CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Implemented in the year 2005, Google Maps is an easy to use, online navigation service that
includes both map along with premium images and good quality premium picturisation.
These maps contain a bunch of extra information like place name, address, navigation on the
streets, interior of shops ,tourist places information etc. Users can shift between the maps and
the images and videos which will outline the information required by the user.

Extra facilities which is available in Google Maps include 360 degree photography that is can
be one of the best visual tool for business to get more physical customers. This can be used to
build brand trust and attract customers right inside a business which will lead to the ranking
of a business listing on Google which can drastically change the demand of a business among
the customers.

Virtual tour and street view images are picturised through a diverse set of cars and other
transportation along with specialised cameras attached to it. After clicking of images through
these vehicles, they are transformed into a digital platform and they are connected together to
obtain the 360° premium quality tours that we see in it. These pictures are attached to the
Google Maps along with the details like the location name, and their appropriate address etc.
To protect the private information of the businesses images that are picturised on DSLR, they
are blurred or available only to some people to avoid manipulation of information. Businesses
or the people who post can make extra requests for blurred images that highlights the private
information of the user, or any of their family members which might cause them trouble in
the near future. This lets the user to share their information without breaking their privacy.
For example some company who want to showcase their products but they do not wish to
highlight the price, barcode etc can ask the respective makers to blur those information.

As we have seen Google Maps and Virtual Tour have not positioned themselves fully in
minds of the consumers, but they create a very interesting possibilities in the minds of the
researchers. Several scientific researchers have already implemented these features and the
apps in their research. For example, Geography experts for their area picturisation depend on
Google as they find it as an alternative to expensive commercial satellite image services.
There are a plenty of examples of studies which uses Google Maps for their research and it
has highly made their research much easier. The general people and even the marketers have
also identified the advantage and use of these online map and touring services and use them
daily. Whereas, detectives have still not identified the advantages of using Google Maps and
their feature like 360 degree Google virtual tour in their case findings. This can be highly
used in the crime fields and thus making it easier to look for criminals.

Virtual tours benefit all types of businesses that need to grow their company’s knowledge
within the company, build trust among their audience, improve their results online and
achieve their company goals offline as well. With a 360° tour, businesses can show their
interior and assortment and even portray the atmosphere of their space. A virtual tour
increases online bookings for hotels, restaurants, tourist places, historical places etc. Most
importantly, 360° tours work both for world-famous companies, mid-scale companies and
small businesses. For example BMW motorcycles don’t need any extra advertising, but a
virtual tour can motivate a customer to finally come and buy it.

Implementing a Google Street View tour can help a company in many ways like;

Improves visibility for the audiences: Certain researches show that more than 81% of the
people among the whole population like to make their purchases online. Google search
engine and the implementation of virtual tours by the businesses will simple help them to
rank among the first 5 in the search engine. There is no doubt that Google search engine faces
a lot of competitions within the businesses itself. A business with a virtual tour on its Google
search engine listing looks complete and approved by Google and thus increases the visibility
by a large number of audiences.

Increase commitment with the brand:- Digital presence of your businesses will not only
help the audience to view your brand but it will also guide them to your virtual tour and
official website where the audience will stay longer. And this helps the audience to build trust
with your brand and thus gaining more loyal customers.

Attract new target customers to the business:- Google virtual tours not only creates and
maintains the trust of your present customers but they help you target new set of customers
which might prove to be a benefit for your company. Businesses with high quality premium
photos of their products will encourage more people to visit you online It gives visitors an
overview of what they are likely to experience when they walk into your store. It lets people
who are interested in your business decide if what the business provides meets their needs
and wants. To be more precise it helps the people to be familiar with the space and identify if
it fits their demands and if it is beneficial for them to actually visit the store.

Build in a trust for your brand:- When the brand set up their businesses online on virtual
tour it helps the visitors to analyse the store type and what the store has in hand and if it
meets their needs and requirements. Visitors are more likely to believe what they see rather
than what they hear. It is often seen that people are reluctant to actually visit the store offline
because of the increasing amount of laziness within the generation and that is why most
business fail to showcase their business to the target audience. But with the help of virtual
tours people can visit the store without getting off their comfort zone thus increasing more
business.

Get a competitive advantage:- As we know there are still many companies who are not even
using digital marketing in their business and most companies are not even visible in the
search engine. So when the other businesses offering similar products having businesses
online and the use of virtual tour they will get a competitive advantage. They are more likely
to have more customer than those who do not have a presence online. That is why most of the
businesses are now looking for their businesses to get online. Businesses with virtual tour
hence have one hand ahead than their competitors.

