How the MARTECH3D Virtual Showroom Generates ROI

With 52% of UK manufacturers aiming for at least 20% growth in the next five years (Make UK), marketing teams are increasingly looking for sales and marketing tools that deliver growth. At the same time, with the profitability of UK manufacturers falling since 2016 and the current net rate of return just above pre-pandemic levels (ONS), they are also seeking out tools that offer new levels of return on investment (ROI).

MARTECH3D’s virtual showrooms play a crucial role in helping manufacturers achieve their goals through increased lead generation and conversions - providing a notable return on investment (ROI) in the process.

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MARTECH3D aims for an average of 10:1 ROI, compared to the B2B average of 1.1 - 1.5:1

For any B2B company, an overall ROI of 5:1 is the sweet spot, and yet the majority of marketers who successfully measure their ROI only report seeing 1.1 - 1.5:1 returns (AIbees). This means for every £1 spent, most B2B marketers are only getting £1.10 - £1.50 back, as opposed to the industry goal of £5 back for every £1 spent.

The MARTECH3D virtual showroom aims to achieve an average of 10:1 ROI. That’s £10 back for every £1 spent on the platform - double the industry gold standard. In fact, S.R. Smith generated a 12:1 ROI after just 3 months of using their 3D virtual showroom - allowing them to pay for their annual subscription after just one product sale.

One sale directly influenced by the virtual showroom is typically enough to pay the MARTECH3D platform subscription fee for one year for the majority of manufacturers, with some of our customers able to pay for the platform for five years after just one sale. But how is this ROI achieved?

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1. Increase conversions at every stage of the sales funnel

The substantial ROI generated by the MARTECH3D virtual showroom tool comes down to a number of factors; namely increased buyer engagement. We leverage the power of visual learning and use it to transform un-engaging sales presentations into memorable, engaging experiences.

At present, most of the manufacturing sales cycle relies on PDFs and sales decks that aren’t geared towards visual learning, despite the human brain being wired to process information and learn better this way. In fact, people remember 65% of what they see, compared to just 10% of what they hear (Pepper Content) after three days. Given the length of the B2B sales cycle (anywhere from three to nine months generally), it’s vital that prospects retain the information you relay at every stage, and that they stay engaged throughout.

EK Interactive achieved a 150% increase in conversions across their sales cycle as a direct result of using a virtual showroom and harnessing the power of virtual learning. Applying the same increase in conversions to an average B2B business would see the opportunity - close rate jump from 6% to 15% (Salesforce). Considering over half of manufacturers are looking to grow by more than 20%, a quarter by up to 20%, and one in five by up to 10% within the next five years (Make UK), an increase in conversions on this level would contribute massively to achieving these growth goals.

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2. Get more leads

In order for manufacturers to achieve their growth goals, they need to be generating more leads. Despite this, 45% of manufacturing marketers weren’t able to successfully generate leads using content marketing in the last 12 months (Content Marketing Institute).

The MARTECH3D virtual showroom is specifically designed to help manufacturing marketers and salespeople generate more leads without continuously producing more content and spending more money doing so. The dynamic nature of the platform means it can be used across marketing and sales channels, including at trade shows.

According to Factory, leads generated from events have a 55% conversion rate, with the average trade show ROI sitting between 25-34% (G2.com). This ROI is calculated against the average cost to attend trade shows, which generally take around 40% of an entire B2B marketing budget (Trade Show Labs). The majority of the costs associated with trade show attendance for manufacturers come from transporting bulky machinery and devices and having a space big enough to showcase them.

Using a MARTECH3D 3D virtual showroom, you can generate the same amount of interest and leads at a trade show, but reduce your equipment transport costs. This, in turn, increases your trade show ROI. With the money saved, you can attend more events using the same budget and get more leads, again, contributing to the growth targets.

