If the idea of shopping for outdoor furniture doesn’t excite you, you’re not alone. For years the typical experience, in-store and online, left a lot to be desired.
Typical retail showrooms force customers (especially in suburban areas) to drive a long distance only to face pushy salespeople and limited inventory. In recent years consumers have asked for a different experience, in the form of convenient, no-fuss online shopping. You can get literally anything delivered to your door, and fairly quickly.
However, it’s risky to buy an investment piece online. You don’t always know what you’re getting. You can’t feel the fabric or test the comfort. How will it look in your yard? What if it isn’t what you expected?
This is just another inhibitor to spending quality time outside. In the past, we have not had great outdoor furniture options, plus shopping for it is a major endeavor, so our backyard gets overlooked. We spend 90% of our lives inside, though we know we should get out more.
How do we fix this? How do we marry the tactile experience of the showroom with the convenience of e-commerce and add a neighborly environment to boot? It’s a tall order, but one we’re happy to fulfill.
Meet Outer’s Neighborhood Showrooms, now open in Los Angeles. We’re reinventing how we shop, one backyard at a time.
Neighborhood Showroom extends the browsing experience into our customers’ backyards. Hosts (real-life Outer customers) welcome potential customers over on an appointment basis and are compensated for their time. Shoppers can see the Outer sofa in a real-life, contextualized environment: a home in their own neighborhood, and a space that mimics their own in style or size.
Unlike typical retail salespeople, our showroom Hosts offer a refreshingly honest perspective. Ask anything. No pressure, just two neighbors talking. Shoppers can see, touch, inquire, and then go home and customize their sofa order online.
Our inaugural Los Angeles Neighborhood Showrooms
Beyond transforming the retail experience, Neighborhood Showroom points to a larger Outer mission: to build a community around outdoor living. Our Neighborhood Showrooms make connecting with our neighbors easier. It’s inspiring to see how others enjoy and style their outdoor space. And it reminds us all that the best experiences often start in our own backyards.
We hope you enjoy this fresh take on retail, and we encourage feedback and ideas about how to make it even better. Check out a Neighborhood Showroom near you, or if you’re interested in being a host, apply today.
Drop us a line anytime at team@liveouter.com.