Personalization is an important sales tactic across every industry. In bathroom design, personal touch points make it easier for the customer to visualize your products in their own home, which makes them more likely to make a purchase.
To create lasting emotional connections on your showroom floor, follow these expert tips.
Personalization can be a challenge for showroom sellers because everyone has their own preferences. Taking time to learn more about your customers can make this challenge easier.
As global retail advisor Doug Stephens explains, salespeople should work to take advantage of customization opportunities whenever possible. This is because the customer experience is the most important aspect of boosting sales on the showroom floor.
To make customers feel like the showroom experience is tailored specifically to them, you might ask them a few questions about what they're looking for before they visit the showroom. On their arrival, you could have a few materials, designs and colors picked out according their preferences — a small act that will go a long way in boosting customer satisfaction.
Adding a local touch to your showroom can also make people feel more connected to the products you sell, according to Masco Cabinetry director Sarah Reep. She points to a showroom based in Detroit, where decorative interior design touches hint at the nostalgia and heritage of automobiles in the city.
Localized touches can also aid in a stronger local marketing strategy, especially when your showroom exists in a large city. Marketing professional Sandra Đurić-Milinov shows that an emphasis on geographic marketing in-store can be correlated with stronger local marketing online. If your decor and tagline follow a consistent local theme, for example, you'll appear higher in search results and will maintain a stronger overall online presence.
Similarly, adding comfortable, decorative touches can make a showroom feel less like a store and more like a home. For inspiration when styling a showroom with cozy yet classy decor that makes people feel at home, don't miss this bathroom trends roundup by design blogger Lotte Brouwer. Here, you'll find a variety of bathroom ideas that are both approachable and striking.
Focusing on the buyer journey can help ensure that your customers feel great throughout their showroom visit.
Employees play a key role in creating a personalized showroom experience, Nikki Michaels at POS tech platform Vend writes. The interactions that customers have with you help make your showroom more memorable, increasing the chances of initial and repeat purchases.
These memorable experiences start with a strong understanding of what your customers want. In particular, gathering information about the buyer journey can help you refine touch points moving forward. Steve Offsey, VP of marketing at Pointillist, explains that companies can leverage analytics to identify poor experiences throughout the customer journey. Then, this information can be used to improve future interactions and create stronger customer relationships in the showroom.
The buyer journey also hinges upon the telling of a compelling story about your brand and product. Consulting agency Corporate Visions explains the importance of telling unique, creative stories that stand out from the competition. How might a customer enjoy this bathtub in their day-to-day life? How would it benefit them, their family or their visitors, specifically? Making a point to tell a story that puts the customer front and center is the best way to show how your product will change their life.
Curalate content strategy manager Jared Shelly adds that it's important to reduce friction in the buyer journey. Something as simple as being unable to find your store hours online can frustrate a customer and prevent them from making a visit. Once a customer has entered your showroom, however, you have the opportunity to create a smooth, satisfying one-on-one experience that they won't soon forget.
Enabling customers to fully experience your products may also help create more personal connections on the showroom floor. Creating a display that encourages people to interact with your products is key, marketing consultant Spectrio says. Product demo videos can also help customers visualize the uses, benefits and applications of your bathroom products.
Another idea is to create a storyboard where customers can see the installation and design process. Ordinarily, providing the logistical information behind a bathroom installation might not feel necessary in the showroom. However, SEN Design Group president Ken Peterson says that this step-by-step educational process can aid a customer in seeing the whole picture of your product.
Additionally, for customers who express interest in trying a product but don't make a purchase on the first visit, follow-up communication can go a long way. Thank you events and other exclusive experiences for customers and vendors can make them feel appreciated. It creates a sense of community too among the people you've worked with, and can open up opportunities to discuss your products and their benefits.
Artificial intelligence tools are emerging as important in personalizing retail experiences. As AI company Mad Street Den points out, many AI tools are using big data to create more specific customer experiences in store.
For example, virtual interiors can help a person visualize what a new tub might look like in their bathroom. Or, smile and face detection technology can be used to determine what a person likes on an in-store screen when they're browsing bathroom fixtures.
Braveen Kumar at Shopify discusses how retail companies like Magnolia Market have a virtual reality app to allow people to see what its products would look like in their own homes. Since this app can be used either in the showroom or online, these experiences help bridge the gap between traditional and internet shopping — allowing customers to experience products in a more realistic way than ever before.
Showrooms can create similar experiences by leveraging virtual reality software in store. With the ability to imagine how expensive purchases will look in their homes, DigitalBridge CEO David Levine says that people are much more likely to make a large investment.