Compared to the past, the shopping habits of DIY store customers have changed. With the focus on flat-packed furniture, many customers still prefer the shopping experience in physical shops, while others first search on the Internet for the product they are looking for and, later, go to a store to see it with their own eyes.
DIY shops and furniture retailers are not excluded from the digitization process and are now faced with the need to develop an omni-channel strategy. However, it is not enough for a DIY shop or chain to have its own e-commerce or to sell its items on a generalist marketplace. Instead, it is essential to integrate the two sales channels, online and offline.
This new consumer habit can and should be exploited to increase visits and sales in DIY stores. Also Google, recently, spoke about this topic in its “Think with Google” column and how retailers can exploit digital tools to achieve new business goals.
Online-offline-online strategy
Terraneo, as a manufacturer of flat-packed furniture, faced with this new business landscape, wondered what DIY shop suppliers could do to help their business partners' sales.
For some years now, we have been telling you about our Customized Consultancy service, which we offer to distributors of Terraneo flat-packed furniture who wish to receive support from our specialists, lighten the workload of salespeople and facilitate the sale of furniture directly in the store.
From a communication point of view, the Customized Consultancy service includes ad hoc communication that “lets the product speak for itself”. The furniture samples on display include all the 3D textures in which the furniture is available.
More recently, in order to keep up with the increasingly modern needs of customers, we have added new communication panels next to the Terraneo furniture samples, containing a QR code that links to the shop's e-commerce.
It is an omni-channel strategy because:
- ONLINE: the customer searches and finds the flat-packed furniture he is looking for on the Internet;
- OFFLINE: he wants to see for himself the quality, size and texture of the product, so he goes to the shop;
- ONLINE: in shop, in a set context, there is the display sample in the 3D 'White' finish, also featuring an Elm color panel, which is not available in shop, but can be purchased online immediately. The QR code is quickly and easily redirected to the shop's e-commerce site.
Visit our website to discover the full range of Terraneo flat-packed furniture and contact us for information on the services we offer to our business partners.