Jayne Adamson of Plum Product Marketing explains why you should consider using an online visualiser to promote your products
When it comes to making decisions on any kind of home improvement, a large proportion of consumers say they lack confidence in choosing their wall and floor coverings. As manufacturers, distributors, and retailers in this space, we need to make sure we give them that confidence so that they make the purchase.
The importance of showing them how our products could work in their own space should never be underestimated. Years ago, before the rise of the digital age, we would launch a range of say, six colourways or designs, and we would choose one of them to photograph.
It was always the product shown in a real-life setting – that the end user could imagine in their home – that sold the best.
Skip forward a few years and with the rise of the internet and social media, it was no longer viable or acceptable to show one colourway in a range because each one had its own place, each one would appeal to a different shopper, and all those different shoppers were online. So, marketing budgets got bigger and sales grew, ranges started selling, not just products.
But as we have come to expect more from the digital world, things just keep moving on, and they do it quickly. We should continue to inspire the consumer with aspirational room settings, make sure they look inspirational but also accessible, but there are additional ways to do this which should be considered.
One such way is using an online visualiser. In recent years we have seen an enormous increase in businesses in the home improvement and interiors sectors using visualisers to inspire customers and gain that trust. If the homeowner can see how a product will actually look in their space, they are far more likely to buy it.
There are various levels of visualiser out there and varying levels of budget, but the beauty is many distributors and manufacturers are supporting customers by adding these to their websites and there is no reason whatsoever that you can’t use them to help your customer. Plus, it costs you nothing. The best ones, for me, are the ones where you can upload a picture of your own room and then choose the flooring and wallcoverings giving a visual showing exactly how that choice will look in that room.
Another effective way of showing customers that your product is right for them is to use imagery supplied by other people. Past customers are your advocates and again, it costs you nothing.
Everyone loves to show off when they have just renovated or decorated a room at home so they take photos and post them on Instagram or any other social media platform. Most people would be happy for you to share their posts or use their imagery. All you have to do is ask, and I guarantee most people will say yes.
Finally of course, you have the in-store environment. If you have the space to have some room settings then great, but don’t just think about the product you are selling, think about the customer. More often than not they are looking at full room solutions rather than a specific product for that room. You may not sell plants, towels, vases and lamps, but you can use these to inspire your customer and make the space look real. You could even re-prop every few months to keep your showroom fresh and take photos to use on your social media.
There are lots of ways to inspire your customers but making their decision easy is the key to the sale, so use these tools.
www.plumproductmarketing.co.uk
07904 589251
hello@plumproductmarketing.co.uk