Premium solid wood furniture maker Duraster is set to create an omnichannel experience for its customers with the launch of three experience stores in Mumbai, Pune, and Bengaluru by December 2022.
Augmented Reality or AR will be at the core of these centers, allowing customers to visualize and customize furniture before buying it. Multiple locations have been shortlisted in each of the three cities, and the process is in the advanced stages of finalization. Duraster will directly manage the experience centers in these locations.
"While furniture is a touch-feel industry, people no longer want to go to the furniture mall to browse, design, or customize their furniture. They are increasingly seeking ease and convenience when selecting and buying it," said Pankaj Borana, CEO at (https://www.duraster.com). "So, the next phase of growth had to stem from retail omnichannel expansion. Today, Augmented Reality has made that possible and offers features that allow the customer to enjoy that tangible experience from the convenience of their smartphones."
In the furniture industry, AR's most prominent advantage is its map-and-match technology. It can enable the customer to virtually try out furniture by seeing what a piece would look like in their desired space. This is especially beneficial for big-ticket items and can safeguard the customer against the risk of buying furniture that didn't later fit or appeal aesthetically.
Other advantages of an AR-enabled experience center are product customisation - visitors of the store can use technology to modify the size, color, and placement of the furniture before purchasing it; and in-store engagement - since a majority of customers navigate through product information, reviews, and prices on their mobile phones while in-store, AR can aid companies in using digital imagery throughout the store to share information, tips, tricks, etc.
"With AR, the scope is limitless, and we wanted to stretch that potential to the furniture industry. Today, customers aren't merely shopping for a wooden trinket that fulfills a need in their home but they are keen to curate a space reflective of their personalities. To do so, they must be able to experience furniture, and that's what we aspire to deliver on with these upcoming centers," said Amit Bhati, COO at Duraster.
The experience stores in Mumbai, Pune, and Bengaluru will be the first physical locations for the e-commerce furniture maker and will be open to customers by December 2022. Founded in 2020, Duraster is the only D2C brand offering full customisation services across its range, It sells modern and long-lasting solid wood furniture that is designed and made 100 per cent in India. The brand prides itself on the use of state-of-the-art machinery with age-old methods and techniques for furniture production.
