D2C – Showrooms as a useful tool in direct sales
More and more manufacturers are opting for the D2C route in order to get closer to customers and gain more control over the marketing of their own products, and showrooms can be a useful marketing tool along the way. After all, if you want to grow sustainably as a brand, you need to be close to your customers and offer genuine experiences and direct communication. This is exactly where showrooms score: as a physical space in which products can be felt, conversations are possible and brands come to life.
Contents:
- What does D2C actually mean?
- Today, D2C is much more than just an online store
- Showrooms in the D2C concept: customer proximity at eye level
- Stories in space: bringing the brand to life
- D2C’s own showroom: the right partner is essential
- Practical examples: How D2C brands use the space for real proximity
- Conclusion: D2C needs more than clicks – it needs proximity
What does D2C actually mean?
D2C stands for “Direct to Consumer” – i.e. direct sales from the manufacturer to the end customer, without intermediaries such as wholesalers or stationary retailers. The brand sells its products via its own channels, such as its own online store, Amazon, TikTok or a showroom. It retains full control over prices, presentation and communication.
In contrast to traditional B2B or retail models, D2C enables greater flexibility and direct access to customer data. Those who sell directly can tailor offers to the target group, evaluate feedback more quickly and build long-term customer relationships.
While D2C used to be mainly characterized by performance marketing, the focus today is on differentiation, community and physical experiences. A current industry figure shows just how much the model has grown in the meantime: in the USA alone, the turnover of established D2C brands is estimated at 187 billion US dollars in 2025 – an increase of over 50 billion in just two years. D2C is therefore no longer a niche model, but an integral part of modern brand strategy.
Today, D2C is much more than just an online store
For a long time, having your own online store was considered the centerpiece of any D2C strategy. However, the cost of acquiring new customers in the D2C environment has risen by more than 60% in the past five years – at the same time, organic reach on platforms such as Instagram or Facebook is decreasing noticeably.
This has consequences: Brands that rely purely on digital touchpoints are increasingly reaching their limits. The competition for attention is tougher than ever. Many D2C companies are responding by taking their concept further and venturing into the physical world. This is where what is often missing online is created: real proximity.
Multi-sensory experiences, real conversations and direct feedback create trust and bring brands closer to their customers. This is why many companies are now consciously investing in showrooms – not as a traditional advertising expense, but as a strategic platform for long-term customer loyalty.
Showrooms in the D2C concept: customer proximity at eye level
As a supplement to online sales, showrooms allow companies to see their customers not just in the form of order data, but as real people with needs, expectations and emotions. Those who meet their target group live gain valuable insights – often much more directly and honestly than through online analyses or support requests.
Showrooms create space for:
- Personal conversations that create real connections
- Authentic feedback on products, range and brand impact
- Experience orientation, where products can not only be seen, but also tried out and felt
- emotional brand building that goes far beyond visual identity
- Local visibility, especially in urban locations with high footfall and media presence
Stories in space: bringing the brand to life
Good storytelling unfolds its full power in direct customer contact in particular – and showrooms offer the perfect stage for this. It’s not just about product presentation, but about the emotional staging of the brand itself.
Brands that want to tell their story in a credible and captivating way make targeted use of the physical space to make their values, origins and vision tangible. Colors, materials, light, sound – everything contributes to the atmosphere. In this way, a minimalist interior becomes an expression of clarity and quality, a curated product selection a reflection of the brand philosophy.
Many successful D2C brands stage their showrooms as walk-in brand experiences: with interactive displays, guided theme worlds or multi-sensory elements. Whether it’s a shoe manufacturer that makes the journey from design to production visible or a cosmetics label that explains its ingredients as a walk-in installation – good storytelling combines information with emotion and creates lasting memories.
D2C’s own showroom: the right partner is essential
The step from digital sales to having your own physical presence presents many opportunities and challenges. The choice of location, interior design, technology and staff require experience and a good feel for the brand and target group. Modern showrooms are modular experience spaces, flexibly scalable and individually staged. Many D2C brands start with pop-up formats to test new markets – with significantly less risk than with long-term rental contracts.
A key advantage of showrooms lies in the connection between the online and offline worlds. Digital elements such as QR codes, interactive displays or click & collect offers make the showroom an integral part of the customer journey. At the same time, new logistical possibilities are opening up: Increasingly, the spaces are serving as local fulfillment points for pick-up, returns or regional delivery.
For this to succeed, you need a sound concept and the right partner. Showme Stores supports growth-oriented brands from planning and implementation through to the integration of digital and physical touchpoints – efficiently, in line with the brand and with a view to long-term impact.
Practical examples: How D2C brands use the space for real proximity
These three examples show how D2C brands use physical presence strategically:
- Florens, a wellness label with a focus on modern sauna culture, uses pop-up formats as a test environment for new sauna experiences. The direct exchange with customers provides quick feedback – and shortens product development cycles.
- BuddyLove, a boho-style US fashion and lifestyle brand, transforms its showroom into a tangible lifestyle world: with events such as styling brunches, blogger shoots or girls’ nights – and thus creates emotional brand loyalty.
- SITKA, a supplier of outdoor and hunting clothing, goes one step further and turns its store into a community platform – with themed seminars, product training and space for like-minded people to exchange ideas.
These examples show: Those who create proximity gain far more than visibility – namely trust, loyalty and valuable insights.
Conclusion: D2C needs more than clicks – it needs proximity
Successful D2C strategies do not remain exclusively digital. If you want to hold your own in the market in the long term, you have to offer more than just an online shopping cart and convenience. Showrooms are the logical extension for brands that not only want to sell, but also connect. They create places where products can be experienced, stories told and relationships built.
In an increasingly saturated market, genuine proximity is becoming a decisive factor. Customers don’t just want pure advertising promises. They want to feel whether a brand delivers what it promises! Visibility on site, personal discussions, authentic feedback: all this not only strengthens customer loyalty, but also credibility.
Brands that take this step give themselves a clear advantage. Because those who create proximity gain trust – and those who gain trust secure the best positions in the market in the long term. D2C is then not just a sales model, but a real competitive advantage.
