Sternfenster has launched a new online showroom to help customers sell higher-value products to homeowners. The virtual showroom is the result of 18 months of research and development.
“People moved online during the pandemic, to research and buy home improvement products,” said Nathan Court, Sternfenster’s sales director. “This hasn’t declined as we’ve moved back to a sense of normality. It is vital we keep up with changing habits, and even pioneer new ways of doing business, which is why we developed the Sternfenster virtual showroom.”
Potential buyers are given a choice of products, where they can then click through to product landing pages to learn about the features and benefits. Various subsections are clearly labelled and signposted.
An overview provides a clear summary of each product, while the ‘Explore Features’ section offers greater detail: technical specs, colour options, hardware options and locks are presented in a series of drop down menus. These sit alongside a picture of the product with ‘hotspots’ highlighted, that give contextual detail. From this page, users can also watch a short sales presentation, which shows each product as part of a completed project, and take a virtual 360º product tour.
Sternfenster has produced a series of computer-generated (CGI) videos for the virtual showroom, which gives viewers one-minute tours of products. Set to an upbeat soundtrack, each professionally crafted CGI video provides a close-up fly through of products’ key features.
Take the Alitherm 300 window, for example: users are shown a close up of the slimline frame before highlighting the Yale high-security multi-point locking system and Yale handles, which come in a variety of colours. Other features highlighted include the high-security internal beads, energy-efficient frames and glass, and a wide choice of colours.
The key driver for this ground-breaking tool, Nathan said, was the changing buying behaviour of homeowners, and a growing interest in high-value products. “Yes, the current squeeze on living standards will lead to some of the volume taken out of the market,” he said. “But there is no suggestion that the market for high-end products will be as equally affected. These consumers will inevitably spend more, and they will want to work with more professional companies.
“Selling tools like the Sternfenster virtual showroom will help our customers raise their game, and put them in contention for this high-value, high-margin work.” For more information, visit www.sternfenster.com, email sales@sternfenster.co.uk or call 01522 512 525.
