Whether it’s at home or in-store, technology plays a vital role in securing flooring sales. From helpful visualisation and social media platforms designed to engage customers, to dedicated trade portals and estimating tools - every stage is important in delivering a smooth customer journey.
Richard Allen, sales director at
Karndean Designflooring, said:
“The information technology industry moves fast with new developments streamlining our access to information, creating more user-friendly apps and so facilitating more responsive services. As a society, we have become accustomed to having style inspiration and product information at our fingertips so investing in the right technology is key to keeping any business competitive.
“We are always looking for ways to help our retail partners
do business with us and have recently updated our website,
making it easier for customers to find their perfect floor and
their local retailers.
“Our new website features intuitive navigation and offers improved mobile functionality. We’ve added a new look Find a Retailer page and many more touchpoints to support customers through their journey. There is also a new Product Selector tool. By answering just a few questions, customers can use this tool to find the products that best meet their requirements.
“Now an established feature on our website, we frequently receive positive feedback on our Floorstyle tool. Embedded in our website, customers can upload a photo of their room and experiment with our full catalogue of floors and laying patterns to see how each floor might look in their space. After shortlisting their favourite designs, we offer up to six free chip samples delivered directly to their home.”
Luxury carpet brand
Crucial Trading has unveiled a new, innovative in-store Design Hub, setting a benchmark in retail display technology. The state-of-the-art point of sale allows retailers to replicate the renowned Chelsea Harbour Design Hub in their retail spaces.
Builder, enabling consumers to visualise their design on an interactive 42-inch touch screen while exploring the luxury materials, textures, and colours with over 500 samples on display. This immersive journey allows customers to bring their bespoke rug designs to life and order directly in-store the same day.
The innovative point-of-sale boosts customer engagement, helping retailers attract more in-store traffic and increase sales. With higher rankings for Design Partners on the Crucial Trading website, retailers benefit from enhanced visibility, setting them apart from the competition.
The Design Hub is available immediately and gives instant access to the Crucial Trading Design Partner programme, which offers various benefits, including quarterly in-store training, full access to the Crucial Trading high-quality image library, and priority access to new product launches.
With cutting-edge technology and strategic support, the Crucial Trading Design Hub is ideal for luxury flooring retailers.
Abingdon Flooring
launched its trade portal in 2021, bringing retail customers access to real-time stock levels, account management, orders, and progress tracking.
Featuring real-time stock updates and order processing on its Stainfree, Love Story, Royal Wilton, and new Simply Smooth collections, British flooring manufacturer Abingdon Flooring provides a trade-only portal
for its retailer network. Simplifying account management, the secure online platform makes the entire customer relationship management procedure easier.
Real time stock updates allow consumers to make an informed choice about their carpet or flooring, letting retailers manage availability expectations at the point of sale. A simple-to-use filter or search field makes it easy to find the right style, with stock levels available on
all-width options.
Charlotte Coop, head of marketing for Abingdon Flooring, says: “Consumers expect to be served information immediately,
and so it’s important that retailers are in a position to manage this. Our portal allows retailers to provide information on expected delivery at the point-of-sale, helping to provide the high level of service that’s expected from independent retailers, whether it’s
a Monday morning or Sunday afternoon.”
“As a British manufacturer, we are in the position to be able to negate some of the problems that can be found in the supply
chain of other flooring companies,” continues Charlotte.
“However, the efficiency advantages can be lost if retailers rely
solely on a single order process.
It’s a business priority to provide a more connected digital offer, and our portal streamlines the entire account management process. It provides a further option for ordering, while helping to strengthen the message of great service that stands so many independent retailers in good stead.”
Plans for further development include an easy-to-access Information Hub where retailers and fitters can access specification sheets, brochures, and recommended fitting instructions.
The
MasterPiece software enables the retailer to take up measuring, planning, estimating and then incrementally pick up further support for the in-store part of the business. Having the estimator able to rapidly quote in the home is a great feature, which both drives acceptances and saves time spent working out plans and quotes in the evening.
Image Caption: MasterPiece, Software Solutions
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