In the dynamic world of commercial real estate, making a property stand out to potential buyers or lessees is paramount. 

‍Commercial staging is a tried-and-tested method for capturing the potential buyers’ interest but it also often comes with a hefty price tag. The price primarily stems from the need to furnish large areas, as commercial spaces typically boast substantial square footage. 

‍However, there's a transformative solution on the rise: commercial virtual staging. By leveraging digital technology, commercial virtual staging not only makes economic sense but also opens up a realm of creative possibilities, allowing stakeholders to visualize the full potential of a property in a way that traditional staging simply can't match.

Here's an overview of the topics we'll cover today:

• What Is Commercial Virtual Staging?
• How Much Does Virtual Staging for Commercial Real Estate Cost?
• 5 Benefits of Commercial Virtual Staging
• When to Use Virtual Staging for Commercial Real Estate

Commercial virtual staging is the process of using digital tools and software to create realistic, furnished interior designs of commercial properties in photographs, allowing potential buyers or tenants to visualize the space's potential without the need for physical furnishings or decor.

Unlike residential properties, which might be presented with some degree of furnishing to spark interest, commercial spaces are typically marketed empty. This starkness can often leave much to the imagination, making it challenging for prospective stakeholders to gauge the true potential or envision the operational capacity of the space. 

Commercial virtual staging fills this gap by offering a vivid, immersive preview of a furnished commercial environment, thus enhancing its appeal and facilitating a quicker decision-making process for buyers and lessees alike.

The base service of virtual staging can be expanded through multiple add-ons, or through services that, while more complex, still rely on virtual staging as their foundation.

Add-on services include:

• Item Removal — This service lets you digitally clear out bulky furniture or any leftover items from previous tenants, making it possible to showcase the property either unfurnished or with virtual staging.
• Image Enhancement — You can elevate the quality of your photos by adjusting their contrast and brightness, correcting any tilt to ensure they're perfectly straight, and boosting color vibrancy, such as making the grass greener or the sky bluer.
• Twilight Sky Backdrop — This service transforms outdoor photographs by adjusting the backdrop to resemble the enchanting glow of twilight, making the images stand out with a romantic and visually appealing atmosphere.
• Wall Change — This option lets you give walls a new lease on life in pictures, changing their color or texture digitally to refresh the scene.
• Floor Change — With this feature, you can switch up the floor's color or texture in photos, easily giving any space a different feel.

Commercial virtual staging, but better:

• 360° Commercial Virtual Staging — This takes the concept of regular virtual staging — where digital furniture and decorations are added to pictures — a step further. Instead of staging static photos, the furnishings are added to panoramic 360° photos, allowing for a more dynamic and all-encompassing view of the commercial space.
• Commercial Virtual Renovation — You can digitally finish under-construction commercial properties or refurbish already existing properties  to highlight the space's potential to future buyers or lessees.
• Commercial 3D Floor Plan Renders —  An excellent method for presenting off-plan commercial projects, where the entire property is constructed in 3D, including finishings and furnishings, to provide a comprehensive visual representation.

‍Commercial virtual staging can also be integrated with 3D virtual tour technology for a more immersive and interactive experience, allowing potential buyers or tenants to explore and engage with the space in a dynamic, lifelike manner.

The pricing for commercial virtual staging varies depending on the company you choose to work with. It's typically calculated per image and can range from $24 to more than $200. For instance, at VirtualStaging.com, we provide this service at a cost-effective flat rate of $24 per image. It's interesting to note that despite commercial properties often being larger than residential ones, the price for virtual staging is the same for both types of properties.

Additional minor modifications, such as changes to walls or floors, will cost slightly more, around $4.80 per change.

If you're interested in more substantial changes—like visualizing a renovation or the completion of an unfinished project—you need to look into virtual renovation services. For commercial interiors, these services are usually priced at around $90 per image and offer a detailed preview of the potential renovation outcomes.

Commercial virtual staging isn't just a technological marvel; it's a strategic tool that can significantly enhance how commercial properties are marketed and perceived. Here are five key benefits that highlight its importance:

1. Targeting the Right Audience

One of the standout advantages of commercial virtual staging is its ability to tailor the presentation of a property to appeal to specific target audiences. By customizing the design and decor digitally, it’s possible to align the property's appearance with the preferences and needs of the ideal buyer or tenant, whether they're looking for office space, retail outlets, or any other commercial use.

