A NEW TOOL
FOR A NEW ERA

With face-to-face events on pause in early 2020, clients at leading agriculture and farm equipment manufacturer Case IH knew that a web-based virtual experience tool made sense in the near term. But they were also planning farther out. Case IH looked to experiential partner EEI Global to create a custom tool that would help them deepen their connection to their customers, an increasingly tech-savvy group. And with more and more technology products in their portfolio, Case IH understands that being ready for whatever comes next requires sophisticated tools.

Details make the difference

With lots of benchmarking under their belts at in-person farm shows, the EEI team fed that learning into creating a virtual experience platform entirely tuned to Case IH and its customers. Above all, it had to feel like customers had been invited to a Case IH farm show, not floating in a vague digital landscape. And because agricultural equipment is a highly considered purchase, the experience had to give customers access to a wealth of product information and expertise.

In the design, the team paid careful attention to the environmental details. Visitors are immersed into the heartland, with 360-degree views of the earth and sky. You can almost feel the sun on your face and the breeze at your back. The 360-degree aesthetic is carried into to how the products are presented. Starting in a welcome area that feels both handsome and friendly, visitors use their cursor to “look around” at solution sets organized by farming phases from field prep to harvesting.

The 3D modeling of the equipment looks realistic and modern. A virtual chat feature makes it easy for customers to reach subject matter experts at Case IH for answers. For customers who want to do self-directed research, the site aggregates a variety of Case IH content from literature to videos. To add energy and fun to an invitation event, the team incorporated lighthearted aspects used at in-person shows, like a barbecue grill giveaway contest. And to bring in the urgency and newsworthiness of a live show, there’s robust functionality for Case IH experts to conduct presentations and talks.

Designed as a rich communication portal that can be deployed in a variety of ways at any time, the Case IH Virtual Experience site functioned as a successful workaround for the loss of in-person shows during the height of the pandemic. The latest update was launched in August 2022. The Case IH team is very pleased with the continued results after each update. When benchmarked against similar sites, the VX tool logs significantly higher site visits. It continues to fill the gap for those not attending in-person shows, but more importantly, plays a key role in forging deeper connections with customers on an ongoing basis.