This research suggest on how the implementation of online virtual tours have increased the
business and have introduced new opportunities and innovations for many researchers,
marketers and even the general public. It helps to develop the country into a technology based
city. This study is based on the usability and awareness of Google Maps and Street View and
how it is applicable for each respondent. Also this study focuses on how the Google virtual
tour have helped to increase the tourism within the country. Survey was conducted followed
by it to identify these details. This research will also contain a detailed case study based on
the 360 degree virtual tour and how it influences the respondents of that particular area.
CHAPTER 1.1

Google Virtual Tour

Google Virtual Tour is an innovative strategy implemented by Google where no. of trusted
people are connected. This is a feature available on Google maps and search engine of
Google which would give a premium quality images and a panaroma for the virtual
experience of the tour. Google Virtual Tour was implemented first in America thirteen years
back and later it was spread gradually to other parts of the world. Basically all the streets and
places across the world will be easily available in the maps.

This Google Street View or virtual tour will show the premium quality pictures in the form
pictures or panaroma which has been clicked by the professional photographers. This may
include all the beaches, mountains, streets, vendors, malls, monuments and many other places
which are captured using DSLR camera in cars, underwater vehicles and various other
transports.

Google is even allowing the businesses to enter into it and make their place in virtual tour by
making a tie up with Google. These companies are often known as Google trusted companies
which do not mean that they own Google rather it means that they have a tie up with the
Google. This helps the businesses to change the decision choices of their target customers by
showcasing their ambience, interiors, products etc.

What is Google Virtual Tour?

A Google Virtual Tour is the picturised version of an actual location which includes a variety
videos or pictures and a panaroma of the same. This Google Virtual tour provide various
arrows to guide the visitor and to make it interactive they use various tools like music, voice,
text etc to grab the attention of the visitors.

Virtual Tour is also used to describe and spread the reach of different photogenic and video
channels together also known as a panaroma to create an offline experience on a virtual
platform. The word panaroma means a wider view of the location and combination of both
pictures and videos creating it as a offline yet online view. Usually with the use of DSLR
these are shot and still pictured are captured in it to create panaroma.

A video tour refers to the full movement of the videos that the users can use to explore a
destination or a store. It is nothing but a feel of offline store with the use of DSLR camera for
recording the video of a location for a particular business that can be rotated or turned as per
the requirement of the visitor. It’s a 360 degree tour of the destination.

Virtual Tour based on Videos

Nowadays Virtual Tour on videos is growing gradually because of the acceptance of the
videos by larger number of audience. In these type of virtual tours video DSLRs are used to
make the videos which we as visitors see in it. The main highlight of this video based virtual
tour is the ability of the user to auto play it as per their requirement. But even within this we
can notice that some of the videos are of a very good quality whereas others quality is very
poor this is because many technical skills are required to capture videos with the help of
panaromas. This video will reduce the effort of the visitors to actually click on the arrows and
navigate themselves rather in this they just have to click and the videos will display you the
whole destination. Hence the video based virtual tour shows the content to all the visitors.
This is useful for the businesses who wish to display their store in a particular order or
destinationation which need to take the online visitors from the entrance to the exit for better
experience with a very less effort. But there are many disadvantages of it as well. Making of
this video needs specialised software and skills which leads to high cost. Also if the visitor
wishes to guide himself he cannot because it is pre- decided.

That is why this video based virtual tour are not widely used.

Application

Basically Google Virtual Tours are used by many hospitals to show their facilities and even
the universities. It is very beneficial for the real estate agents are using this they can showcase
the flats and apartments that are for sale and that the potential renters do not need to visit it.
Other than the real estate industries, many other industries are using it to increase their
business. Earlier back when it was introduced it failed to serve the quality that is required by
the visitors but now they have worked on it and have been working in it and now they have
successfully been able to display the quality panaroma just meeting the basic disadvantages
that they faced earlier.

ONLINE MARKETING TOOL

Most of the businesses come up with that one common question on how they can display
their business to their target customer without actually calling them to the stores. Initially
businesses used door to door selling for this but it was chaotic and time consuming and also
the businesses could not actually track and note down all their target audience. An alternative
that they got to this question is Google Virtual Tour. This is beneficial for small businesses as
well whose brand name is not well known to the people. When they tie up with Google they
become Google trusted company and they can create their brand name using that. And for the
well-known businesses they can cut cost on promotions by just investing on one single
platform i.e, Google Virtual Tour.

Researches were conducted to know the usage of Google Virtual tour and the past studies
have shown that the Google virtual tour is first used by American citizens and then gradually
it has reached every household around the world in a very limited time. But still it was seen
in the studies that most citizens in India are still not aware of it as per the studies conducted
five years ago.

