The virtual showroom is a new way of showing and selling products and services to buyers and businesses, and while it comes from the world of B2C fashion, it’s promising to revolutionise B2B too.
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by kooomo
June 15, 2020
The virtual showroom is a new way of showing and selling products and services to buyers and businesses, and while it comes from the world of B2C fashion, it’s promising to revolutionise B2B too. Kooomo has employed this modern technology to overcome the limitations of Coronavirus – which continues to impose itself on retail sales both on and offline.
Recent sector research illustrates how a coordinated image between B2C, B2B, and in-store experience improves the sales performance of a brand. YM Magazine talked to Anastasia Sfregola, Head of Sales for Kooomo in Italy, about the latest technology Kooomo has integrated to help companies sell online and expand internationally.
Recent sector research illustrates how a coordinated image between B2C, B2B, and in-store experience improves the sales performance of a brand. YM Magazine talked to Anastasia Sfregola, Head of Sales for Kooomo in Italy, about the latest technology Kooomo has integrated to help companies sell online and expand internationally.
Can you explain the concept of virtual showrooms?
When we talk about the virtual showroom we don’t just mean the virtual copy of physical stores – we are talking about a technological interface that is now necessary for those who want to enhance the sales capacity of their buyer network. It’s an experience catering to individual consumers that can be supported in numerous capacities at the same time.
What is the purpose of these interfaces?
Virtual showrooms improve the traditional B2B sales experience thanks to the tools provided by digital transformation. The latest generation platforms such as Kooomo, on which virtual showrooms can now be developed, have the added benefit of already integrating numerous technological partners within them, capable of providing different services according to the needs of the company.
What is the purpose of these interfaces?
Virtual showrooms improve the traditional B2B sales experience thanks to the tools provided by digital transformation. The latest generation platforms such as Kooomo, on which virtual showrooms can now be developed, have the added benefit of already integrating numerous technological partners within them, capable of providing different services according to the needs of the company.
What does a brand look for when it chooses to innovate its B2B strategy?
“The most requested features in creating virtual showrooms are the customer clustering processes, which allow us to respond to the specific needs of each. Telephone, virtual or chatbot assistance is available throughout the purchase process, as is the possibility of creating marketing actions aimed at a specific target or a specific country “
What kind of requests have you received most frequently?
One of the characteristics most sought after by SMEs that need to improve their performance is a simplification, especially from the point of view of technological management. For example, thanks to a single back-end, Kooomo allows brands and companies to manage up to 3 front-ends simultaneously: that of B2B, B2C, and virtual showrooms.
How does the purchase process in virtual showrooms work in practice?
The buyer and the customer can connect to the virtual showroom via video call and thus view the collection, conducting the assisted sale and completing the order. The ability of these new platforms supports the possibility of opening price lists and applying different discounts for groups of users and groups of products, even multiple for B2B, to facilitate restocking and replacing the goods .
What are the benefits of this compared to an older generation system?
High definition, 3D images, augmented reality, virtual reality environments accessible thanks to specific supports. Each product page is optimised to ensure a unique and customised experience for each customer.
What is the challenge today for those who design B2B digital sales systems?
“The challenge today for those who work in the field of eCommerce is to manage B2B with the same care as B2C, ensuring the same attention to usability for both companies and buyers”.
There are a number of challenges that lay ahead for retailers as society reopens and shopping becomes subject to new health and safety customs in place. Online and offline are sure to fuel each other as retailers attempt to mould their businesses to their consumer’s new lifestyles. Strides in technology such as the virtual showroom will increase retailer longevity, setting them apart from their competitors and satisfying the consumers need for great customer experience – for both B2C and B2B customers alike.
You can find the original version of this interview here.
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