Shaw’s Floorvana app allows customers to capture design inspiration from colors in existing photos.
[Dalton] How does a customer infuse personal expression into their flooring purchase? It’s this question that motivated Shaw Floors to pursue the third version of its Floorvana app. Floorvana 3.0, now in beta and set to release in the second quarter of this year, will launch with augmented reality (AR) technology that allows the consumer to take a picture of any room in their house and see what it would look like with Shaw’s floors.
For Misty Hodge, director of digital marketing platforms, Shaw, the idea behind the app came from a personal experience where she had trouble finding the right color for her cabinets. With the Floorvana app, users can also use existing photos to capture the color they desire.
Room visualizers are increasing in importance for manufacturers throughout the industry. Targeting both customers and retailers, Floorvana opens the door to personalization and engagement. What sets the app apart from so many others in the market, according to Hodge, is ease of use and amazing visualization. “The consumer can now see their space virtually transformed — that will be that ultimate confidence they need to make their decision and land on the perfect choice for their home,” Hodge said.
According to Hodge, Shaw’s consumer research last year showed that despite flooring being a huge investment, consumers had little to no confidence in their selection. When they are daunted, and put off a flooring project for years, Nicki Rayburn, director of communications, Shaw, said this app will take that fear and paralysis away.
Hodge said that user experience, and Floorvana’s ease of use, is the key — and part of Shaw’s larger goals.
“With all of our tools, the goal is to be one source for the retailer, and it’s making all the difference. We want the retailer to find those consumers in the places they need with the information they need to get excited about flooring — like they would with any other product category. All of our innovative tools aim to reach the consumer in an unexpected but expected way,” she said.
And though its developments are significant, Floorvana isn’t Shaw’s only foray into digital marketing this year. ShawVR, a virtual home where users can visualize and walk through 360-degree “real-life” applications of latest flooring product, and Shaw Now, the company’s recently launched “one source” for retailers, which is a destination to order product, check stock, retrieve digital services and more, speak to the company’s commitment to digital innovation.