If one word epitomises what consumers are looking for these days, it’s ‘convenience’.
Why go to a shop when the shop will deliver to you? Why buy from any other website when Amazon already has all your details?
It’s no different in the kitchen market.
The easier you can make it for your customers to do business with you, the more likely they will decide to do so.
And there’s one thing I’ve already seen making a real difference over the past couple of years that I know will make bigger waves in the industry in the coming years.
It won’t surprise you that it’s all about adding convenience.
I’ve noticed a trend amongst forward-thinking kitchen retailers to add additional services to their offering. Sure, you might prefer supply-only customers, and you’d happily get involved in the installation.
But the next step is, frankly, LESS convenient for you but MORE convenient for your customers – which is why it’s so powerful.
The additional services are all to do with project management and building works - things traditionally may have fallen outside your remit.
Put yourself in your prospect’s shoes, though - they want to knock a wall through and install the open-plan family kitchen of their dreams. They need everything from steels installing, walls removing, skip arranging, designs doing, and kitchen installation—the whole lot.
If they’ve got the choice of one kitchen retailer who’ll leave them to sort a builder and pull everything together … and one who’s prepared to project manage the whole thing and install a beautiful kitchen … who’s offering the most convenience?
Which retailer would you rather be at that point?
Could you team up with a local building company? Form a relationship that works for both of you? Of course you could.
And I think it’s worthwhile. This market is growing, particularly with older age groups, which – as we’ve learned this year – are the ones that are still buying kitchens despite the economic environment.
Offering this above-and-beyond level of service stops you from missing out on business that you could lose to somebody else, and it could help widen your market, attracting customers who might otherwise be going elsewhere.
And it’s another point of difference for the independents over the big sheds - this level of service is another step beyond what they can or will offer.
We’re already seeing some of our clients embracing this future. Could it be a building block for you?
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If you’re thinking you could do with taking your kitchen sales and marketing to the next level in 2024, contact me at david.barker@inspirekbb.com and let’s arrange a chat.