by SANTE FE SPRINGS, Calif. — Leading North American furniture distributer Coaster Fine Furniture has launched the first phase of its virtual showroom experience designed to take buyers and merchandisers through a dynamic visual tour of both its Las Vegas and High Point showrooms.
The company has partnered with Greensboro-based GSO360 for the project, which enables visitors to view the showrooms virtually, 24/7, 365 days a year.
Red “location” dots throughout the showroom tour denote items where additional information is available, and clicking on them provides sku numbers, product names, descriptions, dimensions and MSRPs. Coaster plans to launch a second stage of the project in time for the Winter Las Vegas Market, which will enable dealers to log into their accounts to check inventory, see stock and even fill their cart as they walk the showroom as well.
For now, retailers and designers that don’t already have accounts can explore the Coaster product line just as they would at a major trade show. They can also create wish lists and apply for an account.
“Markets have evolved over the years and our new virtual experience will more effectively serve our customers. The new site enables buyers to plan their tour before they visit, follow up afterwards, share their discoveries with colleagues who might not have attended the show with them, and will ultimately offer many other services to make their experience with Coaster much more efficient and convenient,” said Marlene Vidal, Coaster Fine Furniture director of marketing. “This virtual experience will not substitute for the actual showroom experience, but like our catalogs will be another tool for them to use.”
Vidal added that trade shows can be overwhelming for busy buyers and the virtual experience enables them to go back and see products again, even when the show is over.
Coaster’s integrated shopping experience can be called up in an instant to share with other members of a retailer’s buying or executive team to help with decision-making, and even product sales training, because reps can be given a different version from a buyer, or even potentially, an end-consumer. All of the versions can display relevant information based on the use case of the tour and the discretion of the manufacturer.
Given that attending a market is one of the best ways to gather inspiration and tips for merchandising and display, the virtual showroom also helps executives easily share ideas at the store level.
“Crystal Nguyen, our vice president of merchandise and strategic product planning, is well known for her retail-focused merchandising skills,” Vidal said. “Everyone is always wowed by our showrooms, and we’re very excited that dealers can study exactly how she mixes price points high and low and translate the same concepts to their own floors with the benefit of all of the design expertise she and her team provide. This is an amazing tool designed to help drive sales.”
To tour Coaster’s 30,000-square-foot, multi-floor showroom at the High Point Market visit https://showroom.aftermkt.com/coaster-high-point/fall24.
