Innovative i-Choose for Weston Homes Plc

Leading property developer, Weston Homes plc, is at the forefront of innovative marketing techniques with its adoption of the i-Choose interactive customer presentation product from ArtiCAD’s Live Technologies portfolio.  i-Choose has been installed in the sales & marketing suite at Weston Homes’ Morello Quarter development in Basildon.  

Seeing is choosing

i-Choose was previewed at the Weston Homes property show in March 2009, and generated a great deal of interest and excitement amongst visitors.  Wendy Shipley, Senior Manager at the Morello Quarter development:  “People often find it really difficult to choose the finishes for their kitchen – particularly if they are buying off plan, which can be the case with a new-build.  And at Morello Quarter, the design of the kitchen is absolutely fundamental to the look and feel of the entire apartment.”

The 425 apartments which started selling in October 2008 include one and two bedroom layouts, some with en-suite and balconies.  Regardless of their floor plan, each one has been designed to provide a comfortable, light and roomy environment.  At the heart of each stylish, modern apartment is the open-plan kitchen which has been cleverly integrated into the living and dining areas.   Each high specification kitchen features an oven, hood and hob, fridge freezer and washer/drier. 

Offering choice

Customers are offered a wide choice of designer units, worktops and handles from Oakwood Kitchens, enabling them to create their own personal environment.  Wendy Shipley:  “Before we started using i-Choose, customers would often carry samples of the unit doors into one of the show apartments to try and see how they would look – but obviously this is not the ideal solution bearing in mind that we offer nineteen different door finishes.”

i-Choose in action

With i-Choose all this has changed.  Customers are invited to the marketing suite where they are able to view a 3D full colour representation of the kitchen layout for their chosen apartment.  Sitting with their Weston Homes Sales Negotiator, they are able to pick and choose the finish for their unit doors, work surfaces and handles.  

Sue Sargeant at Morello Quarter explains:  “Because there is so much to choose from, I usually start by encouraging people to reject those that they really don’t like – and then we can get started.  I simply highlight all (or some) of the doors and click on the finish/colour the customer would like to see.  The i-Choose system allows the customer to have all the doors in the same colour or to mix and match, if this is their preference.  They can see immediately how their kitchen would look.  Once they have decided on the units, we follow the same quick and easy process to help them choose their work surface and handles.”

Once the choices are made, the information is saved and is made available via the Internet to Weston Homes’ head office where the order is passed to Oakwood Kitchens for build and delivery.

Wendy Shipley:  “The atmosphere for the customer is very informal and we are happy to spend as much or as little time as they need taking them through the options with i-Choose.  After all, we want to ensure that customers don’t regret their choice and i-Choose helps to stop them making a mistake.”

Quality and choice – the way forward

In the current economic climate, Weston Homes is drawing on its long and successful history in property development.  Having weathered a previous recession, the company’s approach in these challenging times is to increase the quality of its homes’ specification (without raising the price) and to promote the company’s commitment to both quality and choice.  i-Choose reinforces Weston Homes' ability to deliver on these promises to its customers.

 “i-Choose is a really novel way of showing our customers exactly how much choice we offer them for their new home – and ensuring at the same time that it is a very enjoyable – and for some even exciting – experience.”

i-Choose from ArtiCAD

i-Choose is a web or PC-based multi-function tool which helps organisations increase sales conversion by delivering interactive customer presentations either via the Internet, in a face to face environment or running stand-alone on a screen in a showroom.  Using i-Choose, customers can select (from a pre-determined range), their choice of, for example, worktop surface, flooring, finishes and colour for units, etc.  Their choice is displayed immediately as a 3D photorealistic design view, and can be changed instantaneously at the click of a mouse, without the need for time-consuming re-rendering.

i-Choose allows customers to readily visualise the design of their kitchen, with however many different combinations are made available to them.  

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