Virtual Tour Marketing

Below mentioned are the few reasons on how the businesses can benefit from the 360 degree
virtual tours into their search engine:
 This will help to rank them on top in the search engine

 Increasing the walk through into the stores as people will get encouraged by their visit
online.

 Increases their click rate on their official websites

 It will help to spread awareness of the businesses and create a brand name.

 It will help the customers to make their queries to the business on an online platform
as well

 Helps to showcase the business ambiance to their existing customers and target
consumers.

 Gives a clear picture of the quality of the items that the businesses wish to show.

Here are few reasons that why a business should go for the adoption of virtual tours,
 To get noticed by the audiences very easily.

 Capture the attention of more no. of audiences through 360 walk into virtual tour
feature.

 To attain more trustworthy and to reach more customers to the business and to retain
consumers.

 Non-stop attention and to encourage their customers by letting them share their good
or bad reviews of business.

 It is inexpensive and so even the small business can easily choose this kind of
promotion.

 To spread the businesses and their awareness in search engine, official website etc
using a single photography.
 For accurate guidance of consumers by guiding rotes to their location through maps.

 Google is trusted in everyone’s viewpoint as it is known worldwide.

 Loyalty building with the customer and creating a bond with the consumers before
they actually walk into the stores.

 It even helps in SEO results.

 CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

In the last century, Smart cities of various countries have become very popular on a digital
platform and many researches have been done on it. Research has focused in particular on
how cities are being portrayed on digital devices and how the infrastructure reached out of
the people without a physical visit. Such digital data give rise to smart urban and rural cities
(Kitchin, 2014). In this era, 360 degree street view came into existence which gave various
answers to the researchers which the basis to visualize and manage the modern city
information and to display the infrastructure. 3D representations of the urban environment
and the possibility to interact with a massive amount of information contained within a city
have been studied (Prandi et al., 2014).

Researches regarding the use of picturised images and videos which are designed to navigate
both interior and exterior places has been done. The visitor visiting the virtual tours can enjoy
this panaroma experience.(Mazzoleni et al., 2006).

External virtual tour, panaroma, images interactions etc have used in many researches for
their researches in refrence to their 3D constructions study or digital marketing study.(Blaser
at al., 2018).

The expanded field of Cultural Heritage destination included various experimentations

focusing on the creation of Virtual Tours of their historical destination and the streets which
represented the culture using these 360 degree images where the digital reconstruction of
artefacts or architectural projects which could only be imagined without a visit have
transformed into a platform where a virtual tour would give the users a virtual experience.
These Virtual Tours aim to provide visualization of the artefact within real urban scenarios
and thus encouraging them for rural visits (Fangiet al., 2011).

The research done in the Smart cities focused on the effort of "experience-oriented tourism"
which includes activity, events, destination type etc. But on the other hand, it is difficult for
tourists to develop an exact destination picture in their minds without actual visit experiences.
But with the enhancement of 360 degree Google virtual tour, tourists have been able to access
various locations on a digital platform. This has increased the number of tourism in the
country (D. R. Fesenmaier et al, 2008).

The study was conducted with the neighbourhood environment to study the physical disorder
influence and spread of the disease for which they decided to use Google street view to
spectate the places like hospital, pharmacy, traffic and parking, infrastructure where active
people were present using Google maps. This was conducted in the year 2008 and the sample
was conducted from the 34 blocks near the neighbouring environments of New York city.
The result was that the exploratory study using Google street view was very helping for them
to find their desired result and Google street view is best to conduct the audit neighbourhood
environment (Ageymang C & Huijdong Cv, 2007- 2008).

Several researches also focused on the negatives of using Street View in the world and it was
found that it cannot identify small streets or destinations, such as the presence of cigarette
vendors on the streets or the road structure and well-being in different parts of the urban
areas, cannot be calculated, and more amount of experiments relating to the social
environment, such as the normal level of social disorder spread across the area, cannot
actually be tested (Kelly et al. 2013).

The study presents the 360 degree tour of the Paolo Orci Syracuse Archaeological Museum
which is present on Google’s indoor street view. It outlines the improved quality Google’s
technique for indoor tours also with the prevention of collimation and blurring the images of
the destination (Bonacini et al. 2012).

The Internet can play a role in marketing field where virtual tour can be of great use to virtue
all areas of marketing including marketing research, market segmentation, targeting and
positioning, usage of marketing mix, marketing organization and control. The study
highlights the main mediums used for tourism marketing through a digital platform (Beatrice
Sion & Cezar Mihalcescu, 2014).

