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ADVICE & INFORMATION

Matt Cater

Bridging worlds: Designing the physical and

digital journey in flooring retail

As retail evolves, flooring brands must seamlessly connect digital discovery
with meaningful and engaging in-store experiences, says Matt

LOORING is one retail category that visualiser. Now they can see it in a every element should speak the same
Fresists going fully digital, and it’s for room, explore complementary colours, visual and verbal language. Whether a
good reason. It’s an emotional purchase. accessories, door bars etc. – all while customer is browsing swatches on a
Customers want to touch it, feel it, hold holding the physical sample. That’s the tablet or standing in front of a room set
it up against their sofa or curtains. kind of overlap we mean: one journey, in-store, the story should feel cohesive
They want to see how it catches the multiple touchpoints, working together and true to the brand. When showroom
light, how it feels underfoot. That tactile to inform, inspire and convert. display echoes online presence,
reassurance is hard to replicate on a Technology as a conduit it becomes instantly familiar and
screen. In-store tech, such as tablets, RFID and unmistakably yours, leading customers
Flooring is about comfort, style and QR codes, shouldn’t be there simply for past competitors on arrival in-store
how a space feels, which is why it won’t show. It should act as a conduit between without hesitation.
be swallowed up by the Amazons of information and customer. Without Let’s be honest: not every customer
the world anytime soon. The logistics it, displays can become word-heavy, wants the full journey. Some just need
are tricky, but more importantly, the irrelevant or overly reliant on staff. the cheapest piece of flooring to finish
decision-making is personal. That a rental. But others – the aspirational
said, the journey typically begins buyers, the design-led homeowners –
online – particularly for the more well- they want more. They do their homework.
established brands. They care about things like
Much like buying a car, customers sustainability, longevity and brand
spend hours researching, comparing and values. For them, the journey matters
configuring online, but they won’t part and it needs to feel seamless.
with serious money without seeing it in Consistency builds trust and trust drives
person. Flooring follows the same path. conversion.
The groundwork is increasingly digital, Designing with intent
but the final decision is made in the Flooring brands need to stop thinking in
showroom. silos. Your digital strategy isn’t separate
So, the challenge for flooring brands from your showroom strategy. They’re
is this: how do you design a customer two halves of the same experience, and
journey where digital and physical With it, customers can self-direct, they need to be designed that way.
experiences pick up where the other explore and build confidence in their It’s not just adding tech to your
leaves off? choices. Tech only works when it’s showroom or polishing your website. It’s
Connecting the experience developed alongside the physical understanding how people actually shop.
Too often, digital and physical strategies experience. Not as an add-on, but as Customers don’t think in channels. They
are developed in isolation. Marketing part of the same strategy. start online, narrow their choices and
focuses on one thing, merchandising Premium brands need to focus on walk into a store expecting familiarity.
on another, and the left hand doesn’t aligning digital and physical storytelling The brands that will lead are the
speak to the right. This is where change so that each reinforces the other. Think ones designing with intent. They’re
is needed. Rather than building two not waiting for digital and physical to
separate journeys that converge out of it this way: a well-trained retail meet by accident – they’re making sure
of necessity, we must design a single, colleague can guide a customer through every touchpoint leads smoothly to the
cohesive experience from the outset. options, but not every showroom has next, creating a cohesive and intuitive
Digital tools that support physical that luxury. Digital tools can fill that customer experience.
exploration, and physical spaces that gap – not by replacing people, but by Not just functional. Not just clever. But
reinforce digital confidence. supporting them. They offer consistency, genuinely helpful. And if you get it right,
Take our sample chip system. A clarity and a sense of control for the you won’t just convert more customers,
customer begins online, requests a customer, increasing the propensity to you’ll build a brand that feels considered,
sample and receives it at home. They purchase. reliable and worth coming back to. 
bring it into the showroom, view a larger Synchronised storytelling www.wefathom.com
version, and scan it to trigger a virtual From web content to signage and POS, Matt Cater is owner of Fathom

66 CFJ July 2026 www.contractflooringjournal.co.uk
@CFJMagazine