Made.com capitalises on 'collaborative consumption' trend with social network launch
E-commerce furniture store Made.com has launched a social networking platform designed to encourage consumers to connect with existing Made customers in their neighbourhood, as the brand continues its drive to tie together its physical and digital retail experience
Made Unboxed has been designed to let users take a virtual house tour and meet face to face to see how Made customers have styled their products at home.
The network aims to bridge the gap for its customers who would like to see its products in a real-life situation before purchase. Visitors to the platform can search by postcode or by product to see who has purchased what in their area.
Chloe Macintosh, Made.com co-founder and creative director, said: "Unboxed contextualises our products without the need for costly lifestyle shoots or high street shops, which ultimately the customer would pay for. But more than that, Unboxed demonstrates ‘collaborative consumption’ - a movement empowering consumers to take inspiration from each other.
“Word of mouth has always been our most important marketing channel, and we see Unboxed as a great way to cultivate those conversations between our customers and their neighbours.
The platform launches with almost 100 ‘brand advocates’ who have their own profile including professional photos of their home.
Earlier this month Made installed hand held tablets in its London showroom giving consumers the ability to scan visual NFC tags, such as images or symbols, to get more information about a product and create a list of items they are interested in.