We wrote a couple years ago that fears of the ‘death of the high street’ were greatly exaggerated. And since then,  despite initially making their names by trading as online only retailers, the likes of Made.com and Loaf have opened showrooms in the UK to allow customers to explore the products in person.

But now, Made.com is stating that further European expansion involves showrooms that are purely there to enhance the brand rather than push sales.

According to Retail Bulletin, Philippe Chainieux, chief executive of Made.com says: “It’s about the brand experience. The number one objective is to engage with the audience. The showrooms are not a retail channel to drive revenues, they are an extension of our online business.”

So it’s all about making the store experience so compelling and alluring for customers that the don’t get tempted to buy their new sofa from anywhere else.

At The Behaviours Agency, we’d encourage Made.com to use the power of Behavioural Economics to enhance its store experience for shoppers. This is because by getting to grips with people’s behaviour we’re able to create clever yet simple nudges that influence shoppers as they go about making choices.

A great example of this is the hot state decision bias, which says that while people think they make rational, informed decisions based on meaningful consideration, the truth is they don’t. Which is why brands like Made.com need to emotionally engage shoppers’ senses in store – be it though what they see, touch or even smell.

And let’s face it, once shoppers are emotionally aroused by your brand you’ve made a connection that is not easily reversed.