Clearview National March 2018 - Issue 196 | Page 45

PROUD SPONSOR OF ALL DOORS
their imagination with something that they
thought was way beyond their means, to
then show that in fact it is possible, such as
with our Lumi products. Either way, we now
know that the secret is to put the products out
there, not to pre-judge customers’ tastes – and
especially not their bank balances.”
Although anecdotal evidence, says Asa –
Apeer did not set out to complete formal
research – when homeowners understand that
they have choices when choosing composite
doors they will explore the options available
to them and this has manifested itself with the
online Doorbuilder programme that allows
no less than 26,042 combinations of finish,
colour, glass and hardware. “The first thing
homeowners are drawn to are our higher end
ranges, Apeer 70 and Modo ranges and from
there, once they discover the various options
that allow them to create a door of their
choice they tend to get carried away, and then
perhaps distil their design into something
closer to their original budget, but more than
they would have spent originally.
“Interestingly, homeowners tend to assume
that essentials such as security and weather-
proofing and insulation are a given these days,
and they focus very much on aesthetics,” says
Asa. “They understand that they can create a
disproportionate impact on the kerb appeal of
their home by choosing a distinctive entrance
to their homes. Colours chosen by our
customers are increasingly bold, something
that we can accommodate by offering non-
ALLDOORS
standard RAL colours for painted finishes, as
well as a standard range of foils.
“Homeowners these days are well
informed and quickly learn that we can also
offer non-standard combinations, such as
Rosewood outside, Burgundy inside; or Oak
outside, Light grey inside for example. These
combinations aren’t standard in the industry,
but we can do it as it is all done in our own
factory.”
Custom glass has long been an option for
homeowners to choose for their residential
doors and Apeer’s in-house studio is no
stranger to some strange and unusual
requests. Being in Northern Ireland, where
the blockbuster TV series Game of Thrones is
filmed, it was appropriate for Apeer to honour
a request for a complex design that reflected
the show. “It takes longer of course because
the customer has to review and approve the
design but they are happy to wait because it’s
so special to them,” explains Asa.
We wondered what percentage of orders
are now custom? “It’s still a small part of our
business but growing,” says Asa, “and we
find the ability to offer bespoke jobs and to
complete orders other door companies are
unable to manufacture, does help us sell more
of our other ranges into the same installer.
Installers who have developed this customising
service as part of their unique offer locally,
gives them the edge over competitors that
just want to sell standard products. And in
recent months we have seen the demand for
customised doors rise from a couple a month
to more than six a week.”
A key decision for the company that came
from its experiences from its exhibition
appearances was to relax the assumption its
contemporary Lumi doors would not appeal
to relatively conservative composite door
buyers: “Despite it [Lumi] being radically
different from conventional residential doors
we now offer them alongside to allow people
the option, one that they frequently choose.
Homeowners tell us that they want to stand
out from their neighbours and when they see
Lumi doors on our show stands, especially
the red Coloro design, they are very happy
that such a high-end product is accessible
to them and isn’t as expensive as they may
think.
“This proved to us that we really cannot
anticipate what people will buy; we must
present all the options, to create trust in
our brand of course but after that to simply
show our customers what is available to
them. And we are unusual in having both
contemporary and relatively traditional
doors in our offer, produced in the
same factory. We therefore work hard to
communicate to buyers that we have the
commitment, the passion and the ability
to deliver great products to them whatever
they ch oose, and less so to try and decide
what they are likely to buy from us.”
www.apeer.co.uk
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