Kitchenware manufacturer Bodum is opening an interactive lab in its Paris store, where customers will be able to test out kitchen equipment before ordering it online for home delivery.
The new multichannel development adds an in-store aspect to a customer feedback programme that already includes online reviews and suggestions through channels including Facebook and Amazon.
Bodum says the development is not only important for its own shops but that it is setting a new trend for the future. It follows a pilot of the concept in its Copenhagen shop earlier this year.
Shoppers at the Bodum-lab will be able to test out equipment such as knives by using them to cut vegetables, juicers by using them to make juices, and to watch cookery demonstrations on in-store films. If they find a product that suits them, they can order it through the ecommerce channel for home delivery.
Jorgen Bodum, chief executive of the company, said: “Handling and using kitchenware is very different to just looking at it in its box. Just as when you buy a new shirt. You want to be certain that the shirt looks good and that it fits you.”
Shoppers can also leave their feedback, comments and suggestions for what they would like from BODUM’s equipment in future. “Our great confidence in the quality of our products means we are not afraid of direct feedback from our customers,” said Bodum. “We have already benefitted greatly from suggestions from our customers through channels such as Facebook and Amazon. Bodum-lab is a natural next step in our direct dialogue with customers.”
If the concept is a success, the idea will be introduced in further shops. Bodum has more than 300 stores and serves 55 countries online. It opened its first store in London in 1986.
Our view: Bodum has great confidence in the future of this new idea, which certainly should enrich the in-store experience while adding a useful integration of the store and commerce. It’s going back to the idea that people like to try things for themselves – and how better to judge the usefulness of a piece of equipment than to use it for the task it’s designed for? – while also adding the convenience of ordering online.
Such is Bodum’s confidence that it says this is not only going to be the future for its stores, but also for shopping in general. Thus stores could be, as has been previously predicted, a showroom where goods are tested as well as examined before ordering online for convenient delivery. Sounds interesting.