This tailored approach is particularly effective in today's diverse market, where buyers and tenants come with varied business objectives and design sensibilities. By leveraging commercial virtual staging, sellers and landlords can create multiple appealing versions of the same space, each designed to attract different business types. For instance, a single commercial loft could be virtually staged as an open-concept tech startup office in one scenario and transformed into a cozy, boutique yoga studio in another. This ability to demonstrate a property's potential across various industries not only broadens the appeal of the space but also significantly increases the chances of finding the right match.

Moreover, targeting the right audience through commercial virtual staging goes a long way in streamlining the marketing and sales process. It enables real estate professionals to market properties more effectively, reaching out to potential clients with visuals that speak directly to their needs. In an era where visual content dominates marketing strategies, being able to show a highly customized and targeted vision of a property can make a substantial difference in how quickly and effectively a commercial space is leased or sold.

2. Shows Versatility

One of the most significant advantages of virtual staging is the ability to demonstrate the inherent versatility of commercial spaces. When marketing a commercial property, it is important to cast a wide net to appeal to as many potential buyers or tenants as possible. Whether the target audience comprises restaurateurs, office managers, or retail store owners, each will have unique requirements and will need to envision themselves in the space.

Virtual staging facilitates this by allowing marketers to create multiple configurations and setups of the same space. This means that the same space can be digitally transformed and tailored to represent a variety of businesses. For instance, a space could be virtually staged as a chic cafe with intimate table arrangements, warm lighting, and a cozy outdoor seating area for one audience.

Furthermore, that same space could undergo commercial office staging to exemplify a modern office layout equipped with meeting rooms, workstations, and a reception area, all while upholding the latest trends in office design. The same space could also transform into a boutique retail store, highlighting product display areas, changing rooms, and the cashier's desk.

‍These virtual transformations are a powerful way to demonstrate how the space can be adapted to fit different industries and different needs. Visual representations often make a stronger impact than verbal descriptions, and by offering potential buyers or tenants the ability to virtually walk through the property in different setups, they can better visualize their business in the space.

3. Lowers the Overall Cost

Virtual staging provides a significant cost advantage over traditional staging methods, drawing a substantial portion of its value from its economical nature. Traditional staging involves various expenses, from furniture rental to transport, setup, and removal costs. Not only are these costs high, but they can also be potentially wasteful, as physical staging often depends on generic setups that may not appeal to every potential client.

On the other hand, with commercial virtual staging, you can craft targeted, high-quality visual representations without having to make significant physical changes or investments in actual furnishings and decor. This translates into lower costs and faster completion times, making it an efficient and economical choice for property owners and agents.

The economic advantage that virtual staging offers becomes even more significant when compared to retrofitting or renovating commercial spaces. Preemptive physical renovations can be risky and expensive, and it is often challenging to accurately predict what will appeal to a diverse range of potential tenants. Additionally, any renovations undertaken may not fit the requirements of eventual tenants, leading to wasted efforts and further remodeling costs.

With virtual staging, you can present multiple possible setups, allowing potential tenants to view the space in a way that aligns with their business needs. Not only is this more economical, but it also provides the leeway to make changes based on tenant feedback, effectively reducing waste.

4. Accelerates Sales or Leasing Process

Staging, in essence, aims to create an emotional bond between the potential client and the property. It is a proven strategy that properties which are staged, virtually or in reality, tend to sell or lease faster than their non-staged counterparts. Effectively staged properties not only make the space more attractive but also allow potential buyers or tenants to envision the property as their own business locale. This can be a decisive factor in reducing the time a property remains on the market.

According to a study by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 81% of buyers’ agents acknowledge that staging made it easier for a buyer to visualize the property. Virtual staging takes this a step further by offering potential buyers or lessees the ability to view various configurations of the property, designed specifically for their needs. This added versatility can help to create a stronger connection and incite faster decision-making.

Virtual staging provides an immersive and engaging experience, often allowing the client to tour the property digitally. The captivating power of these virtually staged environments helps to paint a more realistic image of how the commercial space could look, leading to a more compelling selling point.

Furthermore, given the flexibility and cost-efficiency of virtual staging, multiple designs can be created and modified quickly. This helps keep up with the market dynamics and caters to any specific requests from prospective clients, thereby shortening the sales or leasing cycle.

5. Showcases the Potential of the Space

‍The prime advantage of commercial virtual staging lies in its extraordinary ability to illustrate the full potential of a space. It extends far beyond simply dressing up the property with appealing decor. It is a mission to offer a comprehensive vision of the property's potential and what it could transform into, thus painting a compelling picture for prospects.

Virtual staging allows you to re-imagine and convey how spaces can evolve into dynamic, adaptable environments suitable for a number of uses. For instance, an empty floor with bare walls could be virtually staged to reveal its potential as a bustling office space, with workstations, break areas, high-tech meeting rooms, and inviting reception areas. Simultaneously, the same area can be transformed digitally to shed light on the possibilities of a retail space, featuring product displays, fitting rooms, and a stylish checkout area.

This ability to vividly portray what a commercial property could become does more than just attract potential buyers or tenants. It serves as a persuasive tool, helping to secure higher offers for your property by emphasizing the value and endless possibilities inherent within the space. This potential shown through staging can often make the difference between a property that sits on the market and one that is quickly sold or leased.

Moreover, by allowing prospective buyers or tenants to virtually walk through these different setups based on their specific needs, commercial virtual staging breeds familiarity, aiding individuals in relating more easily to the space. This connection can drive demand and even increase prospects' willingness to outlay a higher price as they become visually aware of the property’s potential.

There are key situations where virtual staging proves particularly beneficial in the realm of commercial real estate. These scenarios include staging empty spaces, digitally decluttering commercial areas, finishing under-construction properties, and visualizing potential remodels and retrofits.

1. Staging Empty Spaces: Virtual staging presents a fantastic opportunity when you need to sell or lease an empty commercial space. Potential buyers or tenants can find it challenging to visualize how the empty space can be utilized effectively. Virtual staging can transform these empty spaces into vibrant, functional settings, thus enabling prospects to visualize and understand the potential the space holds for their specific business needs.

2. Digitally Decluttering Commercial Spaces: Sometimes, commercial properties can look cluttered and unappealing, especially if they previously housed a business and have been left in disarray. Digitally decluttering these spaces serves to remove unnecessary items and create a clean slate, making it significantly more visually appealing to potential buyers or tenants.

3. Finishing Under-Construction Properties: Commercial spaces that are still under construction can particularly benefit from virtual staging. Potential tenants or buyers might find it hard to make a connection with a property that is visually unfinished. Virtual staging can fill in the gaps, providing a finished, polished picture of what the commercial property will look like once construction is complete.

4. Virtual Remodels and Retrofits: Virtual staging can also be beneficial when you want to illustrate possible remodeling or retrofitting options. If a space needs updating or prospective buyers are interested in customizing the space to suit their business needs, virtual staging can provide them a glimpse of what the modified space can look like. This assists them in making an informed decision and aids in achieving a faster sales process.

FAQs about Commercial Virtual Staging

What is commercial virtual staging? 

Commercial virtual staging uses digital tools to create furnished, appealing interiors in photos of commercial properties, enhancing perceived potential and appeal for potential buyers or tenants.

How long does the whole process of commercial virtual staging typically take?

The time taken to complete a commercial virtual staging project can vary based on the complexity of the task at hand, and the capacity of the staging company. Typically at VirtualStaging.com, a basic virtual staging can be completed in 4 to 8 hours. However, if you're opting for additional modifications or add-on services, the timeline might extend by a few more hours.

Is it possible that clients might feel misled if the physical space doesn't match the digitally enhanced images?

Indeed, there's a risk that clients may feel misled if the physical space doesn't align with digitally enhanced images. However, this can be mitigated by informing clients upfront that the images have been enhanced. At VirtualStaging.com, we always prioritize transparency with our clients, which is why we offer the option to add a custom disclaimer to any of the digitally staged or renovated photos. This leads to clarity from the start and ensures clients understand they are looking at a digitally enhanced representation of the property.

Try Virtual Staging for Commercial Real Estate Now

To wrap up, implementing commercial virtual staging in your real estate marketing strategy is an excellent move to attract potential clients and ease the decision-making process. 

‍It is a cost-effective and versatile tool that can give visual appeal and demonstrate the potential of any commercial space. 

By incorporating technology that offers realistic, tailored, and immersive previews of the property, you significantly increase your chances of securing a quicker sale or lease. With all these undeniable benefits, now is the ideal time to try commercial virtual staging.