Despite what we may think, luxury is fairly relative to the end consumer. Even more so now than in decades past. Is it a product? A service? An experience? All of the above? What one person may see as average may be another’s version of affluence. So how do kitchen and bath brands compete in this vast landscape? Information.
An Article for KBB Magazine‘s Luxury Column
In this digital age, businesses are able to capture immense amounts of data and quickly make informed decisions on what kind of products to bring to the marketplace. Consumer buying habits, not a problem – they’re all being tracked and that information is for purchase online. Products that your competitor spent years researching and developing can easily be searched in a couple clicks. Online reviews can be as enlightening as focus groups. Just a few keywords applied to some well positioned marketing and you just branded your product as “affordable luxury” to the exact targeted demographic based on age, geography, and annual income. That term seems like an oxymoron, but as I mentioned before, relativity plays an extensive role in defining what that means to us. To a client in the middle of the pandemic, it may have meant purchasing a touchless faucet and quartz countertops for their antibacterial properties. To a client visiting a luxury showroom, it may have been how their favorite radio station was playing before they walked in and their choice champagne was at the ready. Don’t laugh – we’ve done it. Knowing what your customer expects and exceeding it is luxury at any price point.
The most prevalent version of luxury is personalization. The options that were available 30 years ago when my mother started in this industry are a fraction of a fraction of what is available now. Customers want something that is uniquely their own. Something that their neighbors don’t have. We’re not just “Keeping up with the Jones” anymore. We have to show them how ours is even more personalized to us than theirs is. And now these abilities are available at every price point. You don’t need to be in designer fixtures with custom cabinetry to achieve your own personalized style.
The next factor is ease. With the pace our days move, squeezing out an extra 5 minutes a day will add up to 30 hours a year. Now if a product or a service can do that, or 10 minutes, or even a half an hour each day, what is that worth to you? Time is our most valuable asset as it is the one thing we will never get back. Imagine waking up and walking into your bathroom and the floor is warmed to your ideal temperature from your preset heated floor thermostat. You walk over to your shower and tap the touch screen. Your in-line water heater has already prepared for your shower based on your daily habits and the profile that you created through your shower’s app automatically sets the temperature to your preferred 102.6 degrees. You get out and turn on the defog mechanism in the mirror along with the in-mirror TV so you can watch your favorite news channel while you get ready. And lastly, your outfit that you put in your steamer appliance last night already got any wrinkles out of today’s outfit so you’re ready to head to the office. How much time did you save? How comfortable was it? How personalized was it? These are all options that are readily available to the masses in just about every price point now.
All of this being said, I don’t want to forsake luxury brands with the above statements. As someone who works in this tier of the industry, there is something to be said about what separates them from their more mass produced counterparts and that is: the experience. From a designer perspective, luxury clients expect you to have extensive knowledge of the newest materials and products, have relationships with all of the major and even the obscure luxury brands, and be not just on the forefront of style, but pushing the envelope of what is possible. That experience is what makes the difference between a five figure and a seven figure kitchen. And you can’t do it alone. You need partnerships and experienced representation from your suppliers. Ever had an appliance brand send someone out to teach your client how to use their appliances and cook with their products? Sub-Zero/Wolf does. That is a luxury experience.
Whether it’s a focus on product offerings, available services, or an unparalleled experience, luxury is in the eye of the beholder. Anticipating their target audience’s needs with amenities they don’t even know they need will be necessary to staying relevant and maintaining market share. Utilizing the sheer amount of information available at their fingertips through following consumer trends, buying habits, demographics, and the competition will be how kitchen and bath brands keep bringing new definitions of luxury to the marketplace.