Jess Inglis: Your website, socials and search results are your new shop window

From Google searches and social media to websites and reviews, a potential client will have formed an opinion of your services before they even reach your showroom – marketing and social media consultant Jess Inglis on how to adapt to the new digital-first reality.

For years in the KBB industry, the showroom has been the key driver in lead generation and progressing customers through the buying journey. It was where businesses could create that all-important first impression the moment someone walked through the door – with the atmosphere, displays and service doing the talking. Many customers would arrive through word-of-mouth recommendations and, more often than not, would then leave the showroom and go on to explore the website or social media afterwards. Today, however, even recommended businesses are researched online first, with customers becoming far more informed and digitally aware before taking the next step.

The customer journey now almost always begins online. Long before enquiring, booking an appointment or visiting a showroom, potential customers are already researching and comparing businesses. They are scrolling through Instagram, browsing websites, reading Google reviews and forming opinions within seconds. In many cases, perceptions around the quality, professionalism and credibility of a showroom are established before any direct interaction has even taken place.

Over the last decade, I’ve seen a significant shift in how customers engage with retailers. Digital platforms are no longer simply a marketing add-on; they have become the new ‘front door’ to the showroom.

Visual consistency plays a huge role in this. Customers instinctively notice when a business feels disjointed; whether that’s inconsistent social media graphics, outdated websites, poor-quality imagery or messaging that doesn’t reflect the quality of the showroom itself.

How many times have you researched a company online, landed on an outdated website or seen they haven’t posted on social media in months, and immediately questioned whether they are still actively trading? Most customers will naturally assume inactivity before assuming a business is simply ‘too busy’ to post.

In contrast, a cohesive and regularly updated digital presence immediately creates confidence. It reassures customers that the business is established, engaged and professional before a conversation has even begun.

Photography is another area that has become increasingly important. In an industry built around design and investment purchases, imagery matters enormously. Poor photography can unintentionally lower the perceived value of a business, while strong project imagery helps customers emotionally connect with the lifestyle behind the space and not just the products within it.

One of the biggest misconceptions around digital presence is that businesses need to show everything online. In reality, the most effective showroom marketing often does the opposite. The goal is to create enough trust, inspiration and familiarity that customers want to take the next step and experience the business properly in person.

The businesses that do this well understand that customers are not simply buying kitchens or bathrooms; they are buying into people, service and experience. Increasingly, the content that performs best is not always the most polished, hard driven sales message, but the content that feels genuine. Showing the faces behind the business, sharing project journeys and documenting day-to-day showroom life all help build familiarity and trust long before a customer visits.

It is also important to think carefully about the platforms and methods used to share content. Social media, websites, traditional marketing or email marketing all serve different purposes and often reach customers at different stages of their journey. When used well, each touchpoint works together to create a consistent overall experience while still speaking to different audiences in different ways.

Retailers also need to rethink how they measure success online. Within the KBB industry, customer journeys are rarely immediate. Someone may follow a showroom for months before finally making contact once renovation plans become more concrete.

Not every post needs to generate an instant lead to have value.

Some of the most important digital marketing happens quietly in the background – building credibility, familiarity and trust over time.

Ultimately, digital presence should not replace the showroom experience, it should work alongside it. Because long before someone walks into a showroom, they are already deciding whether a business feels current, trustworthy and aligned to the level of investment they are about to make.

And in an increasingly competitive market, independent businesses that invest in presenting themselves consistently online are not simply improving their marketing – they are creating the confidence that turns digital interest into real showroom visits.