Kitchen and Homeware distributer Eddingtons has launched a virtual customer experience that includes a walk around tour of its trade showroom, giving prospective buyers the opportunity to browse the broad product range from the comfort of their desktop or mobile device.
Direct links to the Eddingtons B2B website enable retail buyers to toggle between the Virtual Showroom and their online order or switch to further research product detail, brands and ranges or enjoy product videos or demonstrations.
‘We are delighted with the way in which the virtual tour conveys every product. It is a great sales tool that we can now use to refer to when reaching out to prospective customers and makes ordering online even easier. Customers have access to product information and demonstration videos at the click of a button,” explains Tabitha Monkhouse, digital marketing executive.
She continues: “We’ve integrated the 360degree technology which uses a Matterport survey camera. We then link up the imagery with colour coded icons to help the customer navigate. There is even a “hole in the wall” to visit our Tuftop works where our glass worktop protectors are manufactured. The scope of this solution is incredible, and we have plans to enhance further once the solution has bedded in.”
Tabitha adds that she is “more than happy to walk customers through on a Zoom or Teams call so they can build the confidence to navigate themselves but it is really intuitive and within a few clicks you are underway.”
While the virtual showroom may ease the need for travel to Eddington’s head office in Hungerford, Richard Walker, commercial director speculates: “Once clicked we believe customers will actually still be encouraged to visit us since the virtual solution will never replace the ability to ‘touch and feel’, and, with access to thousands more products in our warehouse, face to face conversations can lead to wider range building or product development ideas.”
Top: Eddingtons’ virtual showroom.
