How to attract customers to your building materials shop?

We are going to give you some tips on how to attract customers to your building materials shop , but remember: the important thing is that they buy when they visit you.

We know that you are concerned about how to attract customers to your building materials shop and we hope that our tips will be of great help to you, not only to get more customers but also to get them to buy when they visit you.

At INSCA we know that the value of a product can change depending on how you present it. That’s why we help you to improve the experience and commercial results in shop or showroom with our tile displays.

Our history speaks for itself. We have 45 years of experience in the design, development, manufacture and assembly of display systems and integral projects for the customised display of construction materials.

4 tips for attracting customers to your materials showroom

We know that one of your main concerns is how to attract customers. That’s why we want to give you some tips. But don’t forget, it’s not just about attracting customers, it’s about getting them to buy when they visit you.

Define the added value your company will offer and communicate it

The building materials sector is highly competitive nowadays. Therefore, you must stand out with elements that add value to your brand. And those elements are in the services you offer and that your customer can’t receive online.

The sale of building materials over the Internet has become widespread. In order for your customers to take the trouble to come to your shop, they need you to add value, to provide them with an added service. And of course you have to work to get them to come to your physical space! Keep in mind that the conversion rate for online sales is 1%, while conversion in a physical space can be as high as 70%.

“If you manage it well, 7 out of 10 customers will buy from you.“.

So now, building material shops can’t just sell materials, they need to offer customer-focused services.

So what services could you offer? Here are some ideas:

1. Transport service of the materials to the building site, for example.
2. Advice service for a renovation, both in energy efficiency and interior design.
3. Training for professionals, workshops or face-to-face events.
4. Product testing or live experiences when showing the materials.
5. Tool rental service.
6. Having an excellent, well-organised exhibition that showcases your materials.
7. Excellent after-sales service.
8. Easy payment facilities.

Gain visibility and take advantage of the potential of all channels

There is a concept that is becoming more and more popular: omnichannel. Now your customers can find you through very different channels and you have the opportunity to make the most of all the channels of attraction available to you.

It is essential that you have a Google My Business profile. It will possibly be the first point of contact that your potential customer has with you. The Google Business Profile is a platform that allows you to manage your presence on the Internet, appear there as a business and help you to geolocate on Google Maps so that your customers can find you.

Thus, from a single space you can include a map with the location of your business, manage important information such as opening hours, ways to contact you, add images and direct links to your website or your products and, in turn, your customers can post reviews about your products and services there.

On the other hand, research which social networks your clients use and what they expect to receive on each of them. These could be some examples applied to your point of sale to post on social media.

1. Conduct raffles of your products online.
2. Let people know what materials you have on promotion.
3. Use lives with experts who talk about trends in decoration or interior design.
4. Promote your advisory services or your added value.
5. Upload videos of the materials or tools you sell, explain how they work and show the final result.
6. Interview experts who talk about energy efficiency or topics related to your products.
7. Offer training courses through videos on how to install certain materials, especially newer or more complex ones.
8. Create training courses, workshops or face-to-face events for designers, individuals, construction professionals, interior designers or architects and announce it in the calendar of each of the applications to find out the number of attendees or who would be interested.

And remember. Success on social networks is achieved with perseverance, creativity and creating content that adds value. In addition, you have to create a website so that your customers have a place to land and get to know your products or services online.

Highlight your shop front, signage and what you offer

It is important to take care of the external structure of your building materials shop. In this case, design your shop front according to your brand values and give it a touch of colour so that the signage stands out from the surrounding buildings.

Good signage with your company logo and the products you offer creates a positive and professional image to your visitors. This will project an image of quality, trust and recognition to passers-by.

Take care of the image of your shop window

Shop windows are a good way to encourage customers to enter your point of sale. Therefore, make sure it is well illuminated and clean to generate a good image that invites customers to enter.

Take advantage of these spaces to create fixed environments that showcase your collections and are inspiring, with the most outstanding products or your latest novelties. Complement it with modern, vintage, elegant or, for example, luxurious decoration.

In other words, make it stand out. The idea is that your business does not go unnoticed and bear in mind that the first impression is key. In this sense, when your customers walk past or arrive at your point of sale, just by looking at the window display they will want to come in.

Therefore, create inspiring window displays where your customers can see real spaces that include your products. For example, many of our customers use our Tubestile displays which are perfect for creating atmospheric displays that show what the end result will look like.

Tips to get your customers to buy when they visit you

Our design team defines the best solutions for your business depending on the dimensions, the architectural structure, the type of product you sell and your commercial objectives.

Choose display solutions that fit your business materials

At INSCA we create display solutions that enhance sales and are focused on the commercial objective of each of our clients.

There is a wide variety of building materials and they are very different from each other. Therefore, it is very important to choose displays for building material shops that are adapted to each type of material to show its benefits and increase its value.

For example, it is important that your customers can see the flooring horizontally, which is how it will be installed. For this, at INSCA we have ceramic floor displays such as the drawer units of the Box series or the rotating furniture of the Complementos series.

If you sell natural stone or large-format porcelain kitchen worktops, it is important that you opt for the display units from the Spring series, designed to display the large slabs in total comfort so that your customers can appreciate their size. Of course, it will be easier for you to market them in this way rather than through small samples where they cannot see the effect of the finish. 

On the other hand, to make it easier for your customers to make a purchase decision, display all the materials and products that can be shown with the appropriate solutions for each one. Although it may seem impossible, you can show your customers in a neat and tidy way materials for thermal or acoustic insulation, doors, roofs, bricks and even concrete, as well as their benefits.

Differentiate zones or areas in your building materials display

Group products that are related to each other in differentiated areas of your showroom so that your customers will find it easier to choose each material. Use these zones to group products according to their typology, so it will be easier for your customers to find what they are looking for and choose what they need.

It is very important to define a strategic route that is pleasant for your clients and in which the whole commercial space becomes a large temperate zone. Our bespoke solutions for integrated exhibition projects are perfect if you want to achieve a unique identity and a differentiated retail space.

In an exhibition you can also incorporate technical areas that allow you to display and handle small or specially shaped samples, as well as make compositions of different materials so that your customers can visualise the final result.

A great advantage of the furniture for technical areas that we have at INSCA is that it is modular, so you can configure it according to your space and your needs. In addition, you have options in different styles: minimalist, industrial and classic.

Conquer your customers through their senses

Creating an excellent experience when your clients visit your building materials shop is crucial. That’s why at INSCA we have created innovative systems that facilitate and accelerate the buying decision.

1. Our Oregon drawer unit with the I.RIS digital system is an example of this. Your customers will be able to see the final environment on the screen from the physical sample of their choice.
2. Our Experience series display includes the underfloor heating system. So, in relation to the touch, your customers can touch the tile and feel the warmth thanks to the integrated heating system. A whole new shopping experience.
3. Take great care with the lighting of your materials to capture the attention of your public. For this reason, some of our tile display units, such as our Maxi Tiles or Tubestile series, include the option of adding lighting.

In addition to display systems, keep these tips in mind:

1. Use scents with essential oils to give personality to both your brand and your establishment. In this way, your customers will achieve a state of harmony and well-being as they walk through your point of sale, shop or showroom. Create a bond with your visitors and create a more comfortable atmosphere to enhance the shopping experience.
2. Accompany the visit with soft and light music. Use slow music to help your customers relax and spend time shopping and use a suitable room temperature between 20 and 23°C to enhance the visitors’ experience.
3. Organisation and cleanliness are the key points to attract the attention of your public. If your spaces do not meet these requirements, forget about your public buying. Sight is one of the senses that you have to take care of the most.

In short, to increase sales in your building materials shop, it is important that, on the one hand, you take care of the attraction actions and, on the other hand, that your customers buy once they have entered your point of sale. Therefore, you have to pay attention to every detail to get them to enter and choose the display solutions that best suit your business so that they buy your products.

Now all you have to do is put the advice we have given you into practice. And don’t forget. At INSCA we manufacture display units for the sale of tiles designed so that you can display your products in such a way as to increase your sales. In our catalogue of display furniture you will find more than 1000 references of different series depending on the type of material you want to display. We can also take care of creating a made-to-measure display to show the best version of your products or services. Contact us!