After an informative pop-up store, Povison learned shoppers want more power recliners, as the product accounted for 39% of sales with a 30% higher AOV.
Operating just one store has unlocked more sales and deeper customer engagement at furniture brand Povison, said Shirley Han, General Director at Povison.
In June, the direct-to-consumer furniture brand opened a flagship store in Los Angeles. This is the brand’s first permanent store, after a four-day pop-up in November in the area.
During the pop-up, shoppers spent more time than the brand expected touching the furniture’s material and testing the power reclining features of its couches and chairs, Han said. This then spurred a higher conversion rate for its power recliners and informed Povison’s merchandising strategy on what to focus on in stores.
From the four-day pop-up, power recliners (at 39%) and dining sets (at 44%) accounted for 83% of the total orders and generated 3.5 times the order volume of all other product categories.
This is lucrative news for Povison, as power recliners have an average order value that is 30% higher than the rest of its assortment.
The pop-up confirmed for the brand that physical retail should be a key part of its growth strategy, and it should accelerate its store-opening plans, Han said.
“The store is far more than just a sales point,” Han said. “It’s actually connecting us physically to our consumer directly.”
Povison now plans to open five more stores in the U.S. and seven internationally within the next two years, Han said.
Store vs. Online
From the store opening in June through the end of the year, Povison’s goal is for the store to generate $2-$3 million. The brand also aims for the store to create a halo effect for online sales in the Los Angeles market, as shoppers see the store in passing on the street and then purchase online, or visit the store in person and then purchase online later.
Povison only opened the store a few weeks ago, but revenue in the Los Angeles market already increased compared with before, Han said. Although, she does not want to rush to any conclusions because this is only a short timeframe.
Based on the positive feedback from the pop-up, the store features a large selection of motorized sofas and chairs for shoppers to look at. This strategy is working, as the power sofa has a 35% in-store conversion rate, compared with just 0.17% online, the brand said.
The brand has videos and many product details online, but in the store, shoppers can see and test the features and quality for themselves, such as the spill- and scratch-proof fabric. The brand has videos of these qualities on its website and on social media — but in the store Han will spill a dark soda and scratch the couch with a fork to demonstrate the fabric’s resistance right in front of shoppers, she said.
“There are some experiences where they can physically touch it and see the details appreciated for the designs, that for e-commerce they cannot really replicate,” Han said.
Marketing The Store
The brand is letting shoppers know about its physical store with content creators, social media ads and a media preview day.
Shoppers also are coming into the store after seeing it while driving by, she said. In addition, a chunk of shoppers are visiting the store while on vacation.
“They see us before online and they say, ‘I’m so surprised that you have a store,’” she said. “They have to stop by because to see it physically makes them feel more confident with what they’re getting.”
Having a store helps the brand host events quickly as the event space and its products are already there, and it doesn’t have to create something from scratch, she said. Plus, unlike before when it didn’t have a store, when the event is over, the store is still there, which provides a “lasting, sustainable connection with the market,” Han said.
Future Plans For Povison
For the Los Angeles store, Povison plans to bring its furniture designer to the store for a workshop to gather feedback from shoppers to receive future product design ideas.
Also in the store, the brand noticed shoppers continually gravitate toward its entertainment centers. So much so, that Povison is launching a sister brand called Cinest, exclusively focused on furniture to hold technology like speakers, projectors and televisions.
In the next few years, Povison plans to open international stores in Germany, Australia and Canada. The brand has warehouses in those countries so it makes sense to have a physical store there, Han said.