MEON UK have Increased live event leads by 32% since using their 3D virtual showroom. In addition, their 3D virtual showroom was used across other marketing and sales channels, including on social media, significantly increasing post views, shares and resulting leads. Meanwhile, ChargePoint Technology managed to save an average of 50% on their trade show costs at the same time as increasing lead generation.

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3. Shorten the sales cycle

The average number of meetings it takes to close a B2B deal is 10 (People.ai), typically spread over 3-9 months, and involves up to 10 different decision makers. The number of meetings tends to increase with the value of the product being pitched, but a lot of the meetings early on will generally involve repeating the same information to different decision makers. This dents ROI due to the cost of selling. For example, a simple sales call is thought to cost around £389 (Cloudmark). The average meeting at a client’s office is around £200 (Trade Show Labs).

With numerous calls required to book a meeting at an office, and several calls and meetings required thereafter, the cost of closing a sale easily runs into the thousands. The higher the cost, the lower the ROI.

Using MARTECH3D’s virtual showrooms, you can engage buyers from the first point of contact and showcase the true scale and capabilities of your product instantaneously. 3D interactive product demos and guides (complete with spec sheets and product feature hotspots), are all housed on one online platform - allowing you to reduce the number of meetings with buyers by condensing information into a digestible, shareable format.

A virtual showroom allows you to capture the attention of your buyers and give them the resources they need to advocate for your product and get key decision makers on board early on - reducing the number of calls and in-person meetings required, therefore reducing the sales cycle cost and increasing ROI.  

EK Interactive managed to reduce the cost of their sales meetings by £500 each and reduce their sales cycle by 3 months (50%). In total they have saved £50,000 from reducing face-to-face meetings in 2 years, at the same time as achieving 50% year-on-year growth.  

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4. Soft ROI

Not all ROI is direct. There are several ways the MARTECH3D virtual showroom provides indirect ROI, including:

• Increased product education - Product education is key to conversion rates. In fact, buyers are 131% more likely to make a purchase if educational content is provided early on (Conductor). The MARTECH3D 3D virtual showroom provides plenty of opportunity to educate prospects through photorealistic digital twins, integrated product documents and specs, and interactive 3D animations.  

• Improved customer certainty - As a manufacturer, visualising your products, their scale, and their inner functionalities can be difficult from a sales and marketing perspective. This means customer certainty might be hindered. By creating 3D, scalable digital twins within a virtual showroom and integrating full product information specs and guides, buyers are more certain in what they’re buying. This reduces return rates and time spent post-sale answering queries or resolving misunderstandings - saving money and positively impacting ROI.

• Better brand positioning - With the majority of manufacturers looking at ambitious growth plans in an increasingly competitive market, brand differentiation and positioning is key. Implementing cutting-edge digital twin technology across your operations, including sales and marketing, shows prospects that you’re digitising and utilising the latest tech, making you appear more innovative and forward-thinking. This in itself can sway leads and ROI.

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Data Driven ROI

Generating ROI is one thing, but measuring it is another. Did you know that 75% of manufacturers measure content marketing results, but 55% of those aren’t sure whether they’re generating any ROI from their efforts? (Content Marketing Institute). In a sector that is keen to grow, measuring ROI is crucial.

The MARTECH3D virtual showroom platform comes with integrated analytics, so you can track hot jar metrics and see direct ROI. You can use this data to better inform your marketing and sales teams and bolster strategies that have proven results. You can also compare the ROI generated from the 3D virtual showroom to other sales and marketing channels, such as blog content, to see how it performs.

Summary

Investing in a MARTECH3D 3D virtual showroom is more than just adopting a new technology — it's a strategic decision to take your manufacturing business to new heights and develop into a model-based enterprise (MBE). By providing a 3D virtual showroom experience that immerses your prospects, you can drive substantially higher ROI and revenue.

Embrace the future of manufacturing marketing and reap the rewards of innovation, personalisation, and data-driven decision-making. Book a demo today.

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