Once upon a time, back in the early days of the dotcom boom, a popular belief was that ecommerce would spell the end of brick and mortar shops. The mistake was thinking that online and physical stores were mutually exclusive; today retailers know they actually complement each other.
“One of the most exciting developments in retail today is how ecommerce concepts are opening their own showrooms,” explains Henrik Lemmetyinen, business director at Puume. “We are very happy that so many of these successful businesses are partnering with Puume to open stores and showrooms throughout Scandinavia.”
Puume have been retailing experts since 1991. They have offices in Finland, Sweden and Estonia and in 2018 have a turnover of about 20 million euros. Puume have helped a variety of local and global brands with their retail spaces, ranging from clothing to hardware stores, coffee shops to grocery stores. Now they are increasingly working with ecommerce businesses who realise they need a physical presence.
Turning a sale into an experience
The main reason ecommerce businesses are increasingly turning to showrooms is to better engage with their customers. Besides showing off products, showrooms often highlight experiences, such as a -25 cold room to try out winter coats or a coffee bar to make customers feel at home. A consumer might come into the showroom to try on clothes with the help of a stylist and then make purchases through the online shop to be delivered to her door.
Even companies synonymous with ecommerce, like Amazon, are now opening physical spaces to get closer to their customers.
“This is where we come in,” Lemmetyinen continues. “We can provide a full solution which begins when a showroom is just a dream all the way to when the doors open.”
Better relationships mean better sales
Using customer behaviour surveys Puume gains precise and reliable information about how consumers really behave in a physical retail store. This can be used in the design phase to create a real-world space which matches the brand image, boosts sales and improves profits.
Puume also helps with the creation of the physical showroom, including construction, electrical and telecommunication contracting, logistics and shopfitting.
“We understand retail,” says Lemmetyinen. “Not only are ecommerce businesses opening showrooms, traditional retailers want their spaces to be more like showrooms. They want high quality experiences for their customers to build long-lasting relationships.” David J. Cord
