition, thanks in particular to a broader target and the multitude of experiences and games available in the same space and on the same equipment. Indeed, VR is also for businesses. Having a higher average basket than individuals, businesses are the ideal target to help you monetize your VR venue .

Another element in your VR venue’s favor over the competition is the safety side of virtual reality. The games in the Octopod catalog have been developed and tested with a concern for the safety of players and VR venue operators. An argument that should please companies that seek to offer employees team-building activities that can please everyone with a lower risk of injury. Compared to a laser game activity, the Octopod catalog includes non-violent and cooperative VR experiences, which can also be an argument against the competition. Thanks to the wide range of experiences that exist in a virtual reality room, it is possible to offer games suitable for all ages, all profiles, and all situations, which may not be the case with your competitors. This is for example the case for people with reduced mobility, if they cannot make the entire catalog of games in a virtual reality room, several experiences are accessible, allowing them to be included in a team-building activity.

What if there is already a competitor in my city?

In Bordeaux for example, six VR arcades have opened their doors, so we can wonder if the competition will not be too fierce for the 6 activities. Virtual reality is surfing on a good attractiveness, making many players want to get started. Despite the falling price of virtual reality headsets, VR is still little known and especially little practiced by individuals. It is therefore a good niche to start a business.

To set yourself apart from a competitor, in addition to offering different experiences, you can offer:

• another VR technology (free-roaming in particular which is the future of VR)
• a careful welcome, which will always be appreciated by your customers,
• an in-depth simulation of the players thanks to a briefing worked on by a properly trained game master,

Also, be sure to have impeccable hygiene and careful support. To differentiate yourself from the competition, and even more treat your welcome, you can offer a drink with the entrance ticket. You can also choose a decoration for your virtual reality games room that makes you want to come home and that announces that customers are going to live an extraordinary adventure.

Therefore, the showcase of your VR venue is an essential element, it is your first advertisement. To tempt you, we advise you to install VR games there that will raise questions for those who do not know virtual reality and create an appetite for those who already know VR.

The implementation of customer benefits (membership card, discounts, VIP offer is also a paying strategy that some Octopod rooms have implemented.

The best way to get customers to your VR arcade instead of a competitor is to offer VR games that they don't. By choosing to offer games that are on Steam, you are taking more risk than choosing games that are developed by a studio specifically for your VR venue.

Another element that you can highlight against the competition: events. Creating an event will allow you to arouse envy among your potential customers. They are also an opportunity to speak up and communicate about your VR playroom. You can, for example, offer tournaments, special evenings for Valentine's Day… Setting up a “special” offer is also an argument that can convince your customers to come to you rather than to a competitor: activities “Birthday”, bachelor party, bachelorette party, gift card… anything is possible!

Finally, the best way to stand out from the competition is through communication. Indeed, investing in communication is essential in leisure time, and even more so when you establish yourself in a competitive area. Communication can take different forms: digital communication, active social networks, newsletter, street marketing operation, opening night, SEO, SEA, etc. It is an essential step that should not be overlooked..

Is it bad to have a competitor come in?

The arrival of a competitor in your city can be good news for your VR venue. IF the experiences he offers are of good quality, your competitor will be a good spokesperson. Indeed, he will advertise virtual reality by convincing his customers that it allows games and enjoyable and fun experiences. Convinced by their first adventure, your competitors' customers will therefore be looking for other games and therefore new VR rooms. They will therefore be very inclined to come to you. When choosing games, it is, therefore, essential to think carefully about the replayability of virtual reality games. For a customer to come back to a VR venue multiple times, it is best to prefer games that can be replayed.

So when a competitor arrives in your city, it is better if they are a good competitor. On the contrary, if the experiences offered by this competitor are of poor quality, your VR room may suffer from the bad experiences of customers. Disgusted with virtual reality, the public will not wish to repeat the experience and therefore will not seek to go to another virtual reality game room.

The Octopod catalog includes more than fifteen games in three different playing areas. It is possible to differentiate yourself from a competitor already there by using other game licenses on other surfaces than those of your competitor.

What future for the competition of VR venue?

The arrival of competitors in your city shows that virtual reality is experiencing a new appeal and that it is finding its audience. It's up to you to offer competitive VR experiences that can last over time. Indeed, the main challenge for VR venues will be to continue to develop positive competition in a context where the experiences will probably be of better quality and the equipment more and more accessible. To avoid falling into the pitfall of arcades in 1999/2000, VR venues will need to focus primarily on multiplayer experiences and in large spaces.

Like cinemas, which are still attractive places of leisure, despite the emergence of downloadable films or content distribution platforms such as Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, virtual reality rooms must also anticipate the future and democratization. of virtual reality in homes. The customer experience must therefore be non-reproducible in your customers' homes. To do this, you must offer additional services (such as the sale of drinks/snacks), a comfortable and warm place, spaces that create social links, around an irreproachable virtual reality experience, in your offer. innovative and immersive.

Conclusion

The competition for a VR room is therefore positive. Because it is still little known and in its infancy, virtual reality requires an important work of evangelization. By being several players in VR, you will all participate in making it known and thereby participate in building a positive ecosystem.

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