Danish furniture franchise BoConcept has opened a new store designed to combine digital and brick-and-mortar retail experiences. Helmed by multi-unit franchisees Søren and Caroline Krogh-Jensen, the new BoConcept debuted in Berkeley, Calif., on Feb. 11. This new “digital-experience” location is the brand’s first in the U.S. and its fifth worldwide.
Working with global consumer engagement agency The Marketing Store and in-store digital-experience developers Ombori, BoConcept sought to offer customers the best of both online and in-person shopping experiences, including:
- Access to case studies from around the world;
- Consultations with expert interior designers;
- Interactive quizzes to find items that complement each customer’s style preferences; and
- The ability to view and customize items from a vast collection of items.
The new digital-experience store is not BoConcept’s first foray into ecommerce. Throughout the pandemic, the franchise launched a variety of virtual solutions to engage with customers while showrooms were closed in markets around the world.
“We have been evolving rapidly over the past year to meet consumer demand,” said Steen Knigge, BoConcept’s Director of U.S. marketing in a statement. “When the pandemic hit, we quickly launched virtual showrooms, a personalized chat feature on our website and other key pivots to make the shopping experience safe and easy for our customers. Now, we are taking that a step further, providing the benefits of our virtual experience to customers who want to shop in-store. This is our first digital-experience store in North America, and we look forward to bringing the same experience to all of our new and existing stores across the globe.”
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Currently, BoConcept operates a franchise footprint of more than 300 locations in 65 countries, with plans to reach 600 stores globally.