E-commerce giant Flipkart steps its foot in the offline market with its new furniture experience centre in Bangalore.

Set up in 1800 square feet space it aims to give customers a glimpse into the selection that it offers in its furniture category, apart from creating awareness around seamless buying and installation. 

“The furniture category has traditionally had a strong presence offline, because customers like to see and touch the products they are buying,” said Adarsh Menon, vice-president of furniture, electronics and private label at Flipkart. “The idea behind the FurniSure Experience Zone is to allow customers to explore Flipkart Furniture’s offerings in a new and innovative fashion,” he added.

The list of competitors to watch out for includes Urban Ladder, Pepperfry and Ikea. While Pepperfry has 42 stores and has plans to hit the target of 100 by this years end, Ikea’s flagship store in Hyderabad is set up in 4 lakh square foot sprawling. 

Other e-commerce startups like Lenskart and Grofers have also moved offline in order to attract more customers and to deliver better experiences. 

While most e-commerce players seem to be in agreement that offline is the way to go, furniture certainly appears to be a good category to take offline. 

Also Read: Why Co-Existence In Offline And Online Market Is The Best Strategy For Future