In 2023, Sharp UK successfully launched their industry-first and now award-winning, Virtual Showroom Experience. Designed to transform Sharp’s client and dealer-partner journeys, the newly launched experience has been curated to meet changing market and client needs. As Millennials and Gen Z continue to make up a larger proportion of the B2B audience, there is increasing demand for digital interaction. The Virtual Showroom enables this, providing an immersive and virtual platform to explore the Sharp portfolio.
This innovation brings an elevated experience to organisations exploring workplace technology and transformation. At conception the Virtual Showroom Experience has been designed to provide additional information for decision makers during their buying journey. The experience now sits alongside Sharp’s physical showrooms, incorporating Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) to level-up client and prospect experiences.
Whether self-guided or with the help of Sharp’s technology experts, the new showroom empowers clients and prospects alike, enabling them to take control of their own buying journey.
Meeting changing market demands
As an industry leading Technology Partner, Sharp listened to market needs, adapting the client journey to provide options for all the B2B buyers of today and the future.
Post-pandemic the demand for in- person interaction has changed. With a plethora of in-person showrooms, Sharp felt that they needed to create a supplementary option for those buyers seeking an enhanced digital journey.
Supporting both ends of the sales and marketing funnel, the showroom allows prospects to conduct their own research, browsing the showroom and utilising features like AR to make informed decisions.
Further down the funnel, the showroom is used to host meetings and share product information during sales conversations between Sharp’s technology experts and clients and prospects.
Tried and tested
Prior to its launch in late 2023, the Virtual Showroom underwent thorough development to ensure that the experience was as seamless and user friendly as possible.
Initially, the Sharp team soft launched the showroom to create an avenue for feedback and input on the experience. Sales teams were encouraged to trial it with clients and prospects. It was also placed on the website to allow organic traffic to explore.
The insights from this, provided rich information for further development and improvements. Over a 2-month period the showroom was tweaked and tested, ready for a full launch to dealer- partners and media later in the year.
Feature-rich
As part of the development process the team at Sharp also considered future use and longevity, including features like AR and VR to ensure the showroom was multi-use and future-proofed.
Clients and prospects can also access on-demand support and information with live chat functionality. At events, VR headsets are used, allowing prospects to visualise products, services, and solutions. QR codes let prospects scan and use AR 3D product renders on their own devices.
The virtual meeting feature, available in the direct sales version, enables meetings to take place within the showroom. This provides prospects with control over navigating and exploring, supported by Sharp’s technology experts.
Stuart Sykes, Managing Director, Sharp UK explains that “The aim of the experience is to provide buyers with a way to help them explore what they can achieve with technology in their workplace and organisation. Saving time and travel evaluating our portfolio more easily, to quickly reach that all-important conclusion as to which product, solutions and or service, is right for their organisation. Our Virtual Showroom will help them to make more informed decisions with features like AR, which lets them use their mobile phones to view scaled product renders, visualising solutions in their own workplace”.
Holistic portfolio overview
Crafted with all Sharp’s clients in mind, the platform has dedicated environments for business and education and features a wide range of products, including Audio Visual Solutions such as Interactive Displays, Meeting and Video Conferencing, AV Furniture, Interactive Tables, Digital Signage Displays and Projectors,
The showroom also incorporates Sharp’s award-winning Multi- Function Printers, including A4 and A3 models. Plasmacluster Air Purifiers and Optimised Visitor Management which are showcased across most environments. In addition to information and insights on Sharp’s IT Services, Software Solutions and Workplace Design offerings.
Differentiating Technology Partners
The showroom benefits members of the award-winning Sharp Technology Partner Programme. Launched to dealer- partners in late 2023, the showroom was accompanied with comprehensive launch materials and training.
All 3 tiers of the Technology Partner Programme benefit from using the Virtual Showroom with their own prospects and clients.
A distinctive and impressive tool, the showroom is used by dealer-partners to differentiate through providing a unique experience when engaging with prospects. Many have already embedded the showroom on their own website and in their sales processes.
Continuous improvement
In its short lifespan the showroom has seen great success, winning a PrintIT Award for Innovation. Now the experience will be continually evolved to integrate new Sharp products, service, and solutions as and when they launch. Development work will also cover the environments themselves, creating additional product use case examples to demonstrate Sharp/NEC products, Furniture products and Workplace Design services within education and business settings.
Nevertheless, the core aim of the showroom continues to be to provide clients, prospects, and dealer-partners with a holistic, intuitive, and interactive overview of Sharp’s capabilities across Technology and IT Services.
You can explore the Sharp Virtual Showroom Experience at https://virtualshowroom.sharp.co.uk.
