Here are the three most important tips we’ve learned about building custom metal roofing visualizers.
With the growing popularity of metal roofing, it’s more important than ever for metal roof manufacturers to offer digital visualization tools that educate consumers about the value of metal roofing.
But there’s very little information available on how to build a metal roofing visualizer that achieves the business objectives of the manufacturer.
That’s why we wrote this article.
Over the past 20 years, Renoworks has built many custom-branded metal roofing visualizers for our clients.
Here are the three most important tips we’ve learned along the way:
1. Know Your Customers and Their Goals
Have you ever heard the saying, “If you try to make everyone happy, you’ll end up making no one happy”?
The same is true when building a metal roof visualizer.
Different types of customers have different goals when using your visualizer.
Knowing your target customer and their goals is a critical first step in designing a user experience that helps them achieve those goals.
Different types of customers have different goals when using your visualizer.
If you are building your metal roof visualizer primarily as a tool to help contractors sell your products to homeowners, then the user experience should be designed to help contractors increase their close rates and streamline their sales process.
For example, Metal Roofing Alliance offers remote measurement & 3D modelling functionality on their metal roof visualizer. This gives the contractor an all-in-one tool to present designs to homeowners, obtain accurate measurements for quoting, and increase their ability to close jobs faster.
Alternatively, if the homeowner is your primary user, the user experience should be simplified and tailored toward moving them closer to a purchase decision. Metal Sales Manufacturing Corporation achieves this goal by using artificial intelligence to instantly show metal roofing products on a home, with a “request sample” call-to-action to move the homeowner toward a purchase decision.
Here are some common visualizer goals to consider as you decide on the features and user experience that you will make available on your metal roof visualizer:
| CUSTOMER | GOAL |
|---|---|
| Homeowner | Get inspired, make a design decision, and find a contractor to execute their vision |
| DIY’er | Finalize design & product selection, obtain accurate measurements, and order products |
| Contractor | Help their clients make a design decision to change an existing property |
| Builder | Help their clients make a design decision to build a new property |
| Architect | Learn more about the metal roofing product for the purposes of specifying it |
| Distributor/Dealer | Help their contractor and builder customers make a purchase decision |
2. Profile Matters
Metal roofing products are distinct among other roofing products because of their reflective shine, texture, and profile.
But this presents a unique visualization challenge.
In order to fully appreciate a metal roofing product, homeowners often like to see it from different angles and lighting conditions.
As a result, you may want to consider offering a 3D product viewer on your metal roof visualizer.
The Steelscape visualizer is a great example of a 3D product viewer in action.
Their visualizer allows the user to upload an image and view metal roofing and siding products on their home. However, it also provides the option to view the metal roofing product in 3D. This allows the user to fully appreciate the profile, texture and light reflection from different angles.
3. Offer Non-Competing Product Visualization
What if your customer is doing a full-home remodeling job?
In some cases, a new metal roof may be just one component of a project.
As a result, the homeowner may want to visualize your metal roofing products along with other changes to their home.
This is an opportunity to provide added value to your customers to design the other elements of their project.
Consider offering the ability to customize other parts of the home, such as siding, windows, doors, garage doors, masonry, and trim. The additional options and design flexibility will help ensure the user sticks with your visualization tool for all their project design needs.
Other Considerations
There are many additional questions to consider when building a metal roof visualizer. For example:
- Do you sell to agricultural and commercial customers?
- Do you sell metal wall panels as well as metal roofing?
- Do you need to send leads to your sales reps, dealers, preferred contractors or installers?
- Do you want to show a comparison between metal roofing products and other roofing products such as asphalt?
Renoworks can help you work through these questions and build you a custom-branded metal roofing visualizer that achieves your business objectives. Talk to one of our visualization experts and get started today.
