Canada Post Partners With Second Life To Launch Online Shopping Mall

Canadians who play Second Life can now worry less about hitting the shopping malls during the holiday season, and instead do all their ‘virtual shopping’ from the comfort of home.

Today, Canada Post will launch a new city in Second Life where there will be a shopping mall where users can shop in front of their computer. I heard this story on the radio this morning and recalled tuning into the Diggnation podcast and remembering Kevin Rose saying that one day he was approached by an individual who presented this idea. In short, Kevin thought this was something that would not be successful. My thoughts on the concept of an online virtual shopping mall are similar to Kevin’s in that it would not succeed if it were a standalone virtual shopping mall accessible through a website. However, this execution between Second Life and Canada Post seems brilliant.

Second Life gamers are the exact audience that a virtual shopping mall caters to. They enjoy “living life” as an avatar in a digital world and having an online shopping mall available in that world just enhances the experience.

From the details I’ve heard, you will be able to stroll through this shopping mall just as if you were to do it in real life. Inspect products in 3D and be able to shop with your online friends as often as you want. When you purchase products, Canada Post will ship them to you. Regardless if you are a user of Second Life, feel free to express whether or not you’d embrace the idea of an online shopping mall in the comments below.