The Internet has a huge effect on tourism for both who make business through tourism and
those who make use to tourism to enjoy their time. This article analyses and differentiates
various researches that have been done regarding tourism over the past 10 years and what is
its impact on the people. Research projects have subsequently increased in number in the past
five years 5 years of the 10 years of research analysis. The research types includes areas like
info search, website analysis, and Internet marketing being the three most common research
topics used by many researchers. Even if Internet related gaps in tourism are the most
common research topics this study looks for more case studies based on researches from the
electronic business and firm perception so that other firms can actually analyse their mis-falls
done in the research and fill those gaps to effectively use internet for tourism (Standing, Jean
& Michel Boyer, 2007).

The researchers investigates on (1) the unique relationships between the technology and
consumers in today’s scenario, (2) the connectivity of it with the consumers, and (3) the
consumers perception of shopping in virtual environments through their experience in the
most common study of brick and mortar shopping. The research group does this investigation
by focusing on the shopping experience of the consumers (Hiu-fai Lau et al., 2003).

Several researches were conducted in order to compare judgement of virtual Service-scape

quality and physical service encounters among buyers and renters or agents of estate dealers
in urban areas. It test the knowledge regarding virtual Services- capes in professional services
and how these are important for different profession (Sven Tuzovic, 2012).

The researcher discussed on the method of developing a 360 degree virtual tour of geographic
locations like a restaurants and cafes, university, auditorium etc. which would be useful for
the urban visitors to analyse the Smart city near them. This method gives the visitor an
interactive virtual tour of a particular area in 360 degree and 180 degree and sometimes the
mixture of both produced through a system controller. This helps to creates very interactive
virtual tour for the user that helps the user navigate by the 3D or 2D map (M. Medalia 2013).

Internet based VT method is a user related method consisting of picture navigation and
orientation ability and is an informational enterprise providing visibility on a browser
window (MAO Cowtan, 2010).
 CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

1) To identify the awareness level among the people of 360 degree Google virtual tour
application.

2) To study the consumer judgement towards Google virtual tours.

3) To analyse the role of Google virtual tours in marketing of various firms.

4) To evaluate the effectiveness of Google VT in comparison to other promotional tools

commonly used by the firms.

3.2. RESEARCH DESIGN

The study is in the form of descriptive research. Descriptive research is the type of research
used to describe the behaviour of a sample or population. It does not give the answer for how,
when or why the behaviour is happening. Rather it answers what the behaviour is.

3.3. DATA COLLECTION

This study uses primary data as well as secondary data. Primary data is the collection of the
raw data by the researcher himself using tools like survey, interview etc.

INSTRUMENT:- 1) Questionnaire (open ended and close ended)

The secondary data is the collection of the data that has already been collected and analysed
via various sources like books, internet etc.

INSTRUMENT:-1) Internet

2) Research papers

3) Books
3.4. SAMPLING TECHNIQUE

Sampling is the process in which the whole data is collected by a group of individuals.
Judgmental Sampling is the sampling used in this research. This is sample technique which
is also known as purposeful sampling. Here the respondents are selected based on the
judgment of the researcher i.e, the researcher uses his own requirement and sets a target
audience from the whole population who would help the researcher in their respective
research. The sample size can be selected by the research type. The sampling size of this
research is 100.
 CHAPTER 4
DATA ANALYSIS

GENDER AGE
Frequen Percen Valid Cumulative Frequen Valid Cumulative
cy t Percent Percent cy Percent Percent Percent
Valid Male 42 41.6 42.0 42.0 Valid 20 77 76.2 77.0 77.0
Femal 58 57.4 58.0 100.0 21 19 18.8 19.0 96.0
e
22 4 4.0 4.0 100.0
Total 100 99.0 100.0
Total 100 99.0 100.0
Missin Syste 1 1.0
Missin Syste 1 1.0
g m
g m
Total 101 100.0
Total 101 100.0
1)

Do you have a keen interest in exploring new places?

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Valid Yes 48 47.5 48.0 48.0
No 12 11.9 12.0 60.0
Sometimes 40 39.6 40.0 100.0
Total 100 99.0 100.0
Missing System 1 1.0
Total 101 100.0

According to this survey, 48 respondents like exploring new places, 40 like exploring new
places sometimes and 12 respondents do not like exploring new places at all.
2)
How often do you like to explore new places?

