Photo/Illutration Rare products from startups and other companies are on display inside a b8ta store in Tokyo’s Yurakucho district. (Provided by b8ta Japan G.K.)

Showrooms in Tokyo's Yurakucho and Shinjuku districts where shoppers can see and try out merchandise on display are nothing out of the ordinary.

But in the ones that b8ta Japan G.K. opened in August last year, there are no cash registers or sales on site. Instead, customers are asked to place their orders online for items such as a desktop clothes dryer and a delivery locker. 

Catering to a growing number of customers visiting brick-and-mortar shops to check out products but purchasing them online, retailers are increasing their stores dedicated to "showrooming."

Startups and other businesses that have no dealings with retailers are renting small sections in these showrooms to display their products.

The trend has attracted attention, seen as a way to re-evaluate the meaning of physical stores amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced millions of people to stay at home.

"Starting a business amid the coronavirus pandemic was like going into an unknown world, but it is 100 percent perfect," said Takuji Kitagawa, head of the Japanese arm of b8ta Inc., which originated in the Silicon Valley in California.

Tokyo-based Brain Sleep Co., which handles highly breathable pillows, started selling its products at the b8ta outlets in spring last year.

"We had previously been selling online, but many consumers said they wanted to try our products before buying them," a representative said.

Office furniture supplier Itoki Corp. has also been promoting chairs for home workers in the b8ta showrooms since spring.

"We're looking forward to attracting customers with high sensitivity who come to a store lined with latest products," said Atsushi Nitami, who is in charge of product development at the company.

Department store operator Parco Co. joined with Campfire Inc., a leading crowdfunding platform operator, to set up a showroom at its outlet in Tokyo's Shibuya district in 2019. Put on display are the latest digital gadgets and other items, including products currently launched on the crowdfunding website.

In June, private railway operator Keio Corp. opened the Insel Store showroom devoted to trying on clothes and other pieces, which is housed in the Kirarina Keio Kichijoji station building in the capital. Up to 20 fashion brands promote their merchandise in the store, which has a floor space of 60 square meters.

While consumers continue to stay at home, there have been changes in their behavior. For example, they spend an average of about one minute less in stores than before the pandemic.

"We thought we must try something new because of the pandemic," deputy manager Kyohei Tsunoda said.

Ryo Yano, a consultant at Nomura Research Institute Ltd., added: "Even if the coronavirus is contained, there is a high possibility that consumers won't change their behavior (to purchase items online) back to the way it was before. I think retailers will accelerate their efforts to convert their business models for physical stores to differentiate them from others."

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