2 | APRIL 2020
News
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Exhibitions and trade fairs now
seem almost prehistoric. Improve-
ments in home delivery driven by
the likes of Amazon and Deliveroo
have changed the expectation of
the consumer. It currently seems
inconceivable that the British pub-
lic will want to return to having
“direct sell strangers” visiting their
homes to sell them solar panels,
double glazing or kitchens.
Other once traditional sectors,
like estate agency for instance,
have already largely moved
away from conventional offline
strategies and transformed the
way they operate with the help
of digital technology. Platforms
such as Teachable and Udemy are
spawning a plethora of online
courses in garden design, yoga,
photography and social media
management. The e-learning
market is booming. The value of
the sector is estimated to jump
to $300bn (£252bn) by 2025, up
from $190bn in 2018, accord-
ing to the research firm Global
Market Insights. It’s time for the
home improvement industry to
catch up.
Mike Cherry, the national chair
of the Federation of Small Busi-
nesses, says many companies are
finding new ways to be resilient
and generate income to help
them survive.
“Small businesses are at the
forefront of adapting and are
keen new-to-firm innovators.
Whether it be offering increased
or new delivery or collection ser-
vices or offering virtual guides to
products or stores when premises
aren’t accessible to customers,
small businesses are trying to
make this work,” he says.
Installers must step up their on-
line presence and embrace all the
digital tools that are out there to
help them through this challeng-
ing time. With social distancing
set to continue for many months it
will be some time before they can
visit customers’ homes to sell and
price windows, so they’ll need to
think about alternative ways to
connect with prospects, nurture
those leads, and win business.
We know from our research
that on average consumers need
to have around seven touch
points with a home improvement
provider before the consumer
gains enough confidence for the
job to go ahead. We believe we
can harness AI to digitise and im-
prove the first five contacts leav-
ing only the final detailed survey
and the install as actual site visits,
thus minimising unnecessary time
in the customers house.
At Customade Group, we’ve
spent the last two years investing
in and developing technology
with our partners Winsoc Digital
to help installers boost their
digital fitness to engage with new
customers and secure more busi-
ness. While it was never created
for an emergency such as this,
our digital support package and
lead management app does give
installers a vital lifeline to pro-
mote themselves, generate and
nurture leads and even price and
order windows remotely during
the outbreak.
We will come through this
crisis and when we do, the world
will be a different place. Online
usage will be ingrained in many
more people – from the young
to the elderly – and remote
working, shopping and buying
will be widespread. telephone
canvassing is already dead and
foot canvassing will now go the
same way. Those installers that
are ready for this new era, will be
the ones to succeed when things
return to the new “normal”.
We strongly recommend that
home improvement companies
use these weeks to improve their
digital fitness so they are ready
for the pent-up demand that will
surely follow.
www.customade.co.uk
PANORAMIC OPENS SALES OF ITS
FULL RANGE OF SWING AND SLIDE
DOORS TO RETAIL INSTALLERS
Panoramic Doors has re-
vealed plans to open sales and
distribution of its full range of
Swing and Slide doors through
a UK-wide network of Approved
Installers. For the first time in the
UK, all versions of the Panoramic
Door – which allows the uninter-
rupted openings of bi-folds but
through a system of individual
sliding panels that offer greater
flexibility – will be available,
including the original in alumin-
ium, an aluminium and timber
version and the PVC-U Panoramic
door that the company intro-
duced last year in the UK.
Panoramic Doors have proved
popular with homeowners seek-
ing the unrestricted openings
allowed by bi-folds, but who
have also recognised the restric-
tions of imposed by the hinged
panels. Panoramic uses a system
of individual panels that slide
independently along a track.
This allows the door to be fully
opened, or in a combination of
open and closed panels accord-
ing to homeowner preference.
Despite this flexibility, weather
protection and security are as-
sured by the tongue and groove
design through which panels are
interlocked when closed. This de-
sign, combined with Panoramic’s
patented hardware and operat-
ing system, provide security to
PAS24.
Approved Installers will enjoy a
showroom package that includes
product together with digital and
printed retail literature, along
side excellent social media sup-
port. Panoramic Doors are sup-
plied fully glazed and ready to
install, with a guaranteed 10-day
turnaround and comprehensive
technical assistance for installers,
including full installation training,
will also be provided.
Aluminium versions of the
Panoramic Door are available in
three standard colours and more
than 200 RAL options. The alu-
minium/timber door is available
in combinations of the aluminium
colour options for the external
frame and White Oak and Ma-
ISSN 2633-8866
If you would like to find out more about the Pro Installer:
Write to: Unit 2-3 Burleigh Court, Burleigh Street, Barnsley, S70 1XY
Tel: 01226 321 450 Fax: 01226 730 825 Email: [email protected]
hogany on the inside. The PVC-U
Panoramic door is available in
a wide range of coloured and
woodgrained foils. A further op-
tion that has proved popular with
homeowners is the clever and
durable Ascena insect screen that
is also available as part of the
package offered to installers.
Doors may be ordered through
Panoramic’s online ordering sys-
tem, with prices from £395 plus
VAT per leaf fully glazed (2.2m x
1m) for PVC-U doors; £540 + VAT
per leaf for aluminium versions
and £640 plus VAT per leaf for
aluminium/wood.
For installers, all versions of
Panoramic doors are supplied
fully glazed and are easier than
conventional bi-folding doors to
transport and handle, whilst also
being simpler to install due to the
design, with leaves simply slotted
individually into the custom
tracks.
www.panoramicdoors.co.uk
Issue 85 | April 2020
www.proinstaller.co.uk
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