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Soon, if not already, coronavirus-impacted showrooms will unlock their doors to a whole new world, where a potential economic depression, uncertain consumer spending, and social distancing guidelines threaten to impact the future of design companies’ physical locations. To find out what this looks like, AD PRO spoke to a range of brands about their strategies for reopening their spaces—and how they might flourish in spite of it all.
In some ways, the experience of entering a showroom will look like a lot of other businesses out there: Everyone emphasized safety as a top priority: Face masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, and deep-cleaning rituals will be omnipresent, as will compliance with CDC, federal, state, and city recommendations. Outposts will operate at a reduced capacity, giving way to extended opening hours accessed by a few visitors at a time or by appointment-only.
But beyond these expected measures, how are showrooms evolving to serve clients in a post-pandemic context? The strategic planning we discovered through our conversations—which spanned rethinking inventory and embracing technology to reconsidering the use of space entirely—offers a glimpse of things to come, and how to prepare for it.
Bring the Showroom to the Client
For the Swedish design brand Hem, whose furniture fills its community-oriented spaces in Stockholm, Los Angeles, and New York, COVID-19 prompted a conversation about how to keep the core experience of its studios intact. “We’ve talked about how our physical spaces can support the digital experiences that folks are increasingly comfortable having,” says Asad Syrkett, Hem’s business development lead for New York City and the East Coast. “Can we think of new, creative ways to conduct virtual tours of our spaces? Can we host a workshop or talk with a designer from our space and beam it to clients worldwide?” By layering a digital experience onto the physical one, he continues, Hem will reach a broader audience than ever.
Randy Warner, president of the kitchen appliances company Dacor, has a more concrete stand-in for its outposts. “We’ll begin rolling out technology that allows our visitors to virtually self-tour our showrooms without having to physically set foot in our spaces,” he says. Customers will be able to click a product and learn about its design features through a dedicated video, creating an informed, interactive experience.
Ceramics manufacturer Porcelanosa, which oversees more than 30 showrooms across the U.S. and Canada, is taking a similar approach. “Our new virtual showroom makes it more convenient for our customers to shop from home,” says assistant director Ramon Heras. Using a trackpad or a mouse, visitors can explore a Porcelanosa space as one would a street on Google Maps; tapping any product reveals a host of images, related collections, and technical information.
Invest in Technology
“We believe in the importance of our showrooms, but going forward, our clients will be able to determine if they want to shop with us in a different way,” says Benni Frowein, president of Schumacher (which will offer complimentary face masks, made of its own fabric, at its 17 corporate showrooms). “Do they want to browse our revamped website that allows you to check stock levels and place sales orders and reserves? Do they want to scroll through our award-winning app? Do they want to tap into our countrywide network of sales reps who work outside the showrooms? Or do they want to come into the showroom?” he says. “We’re well-equipped to give our clients excellent service in whatever [platform] they choose.”
Contemporary furniture retailer ddc is focusing on its online presence too. This month, it will launch a new website as part of its reopening strategy. “We need to make things more accessible from a distance,” says Siamak Hakakian, who runs the bicoastal business with his brother, Babak. “The website relaunch is our first step, because we recognize the need to fully embrace the digital world. We’re all learning to adapt to this new remote reality. I think that once we emerge from this, some of our adaptations will stick around.”
Highlight Objects That Reflect Living in a Post-Virus World
Debbie Propst, president of retail for Herman Miller, Design Within Reach, and HAY, has seen triple-digit growth in work-from-home products on its e-commerce platforms in the past month. “Our demands on spaces within our homes have increased, and we need these spaces to work harder for us,” she says. “This requires things like storage solutions, modular furniture, various light sources, and ergonomic seating that looks at home in a residential setting. We’ll be ensuring that we showcase the right products to meet today’s changing needs throughout our studios and stores.”
Stone and tile company Walker Zanger oversees 13 showrooms nationwide that are in different phases of the pandemic. “Our overall reopening strategy encompasses a number of areas, [including] ensuring that we have the most relevant product offerings to fulfill emerging design needs,” says vice president of national sales Jeff Lupica. “Our clients will expect a higher performance level from kitchens and bathrooms as they begin inspecting their spaces and plan to update them to reflect how they’re living today.”
Amplify Virtual Design Services
Allison O’Connor, president and CEO of Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, thinks retail shopping will always be important for the home furnishings industry—but that the pandemic has shifted how people will shop in the future. As its showrooms reopen, the brand will continue to offer complementary virtual in-home design services. “Creating relationships with customers who allow us into their home virtually has been very successful for us. People have become comfortable shopping this way,” she says. “We want interior designer clients to know that we are here for them and continue to be a resource for assisting with their projects by providing free swatches, a bridge for 3D planning, virtual support from the designers in our showrooms, and working with our large selection of Kravet fabrics.”
The Shade Store plans to lean into its virtual design assistance tools. “Leveraging phone, email, live chat, video conferencing, and our rendering services has allowed us to continue to serve our customers and trade partners,” says cofounder Zach Gibbs, noting that, as showrooms reopen, these resources will remain as vital as they’ve always been. “The way professional interior designers work with us will be largely unchanged. We have been working remotely with many of our trade partners for years. Most of our repeat designers have come to understand our product and will simply contact their design consultant when they start a new project.”
“Our customer experience has always been about one-on-one design expertise,” says John Reed, cofounder of home and outdoor furniture brand Arhaus. “This remains the same, whether customers are shopping in our showrooms or connecting with our designers virtually.” All of its showrooms, including those not yet reopened, will offer complimentary virtual design consultations as well as personal shopping appointments. “Our teams are here and ready to help however we can and however our customers feel comfortable,” Reed says.
Maintain Higher Levels of Inventory
Dan Campbell, SVP of sales and business development at Holly Hunt, says that, since the pandemic began, his clients have been looking for quick, effective solutions that don’t undermine the integrity of their designs. The brand met this demand thanks to its “comprehensive in-stock and quick-ship programs, as well as our high inventory categories,” Campbell says, pointing to the brand’s latest outdoor furniture collection, called Sonoran, as an example: Its inventory has allowed the brand to keep up with strong client demand. As Holly Hunt begins to reopen its showrooms, Campbell continues, it plans to embrace its inventory strategy. “We have seen the current need for speed,” he says, “and are pivoting to be even more of a solution for our clients by stocking more [inventory].”
Ramp Up Client Care
Since the pandemic began, Swedish bed maker Hästens has been striving to create continuity in its services by taking a proactive approach toward its customers. “During the restrictions, we called to check in on every one of our clients,” says retail director Sara Di Carlo. “We gave advice on sleep and well-being, and our clients really appreciated the gesture.” When its showrooms reopen, she adds, the brand will continue talking to clients about the significance of sleep. “We’ve never shied away from our responsibility as a health and well-being product to educate our clients first and sell the product later. Our mission will not change with social distancing and an economic downturn.”
Designer Tom Dixon has been thinking about how his spaces in London, New York, and Los Angeles can better serve staff and their guests too. He’s long wanted to have fewer boundaries within his 17,500-square-foot complex (part showroom, part studio, and part restaurant) in London’s Coal Drops Yard—and sees reopening after the pandemic as an excuse to do exactly that. “The building lends itself to spreading out and mixing groups of people who are eating, working, and shopping whilst respecting what is inevitably going to be a very long period of people feeling suspicious of being too close to one another,” he says, noting that certain spaces, like the restaurant, could be turned into an intimate VIP experience. “I think, if we’re clever, the whole thing will start a conversation about how to share spaces and maximize their usefulness throughout the day.”
