Virtual Mall With Real Stores

Imagine a virtual mall that you can peruse from the comfort of your desk. An Aussie company has invented PopWeb City to do just that. (BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE VIDEO!)

It's a real game where your character gets to walk around a mall with real stores and brands. You can window shop and wander into any store you like. From there you can bargain hunt for the best prices as you continue to peruse other stores.

Unlike games like The Sims, you actually get the items you purchase while out and about. No sense letting your avatar have all the fun!

The site targets small to mid-sizes businesses that need an innovative way to compete with the top dogs of the industry.

“Customers love to peruse items at their leisure and the more items and stores to look at the better. That's why they love malls,” the site says. “POPWEB CITY has plenty of initiatives such as money, free trips, vouchers, etc. to ensure shoppers return to the virtual city each day.”

So how do I set up shop? Simply send in an image of your real life business and the site will recreate a virtual version of it and plunk it into the mall. For those whose businesses are purely online, PopWeb Citz will customize one to suit your company's needs.

Better act now while there's still shop space for lease â€" everyone knows once a mall becomes the cool place to hang out, real estate is tough to come by.