Jones Digital, the UK’s fastest growing digital powerhouse for the KBB, interior design and new build sectors is delighted to announce the creation of bespoke Video Marketing Packages for leading kitchen retailer Schmidt UK, which is currently being rolled out across its flagship stores nationwide.
Following the rapid growth and continued success of this new creative partnership, Jones Digital and Virtual 360° Tours continue to bring together the very best in digital marketing and the latest video technology to transform the UK independent into a virtual retail assistant able to engage and capture new customers in a user-oriented way. So far, Schmidt UK has already completed digital upgrades in four showrooms, (1) Barnet, North London (2) St Albans in Hertfordshire (3) Epsom, Surrey and (4) Sevenoaks in Kent, with a further eight scheduled to go 360° in Q1/22.
“As a premium manufacturer we are always keen to embrace new ways to connect with our customers and offer the very best in customer care and support to our discerning customers. We have plans to double our number of UK showrooms by 2025 and extend our reach across the country through a clear expansion strategy, so having a digital strategy is a vital part of our retail evolution and brand building. As soon as we heard about the new suite of digital services on offer from Jones Digital, we knew there was a great opportunity to add a virtual reality experience to key showrooms with a view to rolling it out to every store in our retail network,” said Mehdi Azizi, Head of Retail at Schmidt UK.
Now new customers can fully explore a series of Schmidt UK showrooms using an easy-to-use interface, with the ability to click on key products to discover more about them at their convenience. Peter Jones, Managing Director at Jones Digital explains, “We are so excited to work with and support this prestigious, world-renowned brand who has been shown the benefits of bringing their showrooms to life with unlimited virtual access, 24/7. Through the combined expertise of Jones Digital and our design partner, Virtual 360° Tours Glos, we have harnessed the latest Matterport technology and imaging software to attract more customers to experience the very best of Schmidt. We are proud to support Schmidt’s commitment to providing unrivalled customer service as their empire grows and anticipate footfall in showrooms will increase now that homeowners can become familiar with what is on offer through their digital journey.”
The brainchild of accomplished kitchen designer, Scott Currie, Virtual 360° Tours Glos was first established in 2018. Creating a totally immersive, virtual reality tour that is tailored to KBB showrooms, Virtual 360° Tours are designed to market any showroom using the market-leading Matterport platform. By providing a 1st class service and amazingly accurate totally immersive Virtual tours at a price point that will appeal to almost everyone, end users can start the ‘customer journey’ with you sooner rather than later. In fact, statistics report that websites that offer virtual tours gain 83% more interest than those without. This figure means you’re able to engage your customer for up to 10x longer when compared to standard photography, which is static, unresponsive and ultimately, uninspiring.
Future-focussed and practical, the Jones Digital team are keen to help the KBB industry harness the rich potential digital mediums and virtual spaces moving forwards. “We need to keep it real. Alongside projected growth for the kitchen furniture industry to 2025, according to new research, the Government forecasts indicate that we need to factor in Covid 19 into our business planning for at least another 12 months. Like Schmidt, it therefore makes sense to use all of the tools available to reach out to customers, build your brand and ensure your digital offering is all-inclusive just like it is when visiting in person, in-store,” added Peter.
“By creating competitive digital marketing packages that can be integrated with retailers existing web services, we hope to enhance their standing and ultimately help the independent and retail community build back better. As the marketplace is ever-evolving, we are determined to put the KBB sector on the map as a vibrant, dynamic industry – keeping us connected by mobile, video and tablet with ease, style and unique storytelling.”