Homeowner expectations around choice and value are becoming ever more demanding. Here, Chris Coxon, Head of Marketing at Eurocell, takes a look at how the company has responded to this by extending options with another update to The Dales Collection of composite doors.
“It is now an expectation by homeowners that doors and windows should offer them a greater degree of personalisation. Against this background we have extended choice yet again on The Dales Collection, our range of composite entrance doors.
This includes two new colours on our stainless steel furniture with the addition of Satin Silver and Satin Black. Satin Silver is popular with homeowners as it offers them a sophisticated alternative to Chrome, which has proved very popular on some of our other ranges. It looks as though Satin Black, too, will be a good choice for those that want a traditional-looking door. Our 25-year guarantee on stainless steel door furniture, including the new colours, remains and there is still no other supplier even now that can beat that for peace of mind.
Since we launched the Heritage range of colours in 2013, its popularity has continued to grow with homeowners and as a result we have extended the range by adding two new colours. Our offer covered light (Duck Egg) and dark (Derwent) shades of blue but not mid-blue, which is a palette that our customers were often asked to supply. As a result we have introduced French Blue (RAL 5015) to fill this gap. Likewise, Royal Magenta (RAL4004), our other new Heritage colour, is a dark red/purple for those homeowners looking to differentiate from the more common Berry Red.
This latest extension of customer choice makes the range much more closely attuned to the needs of today’s market and one that is creating valuable new business opportunities for installers.
Quality is key
Although we are constantly looking at ways of making our composite door range more relevant to the needs of the market, the features most valued by installers and their customers remain a core part of our offer. This includes 3-way adjustable hinges for quick and easy installation, PAS23/24 for improved security, BM Trada Q-mark accredited and the option of Association of Chief Police Officers’ Secured by Design approved specification.
Our customer service commitments remain unchanged as well. That means our 6 working day lead time on standard doorsets* stays, which is a much-valued service with customers because it helps them address searching questions from homeowners in some specific circumstances. For example, those with rainwater leaking through their front door and soaking into carpets and plaster, who understandably want the work completing as quickly as possible. Aside from that, partnering with a supplier that offers short leadtimes allows installers to turn over more work and that is one of the best ways of growing sales.
Along the same vein, it is still possible to order composite doors at any of our 130-plus branches – giving installers the option of collecting doors or having them delivered free of charge. Most branches now have a composite door on display, making it easier to see the latest, extended options and a place to meet with homeowners to show them the product. Our branches welcome this kind of approach and we have seen it work particularly well when one of our composite door experts is on hand to talk to the homeowner and explain the options in details.
Throughout the latest round of improvements, we felt that it was crucial to ensure the highest levels of product quality. After all, a quality installation is the key to satisfied customers and repeat business. Aside from that, these latest improvements to our composite door range extend customer choice further and are a strategic response to homeowners that now expect a greater degree of personalisation. Including the Dales Collection in YourPad, our innovative home visualisation app, is another way of highlighting all these choices to customers in a highly visual manner. We are confident that The Dales Collection still has more selling points and creates better new business opportunities than any other range in the market.”
To find out more about The Dales Collection 2015, call us on: 0300 333 6525