Showroom Savvy

A clean layout, displays that creatively showcase myriad products and attentive, informative personnel are the hallmarks of a successful showroom. That’s the consensus of several experts who have spoken recently on the topic of effective and alluring showroom layout and strategy.

“People expect to see… a significant amount of products in a showroom setting today. They’re more savvy and sophisticated in terms of the products they want in their homes, in their kitchens and baths. They want more value for their money,” notes Joan Eisenberg, CMKBD, ASID, and owner of JME Consulting Inc. in Baltimore, MD. She spoke extensively about the topic at her seminar entitled “Transforming Your Showroom from ‘Ho Hum’ to ‘Oh Wow’” which took place during the recent Kitchen & Bath Design & Remodeling Expo in King of Prussia, PA.

“Your showroom should give potential clients not only a good idea of what kind of products are out there, but it should spark ideas, get them excited and give them a good idea about what kind of job and service you can provide,” says Eisenberg.

“The manner in which you display products should also reflect the type of jobs your firm does. It should be based on the business model of your firm,” states Ellen Cheever, CMKBD, ASID and owner of the Wilmington, DE-based design firm, Ellen Cheever and Associates. She explored the topic in depth in her recent “Profitable Showroom Design” seminar in Stamford, CT – part of an ongoing seminar series done in conjunction with Kitchen & Bath Design News and the Hackettstown, NJ-based National Kitchen & Bath Association.

“Will you display only products that you sell or products from allied businesses? Will you show and sell appliances, or simply refer clients to an associated appliance dealer? Or, will you have no involvement with appliances at all? Are you just a kitchen firm, or do you also design baths?” she asks. “These are just some of the questions dealers need to answer in order to create a showroom that first, makes sense, and second, creates excitement. Remember, you cannot be all things to all people.”

According to retail expert Paco Underhill, designer professionals should really examine the first impression their showrooms make. He encourages owners to travel the path that their customers take.

“It starts in the exterior of the building and the parking lot. Stand in your lot or outside your showroom and imagine that you are a client looking at the showroom for the first time,” advises Underhill, the New York-based CEO of Envirosell, Inc., a research and consulting firm focusing on retail issues. “Does the parking lot befit a luxury operation, or is it pitted with cracks and potholes? Examine signage. Does it communicate the message that the showroom wants?”

Underhill was given the chance to observe several showrooms by the Bethesda, MD-based DPHA in early 2006, and later gave a keynote speech about how showrooms can be more enticing and consumer-friendly at the Fifth Annual DPHA Conference in October.

EBB & FLOW

Inside, Eisenberg feels showrooms need to have a layout that flows well and directs clients through the displays in a logical way.

“The very first thing potential clients should see is something that ‘wows’ them. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the most elaborate or expensive display, but it should be eye-catching – whether it’s via the cabinet style or an accent piece or paint color. It should entice people to walk through it,” she asserts.

“There should also be several ‘wow” displays throughout the showroom, and in between there should be several displays that are more subtle, down-to-earth. There ought to be one to three full displays in a showroom, depending on the size, that mix themes and display sizes. They should be interspersed with smaller vignettes that are also in different shapes and sizes,” she elaborates.

“One display should represent a real kitchen, but a display, by and large, should be more about creativity, and showcase what’s possible,” adds Cheever.