CHICAGO — An ever-expanding array of technology tools is being utilized by kitchen and bath design professionals for marketing, sales, client communications, design, and other business functions as the market – along with the workplace, the consumer, and technology itself – continues to evolve.
At the same time, several key challenges – from the expense of cutting-edge technology to the learning curve required to implement many of the latest innovations – is apparently preventing other design professionals from jumping on the technology bandwagon.
Those are among the key findings of a nationwide survey conducted by Kitchen & Bath Design News in conjunction with its exclusive research partner, the Research Institute for Cooking and Kitchen Intelligence (RICKI). The online survey, fielded late last year, polled nearly 250 kitchen and bath dealerships, design/build remodeling firms, and related businesses regarding their current and anticipated use of business technology.
The KBDN-RICKI survey revealed, among other findings, that smart phones, desktop computers, CAD software, laptop computers, video conferencing, and tablets/iPads are utilized by at least 50% of the kitchen/bath design professionals surveyed. A sizeable number of survey respondents also reported the usage of product-ordering software and flat-screen TV and other projection screens to showcase kitchen and bath projects. Far fewer say they utilize video/webcams, project management software, and contact management/marketing software as part of their daily business functions.
A similarly wide range of web-based technology tools is also being utilized by kitchen and bath design firms, the KBDN-RICKI survey found. Specifically, more than 82% of those surveyed said they currently use design software, while a similar number use their company’s website to market their services and capabilities. Other commonly used web-based tools include social media and cloud-based storage.
Technology tools are used most frequently for project drawings or designs, client presentations, product ordering, sales or marketing, and internal business functions such as accounting, surveyed design pros say.
When it comes to the greatest perceived benefits of technology, roughly 85% of survey respondents reported that it enables them to better help clients visualize projects, while nearly 70% said it provides better communication capabilities, and a similar number said it saves time and enables greater efficiency. Others say technology gives their company greater reach and makes it easier to work with clients remotely.
Design firms generally believe that technology is important to their clients in terms of providing business services such as communications. Specifically, 43.8% say that technology is “very important,” while 34.7% say it is “important.” In contrast, only 19.2% say technology is only “somewhat important” and another 2.3% say it is “not very important.”
Surveyed design firms also told KBDN that they spend a median of about 10% of their annual budget on business technology. 31.8% say they spend between 5% and 10% of their annual budget, while 21.2% spend less than 5%, 18% report they spend between 11% and 15%, 13.8% spend between 16% and 20%, and 9.2% spend between 21% and 30%. Only 6% of those polled reported that they spend more than 30%.
In terms of technology spending plans in 2023, the bulk of those questioned (66.2%) say they’ll be spending about the same amount of money on technology this year than in 2022, while 26.3% say they’ll be spending more, and 7.5% say they’ll be spending less.
But while the use of technology has clearly proliferated, it’s not necessarily smooth sailing for design firms. Indeed, business owners report an array of key challenges when it comes to utilizing technology. Among them are the learning curve for implementing technology, the training time need for staff, the expense of products such as software and hardware, and the expense of hiring outside tech help. Others report that the changes in technology are too fast to keep up with; that they have problems in using it with customers, and that it requires them to be “on” 24/7.
Design firms also report that they are prevented from doing more of their marketing digitally by a variety of factors, including a lack of technical skills (42.1%), too much time to implement (41.1%), their business is doing well without it (38.9%), it’s too expensive (18.9%), they’re uncertain about the benefits (17.9%), it’s not important to their clients (14.7%), and there are too many choices available (14.7%).
Among other key findings of the KBDN-RICKI survey:
- Overall, most surveyed design firms report they are satisfied with the functionality of the technology they are currently using. Specifically, 21.2% say they are “very satisfied,” while 70.5% say they’re “mostly satisfied.” In contrast, 7.5% report they are “not very satisfied,” while only 0.8% say they’re “not at all satisfied.”
- In a similar vein, 19.5% report they are “very satisfied” with the ease of use of the technology they’re currently using, while 68.9% say they are “mostly satisfied.” By way of comparison, 10.8% say they are “not very satisfied, and 0.8% report they are “not at all satisfied.”
- 22.7% of the design firms surveyed they do only digital marketing, 30.5% are actively trying to mix digital marketing into their overall marketing plans, and 12.8% have limited integration. 17.2% say their use of digital marketing is minimal (mostly ad hoc and not mixed into their overall marketing plans), and 16.7% say they don’t use digital marketing at all.