Lakes’ virtual showroom ushers in a new era for sales, says Fayers

Fayers is the first independent merchant to launch Lakes‘ innovative online showroom platform to its trade customers, and the first retailer to present the new shopping experience to consumers through the Just Add Water website.

Lakes, one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of showering spaces, launched its virtual showroom concept in July, as a pioneering selling tool for merchant and retail stockists and their installer and homeowner customers. 

The online platform allows Lakes products to be viewed and favourited, helping merchant sales and showroom staff turn leads into orders, and upsell complementary products such as taps, showers, grab rails and shower seats.

Accessed through the stockist’s own website, visitors to the Lakes showroom can also download joint-branded brochures and ask questions directly to the stockists’ staff via chat and email. 

Fayers, a member of the Fortis buying group, was keen to include the Lakes virtual showroom platform on both its trade and Just Add Water consumer websites.

Ken Beney, Managing Director and Fortis Category Director, commented: “As a merchant and retailer, we often feature links to our trade partners and suppliers on our website, but these usually direct customers off our site and they don’t always come back to us to make a purchase.

“With the Lakes virtual showroom, we can offer our customers more product and technical information while keeping them within our site and hopefully securing the sale. 

“As well as keeping traffic within our website and driving sales, the Lakes online showroom makes life easier for our staff as they can access it from our website – there’s no need to waste time logging in and out of websites. It’s a really exciting concept.”

After two years in development, the Lakes virtual showroom has been launched at just the right time, as online shopping has surged while access to physical showrooms has been restricted.  

Mike Tattam, Lakes Sales & Marketing Director, added: “With the current physical restrictions on visits to showrooms, stockists are keen to capitalise on the growing online trend – and that’s where our online showroom platform can help our customers grow their business.

“By offering an enriched virtual shop window, that integrates with stockists’ existing facilities and staff and doesn’t substitute them, our stockists can engage with more potential buyers and help their sales and showroom staff turn interest into orders.”

The online showroom platform was developed by MRA Marketing – the company’s Managing Director, Lucia Di Stazio, spoke about it.

“We created this showroom platform to enable merchants and manufacturers to offer a personalised online experience to their trade customers, and for end user customers.

“Lakes has raised the bar on what manufacturers can do to help their trade partners sell. Our virtual showroom delivers an engaging, interactive online shop window to attract more visitors while providing the selling tools required to convert online traffic into orders.”

Lakes Online Showroom is at www.fayers.co.uk/products and www.justaddwater.co.uk/products. 

Tel: 01684 853 870

LinkedIn

Twitter

Visit the website

Visit Supplier's page