Roland DG today announced the launch of its new EMEA Virtual Showroom, an immersive digital environment for customers and dealers to explore its products and services.
The first of its kind in the printing category, the new showroom is the next step in the digitization of the B2B sales journey, a trend that the coronavirus pandemic is set to accelerate.
From today, visitors to the showroom will be able to view and explore beautiful, crisp 360-degree digital renderings of Roland DG’s flagship TrueVIS series of printer/cutters. In the coming months, further Roland DG products will be added to the virtual line up including its IU-1000F flatbed printer, LEC2 and LEF ranges.
In the showroom, customers can watch end-to-end animations of the products in operation, as well as clicking on hotspots that illustrate specific features with additional information, animation and video. Roland DG has also developed an Augmented Reality solution letting users view a virtual model as it would appear in their workspaces.
Stephen Davis, EMEA Marketing Director at Roland DG comments: “At Roland DG we pride ourselves on our strong innovation credentials. This applies to our products, but also the way in which we bring products to market. As we re-establish a new business paradigm post-COVID, we’re taking the opportunity to develop a solution that will have ongoing benefits for our customers.”
According to a McKinsey study released in October, between 70 and 80 per cent of B2B decision makers prefer to engage with suppliers through remote human interactions or digital self-service. To meet this need, Roland DG’s virtual showroom features a sales configurator that helps visitors build a customised order with their choice of bed size, ink configuration and optional extras, all in a mobile-optimised environment.
Davis believes that the showroom will also add value to Roland DG’s distributor partners in the region, by equipping them with a powerful digital sales tool to use with customers and prospects. He continues: “We know our dealer network is constantly looking for smarter ways to serve their customers. We believe that the EMEA Virtual Showroom is something that will help them grow and develop their own business.”
The showroom was built by digital production company Phygital. Product Development Director Chris Savage comments: “Virtual showrooms are more commonly found in the automotive, retail and FMCG sectors. It is refreshing to see a company in a more traditional sector like printing take such a bold step and shake up the way it engages its customers and dealers. We expect the pandemic will prompt more companies in the category to follow Roland DG’s lead.”
To visit the Roland EMEA Virtual Showroom, please follow this link: https://www.rolanddg.co.uk/products/printers/truevis-vg2-series-printer-cutters-vr
