High-End Goes High-Tech

High-End Goes High-Tech

For many kitchen and bath dealers, the goal of technology in the showroom is to give clients a full-sense experience one that enlightens the eyes, the ears and the soul.

By John Filippelli

While these are valid considerations, designers are also finding that technology, when used well, can greatly enhance the kitchen and bath showroom experience. So, rather than debate over the value of a handshake versus the click of a mouse, some designers have simply decided to offer both. This allows clients to enjoy the best of both worlds so their customers can enjoy the benefits of personal, face-to-face interaction while being additionally educated and informed in a variety of high-tech ways from live cooking demonstrations and virtual tours to Power Point presentations and even video conferencing.

As explained by Mary Jo Camp, CKD, CBD, CID, v.p./marketing for the Rohnert Park, CA-based McPhails showroom:

"Technology is a great tool to disperse information. But, customers still want personal attention, and they get it from our associates."

In fact, the goal of many designers who integrate technology into their showroom is to give clients a full-sense experience that leaves them well informed, comfortable and confident which creates better personal relationships, as well.

Additionally, technology can give clients a better sense of where the project is going, helping to make them an integral part of the design process, according to Maureen Flemming, designer for the Millburn, NJ-based Sawhorse Designs, and secretary of the Technology Subcommittee for the Hackettstown, NJ-based National Kitchen & Bath Association. "Many clients have difficulty visualizing a three-dimensional space when it is represented in a two-dimensional medium.

Therefore, virtual reality has a very important place in our industry. [It] enables customers to better visualize how the finished space will ultimately look," she explains.

While clients certainly can benefit from a high-tech showroom, business-to-business relationships also reap the rewards of new technology, dealers agree. In fact, many have found that a high-tech showroom creates a more efficient movement of information and allows for more jobs to be processed, ultimately making designers and their clients more satisfied.

Educating clients
At the Purcell Murray showroom in San Francisco, CA, Tim Murray, president and co-owner, has given new meaning to the term higher education.

"We have a 50-person amphitheater that offers full audio-visual capabilities," he explains. In fact, Murray often has live celebrity chef demonstrations for clients to enjoy at the amphitheater. There are also opportunities to attend cooking classes directly on the premises.

Camp's firm has implemented similar technology. "We have installed flat-screen TVs in our demo kitchens so we can show close-ups of cooking demos or in-house cooking videos, or run the Food Channel for consumers to enhance their shopping experience. We also present Power Point presentations as part of our Culinary Arts Education Program," reports Camp. "This installation is giving us the opportunity to do so much more for our design community, our builders and the end-users right on the selling floor."

The Purcell Murray showroom, which is divided into several interactive areas, enables consumers to experience the product lineup first hand, according to Murray. "We offer an interactive kitchen," he notes, pointing out that every product in the kitchen is "live," enabling customers to "virtually test drive" the appliance before or even after they purchase it.

Technology is also used to educate clients about appliances at the Suwanee, GA-based HADCO showroom, a distributor of such major appliances as Thermador, Gaggenau and Bosch.

According to Barry Cohen, v.p./marketing, the showroom features a Care & Use Class, where consumers learn to care for their appliances and understand the various features, with screen technology and overhead cameras simplifying the educational process.