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Valid Once in a month 25 24.8 25.0 25.0
Once in a year 33 32.7 33.0 58.0
Twice a year 34 33.7 34.0 92.0
Not at all 8 7.9 8.0 100.0
Total 100 99.0 100.0
Missing System 1 1.0
Total 101 100.0

According to this survey, 25 respondents like exploring new tourist places atleast once in a
month, 33 respondents like exploring new tourist places atleast once a year, 34 respondents
like to go on a vacation atleast twice a year and 8 respondents do not like exploring new
places at all.
3)
Which one of the following would you are likely prefer to visit?
Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Mountains 36 35.6 36.0 36.0
Beaches 25 24.8 25.0 61.0
Historical places 23 22.8 23.0 84.0
Others 16 15.8 16.0 100.0
Total 100 99.0 100.0
Missing System 1 1.0
Total 101 100.0

According to this survey, 36 respondents like to visit hilly areas like mountains, 25
respondents like to visit beach side areas, 23 respondents like to visit historical places and 16
respondents like to visit other places like adventurous spots, or renowned world known
buildings etc.
4)
What is generally the causal factor that motivates you to opt for a particular destination?
Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Friends and relative 14 13.9 14.0 14.0
recommendations
World reowned must see 18 17.8 18.0 32.0
destination
Information on web 26 25.7 26.0 58.0
Cheap deal and special offer 11 10.9 11.0 69.0
Travel agency recommendations 13 12.9 13.0 82.0
Appealing advertising on TV or 18 17.8 18.0 100.0
social media
Total 100 99.0 100.0
Missing System 1 1.0
Total 101 100.0

According to this survey, 14 respondents make most of their destination decisions based on
their friends and family recommendations, 18 respondents make their decisions make their
decisions based on their desire to explore world renowned destinations, 26 respondents make
their destination based on their search and information available on the web, 11 respondents
make their decisions based on the cheap deals and special offer available for different tourist
places, 13 respondents make their decisions based on the different travel agency
recommendations and 18 respondents make their decisions based on the advertisement
available on TV and social media.

5)
Do you browse on internet even after making a decision regarding the
destination you have chosen?

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Valid Yes 67 66.3 67.0 67.0
No 12 11.9 12.0 79.0
2 21 20.8 21.0 100.0
Total 100 99.0 100.0
Missing System 1 1.0
Total 101 100.0

According to this survey, 67 respondents do browse on internet even after making their
decisions regarding the destinations that they have chosen, 21 respondents sometimes browse
on internet and 12 respondents do not browse on internet at all.

6)
 Which is the most commonly used platform you tend to utilize for your search?

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Valid Web search 43 42.6 43.0 43.0
Social media 11 10.9 11.0 54.0
Google maps 39 38.6 39.0 93.0
Others 7 6.9 7.0 100.0
Total 100 99.0 100.0
Missing System 1 1.0
Total 101 100.0

According to this survey, 43 respondents use web search to make their search, 11 respondents
use social media, 39 respondents use Google maps and 7 respondents use other sources like
official travel agency websites etc.

7)
 How often do you use Google Maps?

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Valid Always 30 29.7 30.0 30.0
Often 27 26.7 27.0 57.0
Sometimes 22 21.8 22.0 79.0
Rarely 15 14.9 15.0 94.0
Never 6 5.9 6.0 100.0
Total 100 99.0 100.0
Missing System 1 1.0
Total 101 100.0

According to this survey, 30 respondents use Google Maps always, 27 respondents use
Google Maps most of the time, 22 respondents use Google Maps sometimes, 15 use Google
Maps rarely, and 6 respondents never use Google Maps.

8)
 Do you think Google Maps provide accurate navigation services?

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Valid Yes 63 62.4 63.0 63.0
No 8 7.9 8.0 71.0
Maybe 29 28.7 29.0 100.0
Total 100 99.0 100.0
Missing System 1 1.0
Total 101 100.0

According to this survey, 63 respondents say that Google maps help them to accurately track
their location, 29 respondents are not sure if it help them to accurately track their location, 8
respondents say that Google Maps does not help them to accurately track their location.

9)
 Are you aware of the Google 360 degree virtual tour feature available in Google Maps?

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Valid Yes 43 42.6 43.0 43.0
No 22 21.8 22.0 65.0
Maybe 35 34.7 35.0 100.0
Total 100 99.0 100.0
Missing System 1 1.0
Total 101 100.0

According to this survey, 43 respondents are aware of the Google 360 degree virtual tour
feature available on Google Maps, 35 respondents are not sure if they are aware about it and
22 respondents are not aware of the Google 360 degree virtual tour.

The virtual tour was interactive and easy to use

10) 1) Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Valid Agree 79 78.2 79.0 79.0
Disagree 21 20.8 21.0 100.0
 Total 100 99.0 100.0
Missing System 1 1.0
Total 101 100.0

According to this survey, 79 respondents agree to the statement that virtual tour was
interactive and easy to use, and 21 respondents disagree to the statement that virtual tour was
interactive and easy to use.

2)

The use of audio and video greatly enhanced the user experience
 Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Agree 81 80.2 81.0 81.0

Disagree 19 18.8 19.0 100.0

Total 100 99.0 100.0
Missing System 1 1.0

Total 101 100.0

According to this survey, 81 respondents agree to the statement that the use of audio and
video greatly enhanced the user experience and 19 respondents disagree to this statement.

3)

The use of navigations icons greatly increase your ease of usability

 Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Agree 79 78.2 79.0 79.0

Disagree 21 20.8 21.0 100.0

Total 100 99.0 100.0
Missing System 1 1.0

Total 101 100.0

According to this survey, 79 respondents agree to the statement that the use of navigations
icons greatly increase your ease of usability and 21 respondents disagree to this statement.

4)
The virtual tour provided enough information for decision making
 Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Agree 86 85.1 86.0 86.0

Disagree 14 13.9 14.0 100.0

Total 100 99.0 100.0
Missing System 1 1.0

Total 101 100.0

According to this survey, 86 respondents agree to the statements that the virtual tour provided
enough information for decision making and 14 respondents disagree to this statement.

5)
The auto tour feature did not reduce the interactivity of the tour.
 Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Agree 81 80.2 81.0 81.0

Disagree 19 18.8 19.0 100.0

Total 100 99.0 100.0
Missing System 1 1.0

Total 101 100.0

According to this survey, 81 respondents agree to the statement that the auto tour feature did
not reduce the interactivity of the tour and 19 respondents disagree to this statement.

6)
The virtual tour made me like the destination more.
 Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Agree 78 77.2 78.0 78.0

Disagree 22 21.8 22.0 100.0

Total 100 99.0 100.0
Missing System 1 1.0

Total 101 100.0

According to this survey, 78 respondents agree to the statement that the virtual tour made
them like the destination more and 22 respondents disagree to this statement.

7)
I find virtual tours way better than photos and videos
 Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Agree 83 82.2 83.0 83.0

Disagree 17 16.8 17.0 100.0

Total 100 99.0 100.0
Missing System 1 1.0

Total 101 100.0

According to this survey, 83 respondents agree to the statement that they find virtual tours
way better than photos and videos and 17 respondents disagree to this statement.

11)
 Do you think Google 360 degree virtual tour give the exact picture of the places that you
have visited

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Valid Yes 56 55.4 56.0 56.0
No 13 12.9 13.0 69.0
Maybe 31 30.7 31.0 100.0
Total 100 99.0 100.0
Missing System 1 1.0
Total 101 100.0

According to this statement, 56 respondents have an opinion that Google 360 degree virtual
tour give that exact picture of the places that they have visited, 31 respondents are not sure if
this feature gives them the exact picture of the places that they have visited and 13
respondents have an opinion that it doesn’t give the exact picture of the places.

12)
 How will you rate the service provided by Google virtual tour?

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Valid Excellent 32 31.7 32.0 32.0
Very Good 34 33.7 34.0 66.0
Good 22 21.8 22.0 88.0
Fair 9 8.9 9.0 97.0
Poor 3 3.0 3.0 100.0
Total 100 99.0 100.0
Missing System 1 1.0
Total 101 100.0

According to this survey, 32 respondents rate Google virtual tour as excellent services, 34
respondents rate them as very good services, 22 respondents rate them as good services, 9
respondents rate them as fair services and 3 respondents rate them as poor services.
13)
Will you recommend the Google virtual tour to others?

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Valid Yes 47 46.5 47.0 47.0
No 24 23.8 24.0 71.0
Maybe 29 28.7 29.0 100.0
Total 100 99.0 100.0
Missing System 1 1.0
Total 101 100.0

According to this survey, 47 respondents say that they will recommend the Google virtual
tour to others and 29 respondents are not sure if they will recommend it to others and 24
respondents say that they will not recommend it to others.
CHAPTER 4.2
Google Virtual Tour Example

As we all know that the world is now moving to a technology based environment, people are
in search of businesses that provide services which will be easily reachable from their
phones. One such company is Google, the leading company behind the most used search
engine in the world. Google not only serves the general consumers but also business men
who choose to use Google to take their businesses to the next level.

Google is making around 121 million dollar per day only by advertising. More than billion
searches are performed on Google every day. Google has attracted not just the entrepreneurs,
but also the consumer population from all over the world.

Google Maps is the most used smartphone app in the world according to the Google 2019
reports. More than 60% of global smartphone users use Google's navigation app. This shows
Google's significant dominant role in the mobile marketplace.

Google has become such a giant digital media platform that it doesn’t need to implement any
average strategy, and that is why they are being innovative and developing new strategies,
like virtual tours and virtual reality. This shows the credibility of Google. They not only got
to the top, but they are also providing services thus increasing the employment rate in the
country.

Google Street View Trusted is a virtual tour services provided by Google. The virtual tour
appears on Google search and maps, and customers can easily explore your business with
quality in a 360 degrees environment.

Customers will be able to truly experience your business - just like they are being present
there. This is the virtual 3D experience provided by Google and one of the reason why
Google maps are preferred by everyone around the world. This immersive experience is
being adopted by every business for example a car dealership, where the customers can
explore the business establishment, jump into the car, visit the technicians area, etc, all from
their phones or laptops.
To conclude, Google is always looking for innovative ways to do things that can help
creating new products and services. It is highly based on the purpose of helping businesses
grow and expand. Now with virtual tours, businesses can easily bring customers inside the
company without bringing the people out of their comfort zones. The companies using digital
marketing strategies like virtual tours have a lot better revenue growth chances than their
competitors. That is where the company have a competitive advantage.

We can trust Google services because they provide unique and special services. A virtual tour
may sound very expensive but Google offers it at a very low price, simple and easy to use
service.

In the end, this is an innovative marketing tool, and an affordable strategy for local to high
end business that they can easily implement. Digital marketing have always put up its
innovative proven strategies and that has not only attracted but it has increased the traffic that
can actually be converted to the companies valuable customers.
CHAPTER 4.3

Virtual Tour Marketing

Virtual tour marketing is using picture and videos to catch and grab the interest of potential
customers for tourism, event, product or a service.

Most of the consumers today are highly educated and purchasing more and more online as
they are well aware of the advantages of the online shopping. If a company want their
product to be sold, it is essential to find techniques to give the right amount of information to
consumers that they require. Thus, tours of these products would help the companies to win
over their customers and provide them trustworthy information.
For a while ago, pictures online was enough to find out the different product features from
their competitors. Now, there is more competition in attaining customer focus. Marketing of
common commodities like bicycles, electronics, medical devices, etc can be much easier by
the businesses providing virtual tour of these products.
Also, products like these often require that consumers to get educated of the benefits of it and
become familiar with these methods. Virtual tour marketing is also a method which is used to
educate the present customers and customer retention where virtual tour marketing can be
proved to be a huge role in customer involvement. That is the reason that Google virtual tours
are not just smarter marketing tool but also an effective marketing tool.
 CHAPTER 5
FINDINGS

From the experience of my research project, I have got to know a lot of things and it has
enhanced my knowledge to a great extent. Here are some of the key findings given by me
purely based on my research.

Objective 1

The first objective was to identify the awareness level among the people of 360 degree
Google virtual tour application.

 According to this survey, it was observed that majority of the people like exploring
new places and have always taken a keen interest in exploring new places.
 The data collection based on the survey shows that majority of the people like to
explore new places atleast twice a year. This clearly shows that the growth in tourism
is because of the increasing interest in the youth to explore different parts of the
world.
 It was also observed in the survey that the causal factor of majority of the people that
motivates them to opt for a particular destination is the information available on the
web. This shows that in todays scenario, people are more inclined to digital platforms
and that is the major reason for the implementation and the growth of digital
marketing.
 It was also observed that majority of the people browse on internet even after making
their decision regarding the destination that thy have chosen. This shows the high
dependency of people on internet and it highly influences their decision making
ability. Hence further study was based on their various activities that they do on
internet.
 People were surveyed regarding the most preferred platform for their destination
choices on internet. The data analysis shows that the most preferred platform being
used is the Web Search followed by the Google Maps, Social Media and Others. And
the most common web search type that people have chosen is Google because of the
wide variety of information available in it regarding the place. The Google search
often guides these participants to the Google Maps were people can find navigation
services and other facilities. This also helps the people to go through the review that
 already visited people have posted. Also the features like 360 Google virtual tours are
highly appreciated and used by the people as per the analysis.
 To find out the dependency of people on Google Maps on a daily basis survey was
conducted. It was found out that majority of the people are highly dependent on
Google Maps and use it on a daily basis for the different places that they visit.
 Majority of the people also suggest that Google Maps provide accurate navigation
services and is the best source to guide them to their desired destination.
 According to the analysis, majority of the people are aware of the Google 360 degree
virtual tour feature available on Google Maps and are regular users of it. But it was
also seen that 22% of the respondents are not aware of it and 35% of the people are
not actually sure if they know such a feature. This shows that wheareas half of the
youngsters are aware of it whereas other half is either not sure or are not aware about
it. That is why Google 360 degree is still a growing digital media technique used by
many companies now and have a very high scope of growth in the near future.

Objective 2

The second objective was to study the customer judgement towards Google virtual tours.

 According to the data analysis, majority of the respondents are regular users of
Google virtual tour and are well satisfied with the feature provided.
 A likert scale test has been conducted in the survey to find out the customer
judgement towards Google Virtual tour.
 According to the data collected it was seen that majority of the people agree to the
statement that the virtual was interactive and easy assesibility. According to the
respondents, the ease of using it is major reason for their usage.
 According to the data collected majority of the people also agree to the statement that
the use of audio and video greatly enhanced the user experience. The people share
their opinion that it gives them a virtual tour experience even before visiting the place.
 Majority of the people also have an opinion that Google virtual tours are much better
than photos and videos. This shows that the regular users of Google virtual are quite
satisfied with this feature and they would also recommend it to others.

Objective 3
The third objective was to analyse the role of Google virtual tours in marketing of various
firms.

 The chapter 4.2 clearly highlights the importance of Google virtual tour and how it is
majorly impacting the marketing of the business. The analysis shows that companies
using Google virtual tours have successfully gained more market share in comparison
to the companies still using the old marketing techniques. Also it makes it easier for
the business to target the existing customer and gain new set of customers.
 Thus Google virtual tours play a major role in digital marketing of many companies.
It helps the business to target customers worldwide and it is highly accepted by many
set of audiences as we have seen in survey analysis.

Objective 4

The fourth objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of Google virtual tours in comparison
to other promotional tools commonly used by the firms.

 The chapter 4.3 highlights the various reasons on how Google virtual tour is better
than other marketing tools and how customer attention is a major area of concern in
marketing today. Also it explains that Google virtual tours gain more trust over the
customers than other promotional tools used by the businesses. Thus Google virtual
tour proves to be one of the best marketing tools and have a huge scope of rapid
growth in the near future.

CHAPTER 6
 SUGGESTIONS

From the analysis, findings and the feedback from the respondents, these are some of the key
suggestions that as a researcher I would like to give,

Reduction of virtual tours size :- The application should be enhanced in such a way that the
size of the virtual tours can be reduced. This will improve the usage speed and enhance user
experience. Smaller virtual tours will reduce the cost of viewers of the virtual tour. But this
should be done without compromising with the quality of the virtual tours.

Development of similar application for better understanding and more tutorials for more
usage

Virtual tours can add videos to it to make it more interesting learning applications.

Crime scene investigations :- Virtual tours can be used for crime scene investigations this
serving social causes and a tool to fight against the crime.

Tourism offers and discounts:- Tourist places virtual tour should also directly guide them to
the offers and discounts for the vacations thus increasing tourism within the country.

CHAPTER 7

CONCLUSIONS
This research was done to study the impact of Google Maps and Google Virtual Tour on
customer choices. Mainly this research is based on the main concept of Google Virtual Tour
and how it is helping in increasing tourism within the country. Also this study revolves
around how it helps in marketing for the businesses.

This study results show that Google Virtual Tour is a very effective promotional tool and it
plays a very important role in the whole e- marketing of the businesses. As we all know the
growing technology in the world we are living in we also should be aware of the growth of
Google to the next level and the use of various features that they introduced like Google
virtual tours.

This study helps me improve my knowledge and have educated me more regarding the virtual
tours and how it is one of the major merging tool of marketing in todays scenario and in the
near future.

ANNEXURE
Name:- _____________________________

Occupation:- _________________________

Age:-_______________________________

Gender:- Male Female

1) Do you have a keen interest in exploring new tourist places?

Yes No Sometimes

2) How often do you like to explore new places?

Once in a month One in a year Twice a year Not at all

3) Which one of the following would you more likely prefer to visit?

Mountains Beaches Historical places Others (Please mention)

____________________________________________________________

4) What is generally the causal factor that motivates you to opt for a particular destination?

Friends or relative recommendations

World renowned must see destination

Information on web

Cheap deal and special offer

Travel agency recommendation

Appealing advertising on TV or social media

5) Do you browse the internet even after making a decision regarding the destination you
have chosen?

Yes No Sometimes

6) Which is the most commonly used platform you tend to utilize for your search?

Web search Social media Google maps Others

7) How often do you use Google Maps?

Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never

8) Do you think Google Maps provide accurate navigation services?

Yes No Maybe
9) Are you aware of the Google 360 degree virtual tour feature available in Google maps?

Yes No Maybe

10) How is Google 360 degree virtual tour helpful?

Agree Disagree
The virtual tour was interactive and easy to
use.
The use of audio and video greatly enhanced
the user experience.
The use of navigations icons greatly increase
your ease of usability.
The virtual tour provided enough information
for decision making
The auto tour feature did not reduce the
interactivity of the tour
The virtual tour made me like the destination
more.
I find virtual tours way better than photos and
videos.

11) Do you think Google 360 degree virtual tour give the exact picture of the places that you
have visited?

Yes No Maybe

12) How will you rate the service provided by Google virtual tour?

Excellent Very good Good Fair Poor

13) Will you recommend the Google virtual tour to others?

Yes No Maybe

14) Provide suggestions (if any) on how the existing features of the Google virtual tour can be
enhanced.
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