Craig Rothwell, business development director of Onfigr explains online configurators provide a virtual showroom, entice purchases and help upsell or close a deal

I think we can all agree there are endless possibilities when it comes to kitchen and bathroom design, and that the end user can often feel overwhelmed when navigating the different elements.

As consumers look to the expertise of KBB brands and businesses for guidance and product intel, there’s a natural expectation they’ll be able to deliver the most up-to-date solutions to meet an end users brief.

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However, a retail space is not a warehouse offering capacity for huge volumes of stock, so you need to have a bolt-on system in place that gives access to products without the square footage, and drive customer enquiries through to your sales teams.

Helping convert customers

With this and the current state of the economy in mind, there is a strong need to convert design conversations into copper-bottomed sales as quickly and accurately as possible.

Investing in a configurator can serve as a satellite virtual showroom thanks to the latest photo realistic 3D graphics.

In my experience, configurators are extremely effective in helping customers to figure out what they want before moving onto the next level of the design and purchasing cycle.

So, is your current system overcomplicating the design process and ultimately, putting off buyers with low-quality visuals?

Does it truly capture the beauty and style of the products you’re offering and original concepts by your team of designers?

Given the popularity of high-definition TV and video, and the rich visuals available on social media and smart devices, is a static image really enough to captivate your customer into buying with you?

Upsell using technology

We are finding consumers are becoming more and more sophisticated in their tastes as the trend for personalisation permeates every part of the market.

It therefore makes sense to plan for the future in terms of how you can upsell your customers and best showcase your design skills.

Think about how having a panoramic view on the screen could give your team more freedom to show customers the possibilities of installing a window seat, adding a bootroom or simply seeing both sides of an island unit at lighting speed to really customise storage space and hardware.

And consider how much time you’d save by having a responsive multi-device system so you can make real-time adjustments to a blueprint while on a site visit!

Not only can you help your customers re-imagine their home, you will also find it easier to upsell products and offer bespoke elements at the touch of a button to help elevate the scheme and fatten your profits.

Plan for future

Given the pace of change in the market, having technology which is ‘just enough’ will eventually let you down, if not already.

This is why I urge our industry to look at the latest configurators with an entrepreneurial eye and do the maths to see how quickly upfront investment can be recouped; with licensing and set up typically costing the equivalent of a new bathroom.

Aberdeen Group Study reports there is a 20% average increase in revenue for companies that have configurable products online, and so by harnessing a configurator you will speed up decision making, which in turn will accelerate the sales process and impact the number of projects commissioned.

Not only will a configurator inspire new levels of creativity within your business, but it will also help to save unwanted design costs. Can you afford not to make the change?