Foot traffic and sales have slowed at Singapore’s premier shopping district on Orchard Road, but a local tech start-up, Alteredverse, aims to rejuvenate the area by attracting a younger crowd through innovative digital solutions. Alteredverse has partnered with the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) to create a virtual replica of the Orchard Road shopping district. This virtual model, initially covering around 1km from Wheelock Place to The Centrepoint, will replicate the malls, shops, and hotels.
With shoppers increasingly researching online before purchasing, the virtual model targets 18 to 40-year-olds to assist in their decision-making process. The project integrates e-commerce and shopping capabilities into engaging visuals, offering a unique shopping experience.
The initiative will begin by offering in-kind payments like vouchers or free limited hotel rooms to attract users to physical locations. The virtual model, accessible online and via mobile, will run on the HeLa blockchain network. The firm expects the project to take at least a year to develop fully, aiming to attract between 10,000 and 30,000 users by year-end.
The platform could enrich the visitor experience by providing online users with information about Singapore’s retail landscape, history, and myths behind Orchard Road’s buildings. SLA, which will supply high-resolution street and aerial imagery for the virtual model, supports this initiative as part of the refreshed Singapore Geospatial Master Plan (2024-2033). This plan aims to enhance Singapore’s geospatial capabilities and nurture a talent pipeline in geospatial technologies.
The project is expected to cost between SGD 2 million and 3 million (USD 1.48 – 2.2 million) over the next 24 months. If successful, the company plans to replicate these virtual models in other cities.
Alteredverse was spun out of YJP Surveyors in February 2023, a firm specializing in land measurement for design and construction purposes.
(Source: The Straits Times)