NKBA’s Innovative Showroom Award nominations close Monday, Nov. 9. Here, two Thirty Under 30 Alumni weigh in on key strategies for their showrooms in recent months, and what they’ve learned in the process.

By Dianne M. Pogoda

 

The NKBA’s Innovative Showroom Awards recognize excellence in engagement, experience and education for their clients. This year has presented unprecedented challenges to the design and remodeling process, but showrooms that have adapted and faced these challenges creatively have been the engines that have kept product moving, kept designers and specifiers apprized about delays in the supply chain and have enabled jobs to progress to completion.

Sarah Nielson, a designer/salesperson at Showplace Cabinetry Design Center in Urbandale, Iowa, and a member of NKBA’s Thirty Under 30 Class of 2020, said her showroom was closed for about five weeks early in the pandemic, and reopened following appropriate health and safety guidelines, including that masks be worn. She said the company adapted to include Zoom calls for virtual appointments, and paired Zoom with 2020 and screen sharing to create an overall experience for clients.

“I’ve been working to put together more combined product selections at the beginning of the process, instead of trying to go to multiple sites,” she said, adding that the biggest change was the shift in business from the second quarter, when everything was shut down, to a very busy third quarter.

Another noticeable difference was in consumer spending levels.

“In our market, we tend to have a lot of people who choose cheaper products when doing remodels, and currently I have had more people that are willing to spend to get better quality,” she said. “I’m not sure if that’s due to the current situation, or just a change in perspective.”

Mark Eglington, president of Euro-line Appliances in Oakville, Ontario, and a member of the Thirty Under 30 Class of 2014, said foot traffic had slowed but the company has adapted, as the customers who come in — mainly by appointment — “are significantly more qualified than before because people are doing research online and only coming in to see products in person and to make a final selection. I would consider this to be increased efficiency, and therefore, an ultimate win.”

Eglington said the company has become quite adept at working through video conference calls to walk customers through a product, train retail sales associates, and meet with vendors.

“The biggest change has been the move to virtual tours/training/conference/sales meetings,” he said. “This had a negative impact to operations at first, but once we acclimated to the new environment, it has become ‘business-as-usual.’”

He concurred that people stuck at home during the pandemic “seem to be more likely to purchase a high-priced item online.”

He said one key lesson learned during the pandemic has been to offer a virtual platform for customers to establish contact, ask questions, and move forward with a sale.

“This was growing in importance before the pandemic,” he observed, “but now it is an imperative operation for any business looking to not only survive, but to grow in the new market conditions.”

For her part, Nielson said the big lesson has been to “Research and stay calm. A major change like this can stress anyone out. But as long as you are calm and become that non-changing factor for your clients, things still run smoothly.”

If you know of a showroom that has put forth extra effort in engaging clients, providing a creative customer experience —  in-person or virtual — and educating clients, nominate it for a prestigious NKBA Innovative Showroom Award here. Ten winners in five categories will be  revealed at KBIS 2021, Feb. 9-12. Nominations close Monday, Nov. 9 at midnight (Eastern Time).