In-Store Intercepts Define Path to Collaborative Tool | Retail

11/22/2019 RRD

In-person interviews push improved design experience for customers — and staff

CHALLENGE

A large omnichannel retail company that designs and sells home furniture and accessories sought out to better understand the experience its customers have when they interact with available in-store design solutions consultants. These design consultants are responsible for helping customers create custom spaces for their homes.

Specifically of interest, the retailer wanted to identify opportunities for improvement in the process as well as any opportunities to create a tool to streamline said process.

SOLUTION

RRD Marketing Solutions utilized intercepts (interviews) to understand what tools designers and customers found helpful in designing a space. These in-store interviews were also leveraged to determine which features could be useful in the creation of a web-based tool.

Participating customers were in the process of redesigning a room, or in some cases their entire homes, and interacted with designers who created custom design presentations for their space using tools such as PowerPoint and Icovia, an online interior design software.

Following the intercepts, RRD made recommendations and also suggested next steps for the potential creation of a tool for customers and designers to use collaboratively to design their spaces.

Example of finding: Customers displayed a low level of awareness regarding the opportunity to engage with a design consultant in the store to help them. Even with signage next to samples promoting this, customers rarely saw them and engaged. RRD recommended improvements to better situate signage and design consultants within the store for increased engagement.

Additional recommendations included ways to: