Inflation is rising. A recession is looming. Times are tough.
After almost three years of surfing the unruly waves of pandemic-related challenges, business owners can be forgiven for feeling sea-sickened by the most recent financial outlooks. It’s been a tough go of late, and it doesn’t appear to be getting easier any time soon.
But if there is a lesson to be learned from the recent obstacles faced by the kitchen and bathroom design industries, it’s that with each hurdle put in the way of a business, a new opportunity is presented to not only overcome but find new sustainable paths to success. Businesses from every sector have found that there are consistent benefits to being flexible.
While having the right kitchen and bathroom design software in place to guide operations will always allow a business to more easily pivot in a general sense, there are specific industry trends occurring right now for which 2020 Design Live can be used to turn industry challenges into competitive advantages.
Inventory is back
If there’s anything manufacturers and designers could mutually commiserate over, it’s their shared frustration due to supply chain issues. Questions about inventory have abounded for both sides of the industry over the last two years. There is light at the end of the tunnel, however.
According to recent industry reports, manufacturers are placing more orders and ensuring more inventory is being delivered to shelves sooner than needed. There’s no doubt this will be welcome news to designers, but there’s more to it than that. This represents a massive opportunity for those using 2020 Design Live.
With the world’s largest selection of catalogs combined with real-time product updates, kitchen and bathroom designers can take advantage of 2020 Design Live by offering their clients an accurate view of not only their new design but the price it will actually cost them to implement it.
With more consumers backing away from new designs and remodels due to uncertain products and the potential for escalating costs, the ability to offer accuracy in materials and pricing represents a massive upper hand over the competition. Not only will this lead to more sales in the short term, but it also has the benefit of contributing to an increased reputation for reliability that will serve a business well into the future.
For manufacturers, this also acts as a reminder to keep your catalogs updated in real-time through 2020 Cloud. It’s a competitive market out there, and designers are looking for every advantage they can find. With consistently reliable product listings, your reputation for reliability can also be increased at this time and prove to be beneficial in both the short and long term.
Supply and demand
While inventory in general is becoming more widely available, it’s going to take time before everything is back to pre-pandemic levels. There are still several products for which the supply hasn't caught up to demand.
Another recent industry report listed the top five most difficult kitchen and bath products to find or replace at this time:
- Cabinets
- Refrigerators
- Dishwashers
- Ranges/Stoves
- Bathtubs
This type of insight goes hand in hand with both the creative and practical benefits of 2020 Design Live. Armed with this knowledge, kitchen and bathroom designers can work with or around these limitations to create more accurate designs to present to their clients while also ensuring their client’s expectations are grounded in the reality of availability. Once again, we come back to the benefits of 2020 Design Live’s enormous selection of catalogs and the ability to see product availability in real-time.
The current supply chain situation may inhibit kitchen and bathroom designers from meeting all their clients’ requests, but that doesn’t have to mean disappointing them. Use the strength of the catalogs in the software to provide your customers with accuracy and wow them with the presentation features to make your designs look amazing.
Fluctuating prices
On top of the challenge inherent in meeting a client’s wishes with limited inventory options, kitchen and bathroom designers are also having to raise prices as a result of the increased cost from vendors and labor. Inflation is hitting every industry right now, but smart businesses are looking at tools to help them price their services to win sales and maximize profit.
That’s where 2020 Manager comes in. Using this software, designers can manage their business processes and customer interactions through an all-in-one, browser-based and user-friendly application that’s fully integrated with 2020 Design Live.
While other designers struggle to balance appealing quotes with their bottom line, kitchen and bathroom designers using 2020 Manager can rely on a precise overview of their business that informs their pricing strategy and allows them to close sales efficiently. Individual business needs are met with defined but configurable solutions to guide teams throughout the customer journey, from prospect to contract.
Having access and the ability to manage surveys, quotes and reports that offer automated insight into consumer behavior and needs has never been more important or more valuable to designers dealing with the ramifications of fluctuating pricing.
Finding value
As already mentioned, the rising costs of inflation have hindered new builds and remodels. In fact, multiple industry reports suggest that large projects, specifically, have either been put on hold or are not in demand due to fluctuations in pricing. Instead of merely bemoaning the effects of inflation, however, designers using 2020 Design Live will see an opportunity to use the software’s wealth of catalogs to find alternative products that offer a client increased value at a lower cost.
One of the industry reports mentioned that synthetic materials have become more appealing than natural materials because of the price difference. Potential clients are unsure about committing to the higher costs that something like stone or marble might represent to them. Not only can designers find the products that match a client’s budget through 2020 Design Live’s catalogs, but they can also utilize the software’s design and presentation features to create a space that works with an alternative product and makes it look amazing from any angle.
Creative solutions
That type of flexibility is vital in the way it allows a business using 2020 Design Live to remain one step ahead of the competition and consistently create innovative solutions to current challenges.
Yet another trend that’s spiraled out of the pandemic is the move toward working from home. Those who have spent several months working away from the office aren’t necessarily thrilled by the prospect of returning. Whether companies embrace full-time remote work or offer a hybrid option to their employees, one thing is certain: less office space is required.
As industry reports suggest, this has translated into former office buildings being converted into residential spaces across North America. For 2020 Design Live users, this single shift in behavior represents an array of opportunities.
With the automated business processing offered by 2020 Manager, business owners are free to think creatively instead of being overly bogged down by the details of their operations. While this typically applies to the imaginative design renderings that can be created through the software, it also pertains to looking into future business opportunities.
In this example, having the time for foresight will allow a designer to see potential business not only in home office designs for those newly working remotely full-time, but also the opportunities from office properties being converted to residential spaces. In both cases, your ambition will never be limited by 2020 Design Live. It will only fuel it.
Whether you’re presenting designs to a single person, a contractor or a developer, you can rest assured with 2020 Design Live that you’re using best-in-class software to not only exhibit your plans but also introduce yourself and your business. That kind of reliability and the confidence it inspires isn’t readily available from just any kitchen and bathroom design software.
But these are characteristics that are necessary for challenging times. That’s why 2020 Design Live is built to help your business succeed in any economic climate.
Find opportunities
The old adage suggests that when one door closes, another window opens. For businesses equipped with 2020 Design Live, never mind windows. One door closing can mean a whole gateway opens for new business opportunities.
It’s not easy, though.
Owning your own business at the best of times is filled with challenges. For kitchen and bathroom designers over the last few years, things have seemed especially trying. But it’s important to remember that some of the best opportunities come out of challenging times.
And nothing is going to prepare you to take advantage of those opportunities like 2020 Design Live – in both its creative and practical applications.
Just try it. We believe in 2020 Design Live and we want you to believe in it, too. That’s why you can try it for 30 days, absolutely free.
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