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SAN FRANCISCO—Williams-Sonoma has broadened its partnership with decorating and branded gaming app Design Home to unveil 30 furniture pieces from Pottery Barn.
The retailer first debuted on the app in 2018 with furniture pieces from West Elm. Over the course of this year, the partnership will expand to include Rejuvenation, Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Teen and Williams Sonoma Home.
Having debuted in 2016, Design Home is an app that allows users—mostly female and with an average age of 38—to be virtual home decorators in a gaming format, working with a range of homes from beachside cottages to downtown lofts, using furniture from real-world brands. The average session is 30 minutes long, a spokesperson said.
“Our partnership with Design Home creates a unique opportunity for Pottery Barn to reach consumers on a highly interactive, engaging platform,” said Kimberly House, director of marketing at Pottery Barn. “Players can immerse themselves in the world of interior design, explore design trends and integrate Pottery Barn products into their designs. We’re excited to be part of Design Home experience and create new ways for consumers to discover and engage with Pottery Barn.”
“Every day, over 1 million consumers engage with the world of interior design through Design Home,” said Chris McGill, general manager of Design Home. “Extending our partnership with Williams-Sonoma, Inc.’s portfolio of brands allows passionate players to explore the latest interior design trends and products in an educational gaming playground.”
In October 2019, Design Home partnered with the West Elm Holiday House, a pop up in New York. Players could decorate West Elm Holiday House renderings through its creative game play challenges. Just under one million rooms were submitted, which was 20 percent more than a typical challenge, a spokesperson said. More than 5 million pieces of West Elm furniture were placed in the design challenges.
The spokesperson added that women are 79 percent more likely to spend money on mobile games, including virtual currency, according to 2019 Mobile Gaming Apps Report, while women account of 46 percent of all game enthusiasts in the U.S., according to NewZoo.
