Maximizing Virtual Showrooms to Boost Wholesale Revenue

Virtual showrooms are digital spaces where brands can showcase their collections and potential buyers can browse products and place orders.

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They were adopted by many brands during the pandemic as an alternative to in-person visits when travel was restricted, but a 2021 report from McKinsey & Co revealed that even post-COVID, buyers were more drawn to this way of working. It claimed that when it came to B2B buyers, ‘more than two-thirds opted for remote human interactions or digital self-service’. 

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Virtual showrooms have proven popular and are now a key part of the wholesale buying process. Research from Gartner predicted that by 2025, 80% of B2B sales interactions between suppliers and buyers will occur in digital channels, and their projection looks set to be correct. 

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This guide will highlight the many benefits of virtual showrooms and provide useful tips to help brands maximize their showrooms’ impact and earning potential. Read on to learn how to utilize your brand story and unique imagery in tandem with in-person activities to achieve wholesale revenue growth.

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The Benefits of Virtual Showrooms

Make Buyers' Lives Easier 

Virtual showrooms make it quick and convenient for buyers to shop your brand. There’s no travel involved, and for digital spaces with mobile and app capabilities, buyers can easily browse your collections on their daily commute, at their desk or on the go.

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This flexibility increases the likelihood that they will not only have the time to give your product their full attention, but that they will place an order.

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Access New Markets

A virtual showroom can also give a brand global reach. By taking your products to the right online platform, you are potentially opening your brand up for any buyer in the world to see.

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A digital space is open 24/7, meaning time zones are no longer an issue, and with many virtual showroom platforms offering translation capabilities, access to new markets has never been easier. 

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A Cost-Effective Solution

There are minimal costs involved in running a virtual showroom compared to a physical space, and they are a lot simpler to maintain. They require no decor, cleaning or security at the door, so brands can invest their savings back into other areas of business.

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A More Personalized Approach

Virtual showrooms are often customizable, so you can tailor the digital experience to best suit the buyer you are trying to target.

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This is virtually impossible with a physical space, but in the online space, personalization can occur in just a few clicks. This means brands can take a much more targeted approach to selling, allowing them to grow exponentially.

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How to Maximize the Impact of a Virtual Showroom

Show Them Every Angle

Don’t just rely on standard packshots for your virtual showroom; instead, invest in 360° imagery and video to bring your lookbooks to life and create a truly immersive online experience for buyers.

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A high-resolution video that captures the intricate details of your embroidery and the movement of your fabric could be the factor that sways a buyer to place an order, so it’s important to invest in these details to ensure maximum growth potential. 

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Tell Your Brand Story 

While quality visuals are crucial, don’t neglect words, too. A great virtual showroom should have a detailed brand story that lets buyers know the history of your brand and highlights any key achievements, accolades or press features that provide credibility and could sway them to shop from you.

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Remember, this may be the first time they have ever encountered your brand, so you want to make an impact and put your best foot forward.

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Let Buyers Shop Their Way 

The beauty of a virtual showroom is that it can be used by different buyers in different ways.

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Buyers with a good understanding of your brand whom you already have a close relationship with, can adopt a self-serve approach, hopping into your showroom and reordering on their own, whereas buyers who are new to your brand may want to use a virtual showroom in conjunction with a virtual appointment.

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This means you can talk them through the collection and be on hand to answer further questions, greatly increasing your chances of securing orders. 

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Don’t Turn Your Back on In-Person Entirely 

The key to maximizing wholesale growth is to use virtual showrooms in tandem with in-person activities for a 360° approach. Leveraging a digital platform to facilitate a physical showroom appointment can improve efficiency, allow more orders to be processed in a shorter amount of time and help buyers find solutions when product is out of stock. 

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Brodie Cashmere found JOOR’s virtual showroom iPad app to be a key factor in making their order process more seamless. If they didn’t have a color of a certain product, they were able to quickly pull up different options via the app during an in-store appointment to show buyers alternatives in real time.  

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JOOR’s Superior Virtual Showrooms 

There are three key factors that make JOOR’s virtual showrooms rise above any other solutions in the market:

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Firstly, no other platform integrates with a public linesheet in the same way as JOOR. We make the entire wholesale order process easier for buyers, allowing them to shop directly from a virtual showroom in an e-commerce-like way. This majorly benefits brands in our network and increases their chances of revenue growth.

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Secondly, our platform provides unrivaled data insights and real-time reporting, allowing you to make better strategic decisions about your product and business. This can help inform how you build your showroom and how you improve your linesheet for the best chance of maximizing orders.

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Finally, our digital trade show portal JOOR Passport allows you to take your virtual showroom along to some of the world’s biggest industry events, without you stepping foot outside your office. Our curated online events bring primed retailers straight to your digital storefront, maximizing your chance of wholesale success and helping you to forge long-lasting retail relationships.

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If you’re ready to add a virtual showroom to your brand’s wholesale strategy, request a demo today.

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