SELLING Surfaces Décor - The saga of 'Touch & Feel'
While international retail brands are marching ahead in the digital revolution with the help of websites like Flipkart, Lenskart, ebay, Amazon offering you the ‘Choices of the millennium’ at one touch, the Building & Decor industry has also realized the need and started to catch up with the trend. Many brands have come up with their web based platforms and apps in order to become more user-friendly.
Quite recently, Cement manufacturer JK Lakshmi Cement has tied up with Snapdeal to offer its entire product range including cement, plaster of Paris, RMC, AAC blocks and gypsum plaster online.
Orient Bell Limited, a leading Tiles brand of the country can be cited as the pioneer in the field of digitizing retail. Madhur Daga, JMD, Orient Bell envisaged the need for digitization in retail long back and launched their QR Code enabled technology, which allows customers to instantly visualize standalone tiles in a variety of decor environment. Its 1st version was demonstrated to customers at the last Acetech shows across India.
Speaking about the need for digitization, Madhur Daga said, “I believe technology will play an important role in helping customers visualize how tiles can stylize & enhance the beauty of their living & working spaces. Decision-making will not only be easier but the process will be a lot more fun. Ultimately tiles are a long-term decor investment & there is no better way to buy them than compare a variety of looks & aesthetic options while in the comfort of a showroom. With just a few scans & clicks. Technology will help large screens show virtual environments with our tiles rather than the customer having to rely only on static catalogs.”
Similarly, Royale Touche, one of the leading Laminate makers of the country also has its web-based platform, which allows user to see various Laminate designs in a virtual setting. However, pointing towards the many limitation of the digital retail, Raj Patel, Director, Royale Touche Laminates says, “Unfortunately, a product like laminate still remains a touch and feel kind of product where digital technology can only help in trying to convince the people about the usage of a product or a particular design. A customer still wants to see a product, touch and feel it to take a real-life experience and only then would be able to make the decision.”
“Laminate per say is a product whose decision depends upon multiple stakeholders including architects, designers, carpenters along with the end user who play a crucial role in the decision making process which is the reason they visit the showroom or check out the folder in order to make the decision,” he further adds.
Quite recently, Cement manufacturer JK Lakshmi Cement has tied up with Snapdeal to offer its entire product range including cement, plaster of Paris, RMC, AAC blocks and gypsum plaster online.
Orient Bell Limited, a leading Tiles brand of the country can be cited as the pioneer in the field of digitizing retail. Madhur Daga, JMD, Orient Bell envisaged the need for digitization in retail long back and launched their QR Code enabled technology, which allows customers to instantly visualize standalone tiles in a variety of decor environment. Its 1st version was demonstrated to customers at the last Acetech shows across India.
Speaking about the need for digitization, Madhur Daga said, “I believe technology will play an important role in helping customers visualize how tiles can stylize & enhance the beauty of their living & working spaces. Decision-making will not only be easier but the process will be a lot more fun. Ultimately tiles are a long-term decor investment & there is no better way to buy them than compare a variety of looks & aesthetic options while in the comfort of a showroom. With just a few scans & clicks. Technology will help large screens show virtual environments with our tiles rather than the customer having to rely only on static catalogs.”
Similarly, Royale Touche, one of the leading Laminate makers of the country also has its web-based platform, which allows user to see various Laminate designs in a virtual setting. However, pointing towards the many limitation of the digital retail, Raj Patel, Director, Royale Touche Laminates says, “Unfortunately, a product like laminate still remains a touch and feel kind of product where digital technology can only help in trying to convince the people about the usage of a product or a particular design. A customer still wants to see a product, touch and feel it to take a real-life experience and only then would be able to make the decision.”
“Laminate per say is a product whose decision depends upon multiple stakeholders including architects, designers, carpenters along with the end user who play a crucial role in the decision making process which is the reason they visit the showroom or check out the folder in order to make the decision,” he further adds.
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