Internet technology to overcome the need to rearrange furniture

Citation

Pitta, D.A. (2006), "Internet technology to overcome the need to rearrange furniture", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 23 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/jcm.2006.07723dab.001

Internet technology to overcome the need to rearrange furniture

When marketers really hear the voice of the customer and understand its meaning, some wonderful things may happen. One segment of the population, married males, is vocal and often depicted in humorous stereotypes. We have seen or read those stereotypes: the long suffering male waiting for his spouse or girlfriend to finish shopping in the “ladies” section; the sports fan who must interrupt viewing an exciting game to open a jar of olives; or the “muscle” charged with moving furniture around a room – endlessly – until the arrangement is just right. Perhaps that last image struck one group of marketers especially hard. Using computer graphics technology, some companies have integrated the equivalent of furniture rearrangement into their web sites. The result is an innovation that captures customer interest, communicates product benefits very well, and increases both sales and customer satisfaction.

Pella Windowswww.pella.com

Pella Corporation was founded in 1925 as the Rolscreen Company. Initially, the company was most widely known for its “disappearing”Rolscreen^® window screen. Over time it added to its product line with items like patio doors, and an expanded window line. In 1992, the company changed its name to Pella Corporation, a name that reflected its entire product offering better. Headquartered in Pella, Iowa, the company known for innovation holds more than 100 product and design patents.

In an era in which “Andersen windows” has almost become a generic term for the aluminum clad, sealed pane windows and doors sought by the energy conscious, Pella competes at the high end of the industry. Its products offer a higher degree of quality, features, and warranty levels than most of its competitors. Pella Corporation might be said to own the high price end of the original and replacement window market.

Pella’s market segments. In essence, Pella’s product line is an industrial good. Homebuilders purchase a major portion of their products for installation in their new homes. A smaller portion is earmarked for the window replacement market. For this segment, consumers make their selections and remodeling companies perform the installation. Here it is important to aid the ultimate consumer in making a choice. The third segment consists of do-it-yourselfers who not only select Pella products but plan to install them. This segment requires the most support.

Web site features and the sales process. Pella designed its web site with all three segments in mind. As world energy prices soar, the benefit of energy saving windows has become obvious. Homebuilders promote the energy saving nature of their new home designs and may quote specific monetary savings expected per year. Energy saving new windows are often cited in homebuilder promotions. In some cases, the homebuilder may use Pella supplied promotional material or may route the prospective buyer to the Pella web site. The professional web site design can help reduce the sales effort and increase a prospective homebuyer’s feeling of control, perception of quality, and involvement in the process. Many other consumers who cannot move to a new house face the need to reduce their energy expenses. For this segment, the replacement window product is of interest. Once again, the web site is of value.

One problem with windows and doors is that most are not inherently interesting. This is especially true in the economy segment of the market. Selecting a competitively priced window or door is uninspiring. Most of the competitive offerings look similar and have the appeal of bricks or asphalt.

Pella has an advantage over most of the makers of windows and doors. They provide a large number of innovative features that distinguish the company’s offerings from those of competitors. They tend to add excitement to the choice of Pella products. One disadvantage versus the competition is that there are so many features that it is difficult to communicate them to the customer.

In order to capitalize on its strengths and promote its product line effectively, Pella has invested heavily in its web site. Remembering the image of the male rearranging furniture, the company has integrated some elements found in the paint, homebuilding, and clothing industries. The widespread distribution of home PC’s with VGA quality color graphics and high speed Internet connections, gives marketers a powerful communication tool. They allow companies to show the results of feature choices so that consumers can select those that please them best.

For example, the paint industry uses color graphics illustration programs to show the effects of different shades of paint on the interior of a room or exterior of a house. When a consumer changes a color selection of an area like the siding of a house, the entire house is “repainted” to show the effect. Since much color choice is a trial and error matching process, customers can experiment to their satisfaction. The paint industry has found a higher degree of overall customer satisfaction with paint choice and a consequent reduction in returned, custom mixed paint. In sales terms, this is equivalent to “letting the customer hold the product in his hands”. Particularly involved customers, those whose wants are very specific, can spend a great deal of time experimenting. Since this segment is especially difficult to please, and is more likely to return products after purchase, so the customer’s ability to experiment can mean increased satisfaction and more profits.

The Pella web site. Pella uses its web site for several purposes. One is to educate consumers about the features, advantages, and benefits of its product line. While windows may not be as exciting as automobiles or high tech gadgets, they can be complicated. The first major module is called “Learn the basics”. This covers terminology, style, window functioning, and performance measures. Since Pella offers numerous choices of window styles ranging from double hung to casement to awning windows as well as sliding glass doors and “French” doors. For those of us who may be unfamiliar with the term, the “Learn the basics” module contains an extensive glossary of industry terms including, “French hinged door: A hinged door normally with wider stiles and rails but having glass panes constituting all or nearly all of its surface area.” While that definition may still puzzle some consumers, the many other terms may clarify the meaning.

Educating consumers also involves showcasing the products benefits and competitive advantages. Therefore, the section includes information on the quality materials used in construction, the high level of craftsmanship, and energy performance metrics. The company also spends a great deal of effort walking customers through the process of “Choosing a style”. Each section uses clear and illustrative graphics and was written with a low level of jargon making it easy for a customer to master.

Besides conveying the basics, the web site had very specific information about Pella products. Consumers can view the variety of product solutions quickly and choose the correct product for their needs. Windows, especially replacement windows, are complicated to buy. One major challenge for consumers is measuring the desired window dimensions. That is an error prone process. Typical consumers are not able to measure window dimensions accurately. There are other complications that need to be addressed. The best way to do so is with professional advice. Therefore, consumers can find links to “Find a store” and “Find a contractor” for installation help. Foreign visitors can click the “Find an international distributor” link to get information on distributors in countries ranging from China to the Philippines. The one glaring omission is price. Nowhere on the web site is a price point mentioned. That is another piece of intelligent design. Pella’s prices are extraordinarily high and are best discussed by a salesperson after a presentation of product benefits.

For the do it yourselfer as well as the home remodeling companies, the company provides a host of detailed installation instructions in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Downloading a set of installation instructions is easy and the documents are very well done. A typical sample had none of the typographical errors that creep into the instructions that some manufacturers provide. In addition, the clear use of illustrations makes it easy to understand the installation process and what additional materials are required.

Alternatively, Pella maintains an installation service and can help homeowners in installing their replacement windows. To maintain control of the sales process, Pella uses numerous links to a “Find a Pella location near you” link that invites prospective customers to visit and experience the features and quality of Pella products.

In summary. Pella maintains a quality image and provides information to reinforce the product features, advantages and benefits. Since the product is not easily purchased and used by most consumers, Pella maintains a strategy that sells the consumer on product benefits and makes arranging for installation easy. Consequently, there are no links to closeouts or special price-off offers. As mentioned above, the design features capture customer interest, communicate product benefits very well, and increase both sales and customer satisfaction. The combination of design elements reinforces the quality image while accommodating the realities of the industry.

In our next issue, we will investigate other informative sites and invite readers to submit their favorite internet sites for our consideration.

Reader requests

Please forward all requests to review innovative internet sites to: Dr Dennis Pitta, University of Baltimore, 1420 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21201-5779, USA. Alternatively, please send e-mail to: http://dpitta@ubalt.edu for prompt attention.

Edited by Dennis A. PittaUniversity of Baltimore