Thought of everything | Starts rollout of unique showroom concept for door dealers

Skantrae, a supplier of interior and exterior doors, door hardware, frames, moldings and many matching accessories had a clear message at the Construction Fair. "We are going to help our customers answer the question, 'How do you sell a door?' Speaking is the visibly enthusiastic Frank van Putten, who, at the very busy stand in Utrecht, actually had some time for trade magazine Profiel. "We can't complain about the commotion," he laughs. "But yes, I also think we have a very good story."

Frank, responsible for marketing and communications for the Zevenaar-based wholesaler, says consumers no longer want to look at pictures. "They want to feel something. They want to be able to touch something. They want to see the movement. Well, we are now rolling out that concept - the showroom concept - among our dealers in the Netherlands. And, of course, we are showing it here at the trade show."

"You can kind of sum it all up in the concept of 'StoryTelling,'" Frank explains. "What we show with our showroom concept is that you have to show the consumer 'the whole story.' A door is not just a door; it has become an essential part of the interior. And, so is all the accessories such as the hardware. When consumers orient themselves in the store, we believe that orientation should really pay off. I am convinced that consumers - through the many incentives and information they now receive - should be inspired as much as possible. Hence our payoff "Thought of everything. Yes, indeed: the story in the showroom will now be truly complete. It will only influence consumer buying behavior positively. Needless to say, our dealers are naturally looking forward to this."

Bizardprint
The high level of interest was evident on the first day at the fair. "I would describe Monday as 'bizard pressure'",  says Frank. "There are 17 of us running here and we have been continuously working from early in the morning - at the opening of the Construction Fair - to the evening - at the closing."

Now, of course, it is true that each dealer has his own specific characteristics regarding the size of his showroom or store. "We understand that. And that's why in this showroom concept we work with different panels that can actually be connected modularly. Moreover, there is a link to our stock via the MijnSkantrae portal: if there is a sales meeting in the showroom about a door and the corresponding hardware, the dealer can immediately check our stock via MijnSkantrae. This facilitates communication with the customer. And, there is immediately a better estimate to give about the delivery time to the consumer."

Frank expects automation to go even further in the coming years. "For example, we have developed an app-it is already being used by 10% of the buyers-where we show the possibilities in augmented reality. This is totally contemporary and we can also inspire consumers more with this and thus help our dealers in their sales efforts. Because that's what it's all about in the end. Indeed: everything has been thought of!"  

Text and image: Skantrae