Made.com has launched a new social network that connects the online store to customers’ offline experience of products.
Through Made Unboxed, Made aims to bridge the gap for customers who want to see their products in a real life situation before buying. Potential buyers can get in touch with existing customers to see how their products look and function in their home, through a virtual or even an actual house tour.
Visitors can search by postcode or product to see who has bought what in their area.
Made.com co-founder and chief executive Ning Li said: “We’re the first consumer brand to create a social showroom and unboxed contextualizes our products without the need for costly lifestyle shoots or high street shops. But more than that, Unboxed demonstrates ‘collaborative consumption’ which empowers consumers to take inspiration from each other.
“Word of mouth has always been our most important marketing channel and we see Unboxed as a great way to cultivate those conversations between our customers and their neighbours.”
Brent Hoberman, Made.com chairman, said: ““We see that Unboxed is part of the megatrend whereby people are recreating the community spirit of past ages.
“In this case we are encouraging people to share their love of their homes with their neighbour. We think this will become a movement that represents the future of retail; the focus will change from the demise of the high street, to the rise of your own street.”
The platform launches with almost 100 ‘brand advocates’ who have their own profile including professional photos of their home. However, any MADE customer is welcome to participate and share their home photos.
The innovation comes weeks after the company, founded in 2010, introduced CloudTags to its Notting Hill showroom in order to enable shoppers to find digital information about the physical products in the store. The company also plans to launch in two new countries this year after launching in Italy and France last year.
