Furniture retailer MyPad has brought internet shopping to the high street with a build your own bed touch screen TV.
Customers can come in to the West’s Centre MyPad store and use the 50-inch screen to choose the various elements to build their furniture and see the virtual results before placing an order.
MyPad owner Paul Clark said that the screen was a great way to combine the choice offered by technology, the convenience of online shopping and the personal service of a store.
“There are some great opportunities out there to revitalise the industry and bring life and customers back to centre of St Helier but retailers have got to be innovative and find ways to bring technology in-store so that people get the best of both worlds. The nature of high street retailing has changed and we can’t turn the clock back.
“The fact is that customers find it easier to shop online so we’ve got to provide the same service and convenience and combine that with the parts of the high street experience that they still want,” said Paul.
The new touch screen in the MyPad store allows customers to build their own bed, choosing everything from the wood, the frame design and mattress type and then order it through the store. People can see what they are ordering and go back and change elements that don’t look right as they would online but with the added bonus that there is someone in store to help them with questions they might have.
MyPad has also expanded the floor space of its West’s Centre store by taking over the premises next door to the current showroom, doubling its size. “We have seen a pretty rapid growth in our customer base. People really like the fresh and contemporary look of the items that we are bringing to the Island and the expansion of the floor space works well with the overall experience that we want to be able to offer.
“It’s about combining the convenience of ordering online with the help you get from a bricks and mortar store and it also takes the risks associated with shipping to Jersey away from the customer,” said Paul.
