Dive Brief:
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BuyBuy Baby introduced a 3D nursery design tool to help expecting parents to create their ideal space, the retailer announced on Wednesday.
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The tool lets parents create and visualize a nursery in real time. Users can add and swap furniture and decor like dressers, cribs, bedding, and rugs in and out of a room, and add selected items to their cart to purchase. It provides users with 15 pre-designed nurseries or lets parents start from an empty room.
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The technology is the latest service added to a collection of nursery design and digital shopping tools as part of the company's Design Squad platform available on BuyBuy Baby's website.
Dive Insight:
BuyBuy Baby said that it has developed these online tools to help millennial and Gen Z parents. The 3D nursery design feature combined with the retailer's curbside pickup, store pickup and same-day delivery options ensures that parents can quickly create their child's nursery, Patty Wu, senior vice president and general manager of BuyBuy Baby, said in a statement.
BuyBuy Baby's Design Squad services also include a style quiz, a blog with tips and inspiration, custom nursery designs, and a Q&A service with designers, which connects consumers with professional interior designers who provide recommendations. Other retailers, including David's Bridal and Macy's, have rolled out virtual styling services to assist consumers during the pandemic.
With its shoppable nursery ideas, an online collection of 35 nurseries in different styles that consumers can buy from or add to a registry, BuyBuy Baby is also following the lead of other retailers, including Saks Fifth Avenue and Walmart, that have also created shoppable content for shoppers.
Meanwhile, BuyBuy Baby's parent company, Bed Bath & Beyond, is in the midst of a digital transformation. In addition to rolling out digital design resources for consumers, Bed Bath & Beyond began offering same-day delivery last October for BuyBuy Baby and its namesake stores. The company's third-quarter net sales dipped 5% from last year to $2.6 billion, but digital sales spiked by 77%.
