Cafepress launch in-world search engine

Cafepress.com have upped the ante with their SL presence with the following announcement (directly quoting the press release):

Tretiak Media, LLC announced today that Cafepress.com will use its SLQuery platform as their search engine in the 3D virtual world of Second Life. By using the SLQ infoStation, a free public search and chat kiosk, residents of Second Life can browse from millions of products in the Cafepress.com inventory.

Search results are displayed in the virtual environment of Second Life by text and thumbnail images, so the initial viewing of products does not require the launching of an external web browser. Previous Second Life search systems lacked product pictures and only supplied limited text link results. This diminished the usefulness of a search within Second Life idea, and required outside web pages as support. The SLQ system keeps the user in Second Life and utilizes it as a true 3D internet.

This search feature is just the first step for the entry of Cafepress.com into Second Life. The next phase will be a virtual marketplace, that takes the Cafepress.com web storefront and brings it completely into the metaverse. Shopkeepers will be able to design and then sell their Real Life Cafepress.com products from Second Life, keeping the product creation process, purchases, and payment transactions entirely inside the virtual environment.

Until a Real Life teleportation system is developed, however, product fulfillment will continue to rely on traditional shipping methods. Second Life is already the perfect venue for the Cafepress.com community, which is very loyal and has many social events worldwide. As an extension of the Cafepress.com marketplace, it gives the several million active shopkeepers a new environment to network, learn, and promote their products.

Tretiak Media is also adapting its SLQ image viewing technology for use with its amazon.com search feature. The eventual goal will be to offer a prim-based internet search/browser platform. This system is just the start of future vBusiness initiatives to come.

The SLQ infoStation, SLQ infoHUD, and other infoProducts can be found on SL Exchange, SL Boutique , or in Second Life at: SLQ HQ