Some would say that CGI represents the future of furniture selling – but for many independent retailers, the technology (and the benefits of marrying online and offline sales it promises) is simply out of reach. Yet this summer saw the emergence of a new offer designed to overcome this very issue, courtesy of Alpha Designs Upholstery …
Sofamaker Alpha typically tackles trade shows with gusto, but Manchester Central saw the launch of perhaps its most radical concept to date this summer.
“Manchester Furniture Show was great, and we’ll be back next year,” enthuses sales director Nichola Bell. “We launched five new products there – but the real headline was our new range, Go Configure.”
Pitched as a concept which can give independent customers an edge over their bigger, more tech-savvy competitors, Go Configure was developed with today’s challenging marketplace very much in mind.
“We understand how tough trade is at the moment, so thought our customers deserved some newness and innovation,” Nichola explains. “We’re lucky enough to have our own in-house CGI department, and we wanted to take more advantage of this asset to help our independent customers. We also understand the need for digital imagery – as well as the cost and timescales involved for any retailer wishing to create their own.
“So we did it for them.”
The Go Configure range comprises three sofa shapes offering five unit sizes each, available in three fabrics, with a choice of 17 colours, and light or dark feet. That’s a sizeable number of permutations – but simplicity is this collection’s watchword, says Nichola.
“It’s a smaller-scale product, but every model boasts broad appeal,” she explains. “They’re very competitively costed – the keenest we offer – and all units across the range are costed at the same price, perfect for kickstarting sales this autumn. The fabric swatch is restricted, but again, every fabric is costed at the same price.”
Another benefit of Go Configure is its speed to market. Being MTO in the UK, the models can be delivered to the end-customer within just four weeks.
Rounding off this triple threat is an online configurator that Alpha is providing its customers free of charge – meaning that even the smallest traditional retailer can go some way to competing with their rivals offering endless aisle technology and omnichannel selling.
“We’ve created a QR code to display on each model in-store, from which shoppers can access the configurator via their smartphone, and choose the size and colour they want,” says Nichola. “Every unit of every model in every fabric has its own CGI image, specs etc.”
Nichola says the concept aims to help bridge the gap between online and in-store sales, giving bricks-and-mortar shoppers the same benefits as online buyers – while streamlining the in-store sales process for the salesperson, and creating a transaction that’s attributable to them.
“I like to think of it as the ultimate in-store ‘silent salesman’ tool,” says Nichola, who was overjoyed with how well the concept was received at MFS: “You never quite know how well new concepts like this will work in execution, but it’s opened new doors for us already. Stockists love the fact that, no matter their size or digital capabilities, they can benefit from offering their own product configurator. And the more tech-savvy retailers will be able to make the most of all our digital assets, which we’ll happily share with them.”
Go Configure is going to market this month, and Nichola is looking forward to hearing more feedback. “It’s British made, but at a price point and speed to market to rival the imports – and because we’ll be able to identify which models are the clear winners, we can look at the possibility of keeping our order book open closer to Christmas, giving our stockists some advantage over the groups,” she adds.
Want to know more? Go Configure.
Alternatively, contact Nichola at [email protected] for more information.
Pictured: A QR code enables shoppers to configure each model to their tastes
