Online business is booming, but a Salesforce product configurator can take your store to the next level.
After all, which goods consumers are willing to turn to eCommerce for still has its limits. They generally shy away from buying important, expensive or large and heavy items online.
Especially for purchases like furniture and home remodel/renovation elements— like doors, windows or bathtubs — they tend to choose brick-and-mortar stores.
However, as TruFrame points out, the growing prevalence of online shopping tools and technology brings with it an increase in online sales. There's a reason they're called business solutions.
These customers aren't buying custom doors online despite a third to half of consumers wanting product customization options. That sounds like a problem in need of a solution. Luckily, a Salesforce product configurator can help.
A consumer report by Masonite details exactly how customers shop for new doors online and what factors matter most to them. It also covers the issues they have and the changes they want most to improve the sales process.
Read on to learn seven pain points customers in the consumer report faced when buying custom doors online and how adding a Salesforce product configurator can eliminate them all.
1. Unfamiliar and Overly Technical Terminology
Complicated language without explanation, like annealed and anodized, was an issue. Stores also used building terms like swing and rough open size that were confusing to customers.
This made something as simple as a door seem like too much of a complex product for the average person to understand.
A Salesforce product configurator lets you create different templates to guide the process. The first step could ask if they're contractors or consumers.
From there, they could both configure exactly what they're looking for using the most helpful language and providing the functionality each person needs while remaining user-friendly.
2. Unable to Find Suitable Educational Resources
Customers didn't know which options were best for what situations. There was no information on what material best suited their purpose or which finish options would be best for the local climate.
With a Salesforce product configurator, you can let the template guide them through options with relevant questions. Alternatively, you can use the wide array of product visualization options to create video tutorials and infographics to explain the differences. You can even add hotspots to the images for additional information.
If they still have trouble, integrations to connect your CRM (customer relationship management software) to the Salesforce Sales Cloud make it easy to reach your sales team across platforms. Your sales reps can access their customer information database for context about past issues, and customers can get quick answers to their questions so they aren't configuring in the dark.
3. An Absence of Clear Information on Popularity, Design Trends and Pricing
There was often nothing to indicate bestsellers, popular styles or what past customers thought.
Customers want context regarding what gets recommended and what's in style. They were also disappointed with the lack of pricing model transparency. With every add-on, they had to wonder about the cost.
Our high-tech product configuration software can automate data collection about bestsellers, popular customization combinations and much more. The Salesforce CPQ platform also has configure price quote automation for real-time quote generation.
This CPQ software streamlines workflow, saving small businesses time and money. Salesforce's CPQ solution is powerful alone, but when combined with Threekit's product visualization platform, real-time visual updates appear alongside the cost.
4. Lack of Focus on Design and Style
Both interior and exterior door buyers are driven to a door purchase for style reasons.
For exterior door consumers, especially, it's a key factor for almost all of them. Despite that, the sites didn't have any real information or filter options for the features they care about most.
Using templates in a Salesforce product configurator, you can ask questions about color and style preferences to guide shoppers to the best options for their personal taste. They can avoid looking through hundreds of options they aren't interested in, and you increase conversions and customer experience metrics.
Win/win!
5. Images Don't Provide a Sufficient Level of Detail
Many customers mentioned that shopping online is how they begin the process and often where they make a purchase, but they still have to visit in-store showrooms. In part, that’s because the very few images they're provided aren't from very close up, don't focus on details and have substandard quality.
With a Salesforce 3D visual product configurator, you can offer:
- Unlimited photorealistic images of every style and angle with our Virtual Photographer™
- High-quality 3D visuals with 360° views that customers can zoom, spin and rotate to see every element in perfect detail
6. Images Have Limited Color Options
Sites typically had only a handful of images, often only of white doors. It may seem superficial, and some people don't understand the need for online colorizing because they assume color makes no difference.
The truth of the matter is that it can make a big difference. Some details are harder to see in darker colors. Color also changes how size is perceived and can make spaces seem bigger or smaller. Our Salesforce product configurator can create images of every door you sell in every style, color and customization combination possible.
You can use virtual photography for simple things like style and color. But if you allow parametric or nested configurations, you can use interactive 3D Images that render the customers' choices as they configure in real time.
Then they can see their unique creation exactly as they've designed it. It's like having an infinite product catalog.
Click here to learn more about Threekit's Salesforce product configurator or find out about our integrations for your ERP, CRM and CPQ systems to give your sales team even more functionality.
7. Inability to Visualize Options in Their Homes
Sometimes you can't tell if two styles mesh well together. Also, scale is important for doors.
Seeing a door on a house will show those relationships. Many sites only have images of unattached doors.
Our virtual photos can easily create lifestyle images of your door on homes. We'll even do you one better:
Show each customer door options on their own homes with augmented reality (AR).
Customers can see each door on/in their homes. They can see things like if it looks too plain or if the windows aren't high enough to provide privacy. This kind of insight is only possible through the kind of immersive and interactive experience AR provides.
Sell a Door, Deliver More
Customers can feel frustrated with the difficulty and lack of options present in most online door buying processes. This gives you the opportunity to solve these pain points and become their favorite place to shop.
Not only will you sell more doors, but you'll get better customer experience metrics and more customer loyalty in return.
Get in touch to learn more about how Threekit's product customization platform can help your business.
