Business Buzz: Virtual mall provides break from crowds Virtual shopping: If you get tired of the crowds during the sales tax holiday weekend, there's a new Web site that offers a 3D virtual shopping mall with retailers specific to Durham.

Called Virtual eShopping, the Web site allows shoppers to "roam" a Durham virtual mall, create a persona with a variety of hair and facial features and chat electronically with friends as they shop.

When shoppers click on the storefront doors in the mall, they are transported to the regular Web sites of participating merchants. By clicking on an image, slide show or video in a storefront window, a shopper is transported directly to a featured item on the merchants' internal Web pages.

Stores and carts can also include salesbots, humanlike personas that have prerecorded audio messages and can distribute coupons, which can be printed and redeemed at participating merchants.

To check out this virtual mall, go to www.virtualedurham.com  ¶ 9:13 AM