Sealing the deal with the visual
August 2, 2021
In this blog, we take a look at the importance of the photorealist render from CAD software in converting interested prospects into sales…
It’s said that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’, but for KBB retailers, a picture can be worth thousands of pounds. A CAD package that produces photorealistic renders is a vital sales tool as these are invaluable for helping to sell the dream to the customer. These high-quality images make it easy for the customer to visualise something which might be otherwise unimaginable.
The purchase of a kitchen or bathroom is a big deal for most of us. They are significant investments – both financial and emotional, so it’s crucial that you as a retailer, can make a connection with the customer quickly, and make the sale while the customer is on board with your design. Given too much hesitation time and a customer can walk out the door never to be seen again.
This means you will need a CAD package that is fast and intuitive – a package that allows you to talk the customer through the design, and work with them to make changes quickly and easily so that they feel valued and a part of the process. A potential customer is more likely to invest in something that they feel they’ve had more agency over. If you are the designer bringing ‘their’ design to life and are committed to delivering ‘their’ vision, they are much more likely to stick with you.
Competitive edge
In the competitive world of KBB design, a great quality render, thoughtfully put together with input from the customer, may set you apart from the local independent competition and it will almost certainly set you apart from the local builder’s merchants or large retail chain. For this reason, it is worth considering ways of protecting your designs so that the customer can’t take them elsewhere. For example, you could only share a digital version of your design via a secure portal, such as Showcase 360, which gives you more control of how it is shared.
Marketing and advertising
As well as direct sales, renders of upcoming and completed projects could be used to market and advertise your business, providing the customer is happy to give permission. These have been successfully used on social media channels, such as Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest, as well as used as a virtual showroom directly on the retailer’s website.
Photorealistic renders are also a great place to explore what could be possible and to realise your design fantasies which might be a little bit more left-field because the only thing holding you back as a designer is your own imagination.
Setting and delivering on expectations
Bringing the project to life in CAD with a photorealistic render leaves little to the imagination and allows the customer to see, almost exactly, what they can expect. This means that there are no unpleasant surprises when it comes to fruition because everything has been clear from the outset. This can reduce your remedial bill, as well as ensure that the installation project goes as expected, with a happy customer at the end of it. All of this will increase the chance of being recommended.
Looking to the future
With the rise of virtual reality over the past few years, in both a commercial and recreational sense, it’s clear that the public has an appetite for this sophisticated technology and it’s only likely to get more sophisticated in the future.
However, despite the rise of Augmented Reality and 4D experiences none have quite taken off to the level that was expected, as they often require a high investment and can be seen as a fad. Once this technology has been refined and can be deployed more easily, quickly and cheaply in the future, then it is likely to have more take up.
Increasing conversions
Ultimately a realistic visual will improve your sales conversion rates. As Cassidy Davis, Designer at the Modernist Group puts it “Buying a kitchen is an emotional purchase. Creating that emotional connection by presenting a design that delivers a ‘wow moment’ really improves your ability to close that deal while the customer is with you. Once they leave the showroom, then the doubt can creep in and open doors to competitors”. Ensuring that your CAD programme can deliver that ‘wow moment’ is therefore extremely important in being able to close the deal and stop the customer from going somewhere else, where their dream kitchen may not be realised.
See how others have used renders to deliver that moment of truth to their customers with these case studies:
For more designs and realistic renders, take a look at our design gallery:
