As the UK’s leading supplier of uphol­stered furniture, DFS faces the exciting challenge of estab­lishing its brand more firmly in central, urban locations. With a range of over 30,000 products and a commitment to crafts­manship from local factories, this is a strategic move that presents both oppor­tu­nities and challenges.

The challenge of expanding into central locations

In urban areas, retail spaces are often smaller and more expensive, which makes it difficult to present an extensive product range. Customers expect a wide range of products and an inspiring shopping experience, even in smaller stores.
The challenge is to ensure the avail­ability of over 30,000 products without having extensive storage space on site. DFS has to strike a balance between its proven brand identity and adapting to modern, urban target groups.
DFS therefore relies on inter­active, digital technologies such as displays and config­u­ration tools. Customers can browse the entire range virtually and view furniture items in various colors, materials and sizes in photo­re­al­istic quality.

Augmented reality enables customers to virtually place furniture in their own rooms in order to make better decisions.
By combining brick-and-mortar stores and online shopping to make the range fully acces­sible, DFS is pursuing an omnichannel approach. Customers can see and test products on site, but order online from the full range.

With flexible showroom concepts, DFS can set up smaller, modular showrooms that focus on popular or trendy products. In addition, digital tools are available that make the entire product range acces­sible. The stores could also focus on consulting and experience areas instead of just functioning as tradi­tional sales areas.

Efficient supply chains and central warehouse locations ensure that products ordered in central branches are also delivered quickly. DFS can build on its local production capacity to offer customized and fast solutions.

DFS focuses on brand experi­ences and sustain­ability. The local production and tradition of DFS is empha­sized in urban stores to give customers a sense of quality and authen­ticity. Sustain­ability and the use of high-quality materials are becoming more prominent in order to make the brand more attractive to environ­men­tally conscious target groups.

What does vir2store do for DFS

vir2store has imple­mented an innov­ative solution at DFS with its patented Swoosh technology to present the diversity of its range of over 30,000 products efficiently and attrac­tively in its stores. This technology combines the 500 installed digital signage screens with a tablet-driven inter­action that revolu­tionizes both the consul­tation process and the shopping experience.

Key features of the Swoosh technology

Seamless integration of database and screens:
The product database contains all relevant infor­mation on furniture and acces­sories, including colors, materials, sizes and possible combi­na­tions. Consul­tants can use a tablet to access the entire product range and select variants in real time.

Intuitive operation with a swipe motion:
The patented Swoosh technology makes it possible to transfer selected content from the tablet to one or more screens in the store with a simple swipe gesture. This inter­action is fast, user-friendly and increases the dynamics of the consul­tation.

Person­alized product demon­stra­tions:
Customers can see pieces of furniture displayed in different colors, fabrics or config­u­ra­tions on large screens. This creates a person­alized, visual experience that goes beyond the limited physical showroom space.

Expansion of the sales area:
Over 500 digital signage screens supplement the limited physical presen­tation options in the stores with digital content. This makes the entire product range tangible even in smaller showrooms.

Improved advice and customer loyalty:
Advisors can respond flexibly to customer requests and immedi­ately present the desired products or variants. The inter­action between customer and consultant is inten­sified by the visual support and the purchase decision is made easier.

Advan­tages of Swoosh technology:

Efficiency and flexi­bility:
Consul­tants save time by not having to physi­cally search for products in the warehouse or access cumbersome catalogs. Customers experience a wide variety of options in a matter of seconds.

Impressive shopping experience:
The dynamic visual­ization of products creates an emotional and modern experience that inspires customers. Thanks to the large screen display, even small details and possible combi­na­tions can be presented effec­tively.

Increase in sales figures:
Customers are more likely to buy products if they get a clear idea of how the furniture will look in their home. The ability to show all products in real time increases the likelihood of additional sales, e.g. through matching acces­sories. In the very first week of using the new vir2store Swoosh technology, the reference store generated an increase in sales of 5%.

Future viability:
Swoosh technology and the integration of digital signage show how DFS is focusing on innovation to lead bricks-and-mortar retail into the digital future.

Conclusion

DFS has proven that it has been able to success­fully establish itself in central locations through innov­ative approaches and modern technologies. By bringing its huge product range to life digitally and adapting the shopping experience to the expec­ta­tions of urban customers, the company is able to position itself as a contem­porary, customer-oriented brand. The combi­nation of local crafts­manship and digital progress is the key to success. The combi­nation of the extensive product database, Swoosh technology and over 500 digital signage screens makes DFS a pioneer in digital furniture retail. This concept makes it possible to present the enormous variety of products efficiently and offer customers a modern, visually appealing shopping experience. With this technology, DFS raises the quality of advice and inter­action to a whole new level.

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