At Home in the Shop

Preview image of “At Home in the Shop”
  • Shopping for furniture via live chat
  • Shutterstock

Companies are switching to virtual sales advice.

Furniture startup Burrow, founded in 2017, quickly made a name for itself in North America with combinable pieces of furniture, sustainably shipped in the mail, which fit together in modules according to the mix-and-match principle. After several successful financing rounds and the expansion of its New York shop space in February 2020, Burrow has had to close its doors due to the pandemic. The young furniture retailer has reacted flexibly: with the “Burrow House at Home” service, customers can book 15- or 30-minute chats with employees, to pose design and product questions via smartphone or tablet, get advice, and place orders directly.

Also in New York State, Matthew Zappone, general manager of the local Chrysler representation, is offering a digital shopfloor. Interested customers can access all the usual services of employees, but without human contact, and view their chosen car models live via Facetime. The European counterpart is provided by Hyundai in Aschaffenburg, where eight sales consultants can present and discuss four different car models in the showroom via video chat.