Online shopping is fast becoming the most preferred form of transaction. More and more people are opening up online shopping accounts, and businesses aren’t slacking either. In 2020 alone, e-commerce saw a profit of $4.28B, a significantly large amount, especially when compared to the past few years. Digital and online transactions dominate every sphere of business, even showrooms have taken on a virtual platform!
But far from what people may initially perceive, showrooms remain a valuable tool when it comes to marketing and advertising. Below are some discussions on how it can help businesses.
Establish Your Brand Image
A showroom is a representation of your business: it’s how you want your establishment to be seen and felt. This is why many businesses spare no expense when it comes to designing their showroom. Hiring professional window contractors to create a picturesque outdoor scene to display your products, getting interior designers to create a sophisticated atmosphere, or even going for a retro theme are showroom expenses that are justified.
When people walk inside your showroom, they see it as entering a representation of your business- so take this opportunity to reinforce your branding. It will leave a strong and lasting impression that they’ll be telling their friends and family of.
Provide a Highly Enticing Customer Experience
Businesses aren’t just selling a product. They’re selling an experience. An experience that’s designed specifically, that can only be felt through particular scenarios and moments. You can simulate these moments through your showroom. Think of furniture showrooms. They replicate a sophisticated house, making you feel like you’re a CEO resting in their penthouse. Or even gadget showrooms. They’re akin to a cafe where people work, mimicking common use-case scenarios of clients. You’re providing an enticing experience to your customers, essentially showing how they can make use of your product, and how it feels like to do so.
You See What You Get Quality
Online products are all the rage nowadays, and there’s certainly some merit to it. However, as popular as online shopping has become, the doubt of whether you’re truly getting what you’re paying for still lingers. Add the frequency of getting items of suspicious quality from sham companies, many people have started opting for buying products that they can see, touch, and experience. This isn’t a particular problem when you’re dealing in a business-to-business transaction (as the system of sending samples is common), but when it comes to business-to-consumer, having a showroom can make an impact.
For one, it validates the quality of your product, and it also hammers your brand’s quality when compared to off-brand variations. Establishing a showroom costs very little, especially when you already have one for B2B transactions- but allowing retail consumers to partake in it is a great way to bolster the reputation of the quality of your product.
Feedback and Engagement
Your business can interact and engage with your target segment (and even those outside it) through showrooms. This interaction is a precious, ground-level connection, where it has the potential to stop becoming business-to-consumer and start becoming human-to-human. Your managers can converse and discuss with interested individuals, asking them if their opinion and particular uses for your product.
This feedback is otherwise inaccessible, as it’s a face-to-face scenario where your managers and representatives can discuss ideas with your customers. Needless to say, this requires representatives with great people skills and has a deep understanding of your product and services.
Instagrammable Opportunities
Another opportunity that a showroom creates is the chance for free advertisement. As mentioned before, we live in a digital age, one where we all want to share our experiences. We like taking pictures of beautiful and interesting things, and you might find that people will want to take pictures in your showroom.
This increases the chances of your product being seen, and it’s most likely going to be seen by people with an interest in it. This is one of the strongest reasons why you should have a showroom and why it should be open to consumers: in our share-all digital age, clients are going to share their experiences with their friends and family and your business will benefit from the attention.
A Concrete Presence in the Digital Age
In this increasingly digital world, anything physical immediately stands out as unique and special. Having your showroom for your products and services essentially makes your business stand out from the rest. You’re making a bold, attention-grabbing move that puts your name out there, making interested parties even more interested while giving avenues for them to interact.
