New technologies are actively entering our lives.
What seemed impossible a few years ago has long become a commonplace. You can use your smartphone to walk around a new apartment that has not yet been built, you can virtually test-drive a car, finally you can try on clothes online with no need to leave your home. The most modern sales format today is digital showrooms. And Beko is among the leaders here.
This is not an exaggeration. The fact is that there are not so many interactive digital platforms where large household appliances would be widely presented in Russia – there are only a few of them. And one of them was created by specialists of Beko. Work on the virtual showroom went on for about six months. The main executor of the project, training specialist Hrayr Baghdasaryan said:
Hrayr Baghdasaryan
the main executor of the project, a training specialist
– The idea has been in the air for a very long time. We understood that digitalization was the future. Many modern buyers want to shop online but still they lack the emotions of a real shopping trip, so they are interested in virtual shopping and maximum interaction with the products. The virtual online tour attracts them, they are happy to move from model to model. The spherical image can be rotated and viewed from all sides on any device: smartphone or PC. For the design, a high-tech solution was chosen as the most appropriate for the project goal. And today the showroom is a great tool for product promotion.
Unlike offline stores, it has a significant, undeniable advantage: the interactive exposition can be constantly changed, technical specifications, videos and presentations can be added, and educational materials can be provided. Of course, this also requires efforts but one such platform can replace a lot of shops in terms of impact. The online resource shows visitors the detailed presentation of current technologies and allows you to choose products that meet specific needs. Here, customers can freely navigate through the selected three-dimensional environment using a mouse or a touch screen, clicking on a convenient and understandable menu to get additional information about specifications, functions, to watch videos about the technical characteristics of each model, to get acquainted with the product in detail, to explore new technologies, to understand what these technologies provide in everyday life, and what benefits they bring. In addition to high technologies and scientific solutions, the showroom is a great place to appreciate the stylish design of all products.
The virtual space covers not only buyers but also sellers. The number of online training sessions with partners is limited and we are well aware that for various reasons it is impossible to cover the entire staff of our partners on a regular basis in such training sessions: these could be new employees who started working after the training, employees who were on vacation or for some other reason could not attend the online training and the virtual showroom is ideal exactly for such cases. Employees can receive the complete course on products at any time convenient for them. Thus, training becomes more accessible. Thanks to this we increase the number of trainees and give the opportunity to review the information at any time, without the need to wait for the training scheduled. They get acquainted with new appliances here and learn how to promote goods. They can take various tests and receive points, which can later be exchanged for prizes, and this is an additional motivation for completing the training course. To cover more visitors, as well as for their convenience, the virtual showroom is open 365 days a year and 24/7 because Russia is a big country: time difference between Moscow and the regions reaches eight hours and it can be difficult to choose the convenient period for each sales representative to conduct a webinar.
Today we have more than 80 models in the virtual space. These are built-in and free-standing refrigerators, washing machines, dryers and dishwashers, gas and electric stoves, built-in cooktops and ovens. There is all necessary information for each model. In the top models, which feature all key technologies, you will find instructional videos, also for each model you will be able to find specifications with all the main technical specifications: energy consumption class, overall dimensions, noise level… The technologies used in the model are clearly shown, and there are mini-training sessions too. 360° photos of excellent quality were taken for more than 100 models, and they allow viewing the appliances from all the angles, including the internal part. For example, you can see the number of shelves inside a refrigerator or on the internal side of the door, the number of baking trays in a particular oven model and even turn the stove over to find out if a power plug and a cord are included into a particular model.
The project activities lasted about six months in total. There were difficulties too: for example, it was necessary to wait until a new model appeared in stock to bring it to the showroom and take photos of it. Sometimes I had to work overtime, sometimes I had to take photos at night but the result was worth it.
It took a lot of time to prepare and record videos. It was necessary to choose what exactly we would tell customers, which technologies to emphasize, and the colleagues from the Price and Product Management Department helped me a lot with this. Of course, video recording did not always work on the first take. Sometimes one five-minute video took two or three hours. But now everyone is provided with absolutely all the tools to learn about our appliances in any convenient way. You can listen, watch and interact – everything without problems.
Today we cannot say that this project is over. The advantage of virtual space is that we can always adapt it to new realities, so we will always have the perspectives to grow in order to make the interactive platform even more convenient and informative.
