Over the last year we've worked as project consultants to thousands of homeowners shopping for cabinets. We had no incentive to recommend a specific company or product line, rather simply listening to and advising homeowners on their unique circumstance and project.
This lead to some very interesting feedback that might not be otherwise shared: why a potential customer chose not to buy a specific company's product being among the most enlightening.
Where Is The Weak Link In The Journey?
For this article we'll use the AIDA model for an example of a general sales funnel to isolate where we've found potential customers turning away. Attention and Interest awareness campaigns for most brands are working well. Additionally, Interest blends into Desire as the homeowner learns more about a cabinet company's brand, product quality, and reads honest online feedback in forums like Houzz and Facebook home building groups.
It's the step from Desire to Action where we found the largest pain point.
Almost every homeowner we worked with had Pinterest boards full of kitchen and bath inspiration photos, as well as several saved photo albums (think Instagram screen shots). They would then set-out to replicate the design in these photos and this is where the friction would set in: "what type of wood and finish is this?".
Often, they might have already stumbled upon information like "oak with a natural finish," only to ultimately realize its lack of specificity. Is that referring to flat-sawn or rift-sawn oak? White oak or red oak? And when it comes to the natural finish—water-borne or solvent-borne— "which one fits my vision?" As they scroll through the many wood and stain options showcased in most cabinet manufacturers' finish sections, the number of choices quickly becomes overwhelming. Instead of progressing onto the next step in their customer journey (like ordering samples or finding their local showroom), they opted to exit the website, seldom to revisit.
How We Reduce This Bounce Rate
We designed FinishMatch to work in this exact scenario. Rather than scrolling through the many available wood species and finishes, your potential customer simply uploads their inspiration photo and our proprietary technology tells them exactly how to create their desired look from your finish catalogue.
Within seconds they know exactly what type of wood and finish could be used to create their perfect vision, and can then proceed onto the higher-touch part of the process (we understand that physical samples need to be seen and lots of details finalized before any orders are placed. Let's get your customer into a showroom or on a virtual consultation for these more in-depth detailed discussions).
Today's consumer expects seamless navigation, intuitive design, and quick access to information. Having a website that is simple and engaging to use has never been so important. By prioritizing usability and simplicity, we help lower high bounce rates and improve low conversion rates.
Maximize Your Marketing Return
Paid social, digital, email, SEO and even SEM are all part of a robust digital marketing strategy that builds both confidence in and awareness of your brand. It is also intended to turn website visitors into paying customers, as each is designed to doorstep visitors onto your website. By integrating FinishMatch, you make it as easy-as-possible for someone to realize their perfect design using your products.
You've worked hard to get them onto your website, we help convert them into customers.