Furniture would seem to be the last worry for people facing a pandemic. It’s not a typical impulse buy, like toilet paper or eggs or hand sanitizers, that has led mega superstores to have one of their best years ever. Nevertheless, one does ask “How to increase furniture sales in 2020?”. The need for convenient and efficient spaces during quarantine has opened up an immense opportunity for furniture brands. Homes need to double up as offices. Offices need to create safe distancing. Organizations that make the right decisions will set up to win well, both during and after the crisis. The difficulty, as always, is to know how to make the right moves, and to have a vision and commitment to stick to them. In such times the use of immersive tech like augmented and virtual reality is being adopted by retail giants like IKEA and Target Corporation to facilitate contactless buying. They hope that the 3D furniture modeling services using AR and VR help them attract customers at current times and also post COVID.
Some benefits of immersive sales experiences, using virtual and augmented reality, are outlined below-
Increase audience reach
Using 3D modeling services, furniture companies can reach out to increased audience size. Companies can also touch base with larger audiences by using immersive technology during ad campaigns, product launches, and hosting virtual events and trade shows. This could also increase furniture showroom sales post the COVID era.
Bring the showroom to the customer
One of the main obstacles that the direct-to-consumer (D2C) furniture companies have had to tackle is that furniture being such a traditional product is an experiential transaction. The use of AR and VR solves the problem here. 3D visualized furniture on company websites can be invaluable to furniture companies in order to persuade potential customers to purchase their goods and increase furniture showroom sales, particularly in times of Covid-19 when people choose to stay indoors.
Simulated real life-like training
The use of AR and VR allows staff to gain realistic knowledge in their training and not academic research. The biggest advantage is that workers will get a ‘look’ of the system even before they start at the workplace. Immersive technology also helps to deliver personalized training programs that, in turn, ensure active learning. Having staff educated in a virtual environment would allow improved engagement and more opportunities for employees to learn and solve issues.
Testing products on the Company Website
Businesses are currently sending products physically to a selected number of customers for beta testing. Now, thanks to 3D modeling services, customers can test products on their own website at a fraction of the cost. Companies can easily set up an AR and VR program to let consumers experience your products in a simulated world which can save a crucial amount of capital. In addition, consumers can interact with their products which allows an increased footfall for the website resulting in increased audience engagement.
Building Customer Trust and Confidence in the Product
Premium goods aren’t that easy to market. Therefore, when marketing luxury items such as furniture or appliances, companies may use immersive technology to show consumers the true worth of their items. It will allow prospective buyers to see and sample the product before they buy it. AR experience for the Maisons of Richemont, a project by Cemtrex Labs, is one example of using immersive technology for high-end luxury retail.
Conclusion
To summarise, immersive technology has had a profound impact to increase audience reach and furniture sales as mentioned above which proves itself to be an apt answer on how to increase furniture sales in 2020 and post the COVID era.