Advertisement

Build-A-Bear Brings the Workshop Experience Online With New Ecommerce Experience

Build-A-Bear Workshop is reimagining its ecommerce site with the Bear Builder 3D Workshop, an animated shopping experience that moves the experience of bringing a teddy bear “to life” online. The site is designed to take shoppers through the bear-building experience in an immersive 3D environment.

The experience begins with whimsical music and a selection of bears to choose from. Once selected, the bear is brought to the stuffing area, where shoppers are prompted to click and drag clouds of stuffing. The bear is then brough to life through the Heart Ceremony, after which customers can choose from a range of apparel and accessories to customize their bear.

From there, shoppers visit the Hear Me Station to add a sound or song to the bear. Then they complete the process by filling out a birth certificate, at which point the finished bear grabs a red heart balloon and floats back to the main ecommerce site, where customers can continue shopping or check out. Bear Builder 3D Workshop supports multiple fulfillment options, including same-day delivery through Shipt and buy online, pick up in-store.

“The retail landscape has been shifting as consumers have increasingly moved to online shopping,” said Sharon Price John, President and CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop in a statement. “Our aim is to meet guests where and how they prefer to shop. Because we are a high-engagement brand, we wanted to develop an interactive, digital shopping option that not only delivered on our iconic in-store process but offered a dynamic experience to create your own furry friend.”

Advertisement

Bear Builder 3D Workshop was developed in partnership with Buzz 3D, creators of interactive shopping simulations; Nutanix, a hybrid multicloud computing solution provider; TierPoint, a data center and cloud services provider; and PGAV, designers of amusement park experiences.

Digital experiences have become an especially important differentiator as consumers shift more of their shopping online in the post-pandemic environment. Other retailers that have made investments in this space include:

  • Walmart, which has been experimenting with virtual explorable homes and livestreaming events to immerse shoppers;
  • BoConcept, which uses a combination of quizzes, case studies, digital consultations and immersive product images to help shoppers find the right furniture online; and
  • YETI, which launched a 3D and AR experience that lets shoppers place more than 50 virtual products in their own physical environments and examine them from any angle.

Featured Event

Join the retail community as we come together for three days of strategic sessions, meaningful off-site networking events and interactive learning experiences.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Access The Media Kit

Interests:

Access Our Editorial Calendar




If you are downloading this on behalf of a client, please provide the company name and website information below: