Page 165 - Kaleidoscope Academic Conference Proceedings 2020

IMMERSIVE INTERACTIVE TECHNOLOGY: A CASE STUDY OF A WINE FARM

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Ofentse Mabiletsa ; Isafiade Omowunmi¹; Sarel Viljoen¹; Jason Farrell¹; Lwando Ngqwemla¹
¹University of the Western Cape, South Africa

is time to rethink agricultural practices, branding, and
ABSTRACT
delivery.
Immersive technologies have paved a unique way of This paper presents the utilization of immersive technologies
performing agricultural activities as well as learning and as a marketing tool for showcasing wine farms. We put
interacting with 3D content, among others. Moreover, the forward a case study on using immersive technologies to
current situation from the COVID-19 pandemic has further promote a wine farm and its products to clients, wine sellers,
created the need to develop solutions that can help the and partners. Many farms have a basic website detailing
agriculture industry to stay relevant and ahead of potential what they offer, but more can be offered in the form of an
post-COVID-19 challenges. This paper presents an immersive experience to promote visibility and an exciting
immersive virtual reality application using a wine farm as a ride around the farm. The farm marketing mobile application
case study. The developed farm marketing application used aims to assist farms to showcase their farm environment and
participatory design and SCRUM methodology to showcase offerings to partners, financiers, and clients by providing an
a wine farm and the wine production process. The extensive and immersive virtual tour of the farm. The app
application provides a virtual walk-through of the vineyards also showcases the winemaker explaining the winemaking
(lookout point), the lodge, the community garden, the process for their top three wines and essentially giving a
conference facilities, as well as the cellar in 3D 360-degree virtual wine tasting experience.
rendering. Current basic 360-degree exploration
applications exist but none have incorporated 3D 360- This paper has the following objectives:
degree exploration as presented in the current research. The
immersive experience provides a more realistic experience
and feel of what is available on the farm. Results and ● To present immersive technologies as a successful
marketing tool to market a wine farm estate, its
feedback confirm that the farm marketing application shows
promise in promoting wine farm marketing and other farm products, and amenities to existing and prospective
offerings. clients, partners, and wine sellers.

Keywords – 4IR, COVID-19, farm marketing, immersive ● To report on the benefits of using immersive
technology technologies such as augmented reality and virtual
reality as a marketing tool for wine farms.
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Significance and economic benefits
The South African wine industry contributes more than 36
billion Rands to South Africa’s gross domestic product and The aim is to have an immersive application that farm
hires more than 290 000 staff yearly [1]. This is a significant management can use to promote their farm to partners abroad,
contribution to South Africa's economy, making the activity wine sellers, as well as clients that want to view the
or business of advertising and marketing their end products surrounding areas in an immersive environment. The
and services important. The wine industry has encountered application incorporates a virtual walk-through of the
challenges such as drought, evolving customer tastes [2], and vineyards (lookout point), the lodge, the community garden,
recently the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The present- the conference facilities as well as the cellar. Immersion will
day pandemic [3] has increased the need to establish novel give a more realistic experience and feel of what is available
ways of promoting wine farm offerings and services. With on the farm. Current basic 360-degree exploration
the aforementioned in mind, we have identified the following applications exist but none have incorporated 3D 360-degree
problem: New and many existing farmers in the agricultural exploration. The immersive application developed in this
sector do not know the potential benefits of using immersive research offers a unique selling point to wine farms. This is
technologies as a marketing tool. Moreover, as online because it can be used as a tool for virtual tours, virtual wine
purchases and related services are prevalent across different tasting, and marketing the wine farm without having to
sectors of the economy, particularly during the pandemic, it physically come into contact with other people.

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