10 Kitchen Showroom Trends That Will Boost Sales

If you run a kitchen showroom, you know how important first impressions are. If your showroom is difficult to navigate, has poor lighting, and doesn’t boast a welcoming atmosphere, chances are your potential clients will leave without making a purchase. 

A good kitchen showroom creates a unique experience for its customers. You want prospects to envision what their space will look and feel like, and in order to do that, you need to be strategic in the way you present rooms, you need to wow them with the latest industry technologies, and you need to train your employees to guide your potential clients throughout their journey. 

Read on for 10 kitchen showroom trends that will help you impress customers and boost sales. 

This may be an obvious first step, but it should never be overlooked. Even if your client is just there to browse and have a quick look around, it’s best to greet them from the very beginning so they know they are welcome. 

Greeting them from the get-go also makes them more comfortable to ask questions, which is ultimately what will open up a dialog between you two and lead to a potential sale. Making that first connection with a client is very important, so make sure you’ve got that covered by asking your employees to always greet clients at the door. 

Having proper lighting in your kitchen showroom is crucial. Potential clients will not be impressed with a dimly lit showroom, and the products and rooms you have on display will not live up to their full potential.  

A successful showroom should have ample amounts of both natural and artificial lighting. Have as many windows as you possibly can so the sun can shine through and light up your beautiful showroom, and have plenty of artificial lighting in case of a cloudy day or for night time.  

Although you want your clients to walk around and get a sense of what their future kitchen can look like, you also need a designated space to sit down and talk to them about their options. You want your potential clients to be comfortable, which is why you need a consultation area with adequate furniture. 

Don’t get furniture that is stiff or rough; you want the furniture in the consultation room/area to be inviting so that your client feels more at ease. If you create a cozy atmosphere, your clients will be more likely to communicate their needs, their wants, and their budget. 

Never underestimate the power of complimentary beverages. We’re not talking about offering wine or Scotch (though that would be fabulous!), but bottles of water, coffee, or juice can go a long way. It’ll make your clients feel more at ease and make them feel like they can take their time. 

Offering beverages is becoming more and more popular in the showroom industry, and although it’s not a necessity, it can certainly do no harm. It can even be that extra step you take that sets you apart from your competition. 

If you’re going to run a successful showroom, you need to think long and hard about displays and layouts. Instead of showcasing cabinets by manufacturer and trying to sell kitchens based on certain brands, you need to create displays that speak to your clients’ needs. 

If your client has a big family with kids, you want to show them a spacious kitchen that can accommodate a busy family. If your clients are a couple who cook together, you want to show them a cozy and intimate kitchen with wine racks. If your clients adore cooking and spend most of their time in the kitchen, show them a dream kitchen that allows them to move around freely and that’s equipped with everything they need to do what they love. 

It’s difficult to sell a kitchen when all you are relying on is a hand-drawn mockup of a kitchen and a vivid imagination. If you really want to seal the deal, you’ll have to offer a little more than that, and what better way than to show your clients a 3D rendering of their space? 

You won’t be able to create a detailed design with the limited time you have with your clients, but you can certainly come up with a quick mockup to have something concrete to show them. Kitchen design software such as 2020 Design lets you quickly sketch a design and generate a photorealistic rendering that will reassure your clients.   

If you have a bit more time with your clients, you can even go one step further and show them their kitchen through VR goggles. With 2020 Design, you can create beautiful 360 panoramas and project them through VR goggles so that your client feels like they’re in their new kitchen. 

Virtual reality is a technology that is exploding in the design industry, and it’s something your business should take advantage of. VR goggles are affordable, and they offer your potential clients an immersive experience like no other. 

Having interactive visual boards in your kitchen showroom is a must. If you’ve got samples for your countertops, cabinets, and floors, you should place them on a visual board that your clients can play around with. 

Each component should be movable so your clients can mix and match and see what they like best. You can also offer your professional opinion to push them in the right direction and to open a conversation that will potentially lead to a consultation and a sale. 

As you already know, not all clients have the same budget, which is why it might be a good idea to have varied price points for the kitchens you sell. You can have high-end cabinets and countertops, and you can also showcase modestly-priced products for the rest of your clientele.  

However, you don’t want to give clients too many options because that might end up confusing them. You want to offer them just the right amount of options to accommodate their budgets without bombarding them with too many different ideas. 

One of the most important things you can have in your kitchen showroom is knowledgeable staff. If your potential clients ask them questions, they better be ready to answer them. Properly trained employees instill confidence in clients; they will be reassured that their kitchen is in good hands. 

Your employees should be trained in the latest kitchen trends, in all the products and services your company offers, and in the design software you use in-house. Since software training can be complicated and time-consuming, some design software companies offer in-person or online training courses that will train your staff in no time.