CASE STUDY:

How Parla Boosted Nebraska Furniture Mart’s Conversion Rate to 58%

1-to-1 Live Video Selling Supercharged Conversion Rate, Raised Average Transaction Value, and Enhanced Customer Loyalty

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About Nebraska Furniture Mart (NFM)

Based in Omaha, Nebraska, NFM is a premier big box furniture retailer selling home goods ranging from appliances and furniture to electronics and flooring. Customers can shop online through NFM.com and in-store. The company ships all over the United States, but their local customer base spans a radius of 150 miles from each store location. The company operates massive superstores at multiple store locations, averaging over 1 million square feet of retail space per store.

The Challenge:

An Incomplete Online Experience

Nebraska Furniture Mart (NFM), a Berkshire Hathaway-owned national furniture retailer who operates massive superstores at multiple store locations, averaging over 1 million square feet of retail space per store,  sought to bridge the gap between their online and offline customer experiences, aiming to deliver a virtual customer journey as engaging as their famous in-store service. 

The Opportunity:

Mismatched pieces

NFM recognized the need to enhance online shopping confidence to increase sales and Average Order Value (AOV), and reduce returns. The company aimed to offer a virtual experience, as engaging as their in-store service, by connecting customers with sales agents through 1-to-1 live video interactions.

Their first efforts didn’t feel quite right to customers, but the team recognized that their strategy was just missing the right partner to execute.

We draw customers from a distance of up to 150 miles away from our stores – that can be a six hour roundtrip. 1-to-1 live selling helps us give customers, who can't easily access our stores, a way to understand and look at the details of something they’d like to purchase by connecting with our sales agents.

Parla is really helping us drive sales and be more competitive. 

- Rodney Rahl, NFM 

Parla Moves In

NFM chose Parla for its retail-specific features and seamless integration with their existing systems. Unlike the generic online conferencing tools they had initially tried, Parla's customizable interface and integration with NFM’s e-commerce, sales workflow, payments and CRM infrastructure added just the right touches to bring NFM’s devoted customers into an omni-channel experience.

1-to-1 Live Selling Completes the Look

To implement Parla's “Appointments & Video Calls” capability, the NFM team simply added a single line of Parla code into the NFM.com website. This brought Parla's entire appointment scheduling experience directly to customers with an authentic NFM look-and-feel, complete with accessibility features that made it easy for anyone to use. 

To invite customers to schedule appointments, NFM added a “Virtual Shopping” call-to-action in optimal locations throughout the site. When clicked, it displayed an NFM-branded version of Parla’s booking page, guiding customers to select a department, appointment duration, and answer a few brief qualifying questions to help sales associates prepare for their appointments.

NFM’s use of Parla resulted in a 58% Conversion Rate (much higher than online-only)

 

Results: Parla Adds Just the Right Touch

The adoption of Parla’s 1-to-1 live video selling approach not only bridged the gap between online browsing and in-store shopping but also created a distinct competitive advantage for NFM.

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Sales Results Included:

Increased Conversion Rates:

  • Personalized live calls led to a 58% conversion rate, dramatically higher than online-only interactions.

Higher Average Order Value (AOV):

  • Tailored recommendations and upsells increased AOV

Customer Rapport and Loyalty:

  • 1-to-1 interactions fostered ongoing relationships, making customers more likely to return to NFM.

Shopper Insights:

  • Customer shopping journey: Appointments were booked for customer either at the beginning of their shopping search, or approaching the final decision-phase of their shopping journey. 
  • Personalized recommendations: Pre-appointment questionnaires helped tailor suggestions and reduce frustration.
  • Confident Decisions: Live shopping facilitated confident purchase decisions for higher-ticket items and fewer returns.
  • Ongoing relationships & Loyalty. Customers enjoyed reconnecting with trusted sales associates for consistency and rapport.

Photo credits: NFM.com All Rights Reserved