Appalachian Flooring
Simplifying the sales process using an online configurator
Starting with 1400+ samples of hardwood flooring, we transformed each into 3D images and built virtual lifestyle scenes. From there, we custom-coded a web application so that Appalachian Flooring’s clients can now visualize their home renovation project.
An innovative solution for a forward-thinking company
As one of Canada’s leading manufacturers of hardwood and engineered wood flooring, Appalachian Flooring is committed to providing customers country-wide with quality products for their home. With a commitment to helping the planet by reducing their carbon footprint and procuring wood from sources like sustainably managed forests, this company is certainly forward-thinking. They were seeking an innovative idea to help showcase their 1400+ flooring options to potential clients that went beyond only a small sample and imagination of what it would look like installed across an entire living room.
Web application for a modernized sales process
Gone are the days when customers would need to physically get to a store in order to shop. Thanks to lightspeed advancements in technology, even something as considerable as choosing your flooring can be done over the Internet without ever leaving the comfort of your home. With a custom web application for their 1400+ flooring options, that’s exactly the solution our team at Edge Dimension was able to provide for Appalachian Flooring as they transitioned to modernize their sales process.
Thousands of high resolution 3D renders
Thousands of flooring samples in hand, we started the creative process by shooting high resolution images from our in-house studio. Next, our team of 3D artists crafted photorealistic virtual replicas of the samples on the screen. The challenge here was for us to make each pattern seamless - meaning there wouldn’t be any ghastly irregularities on the flooring images, while still keeping the natural look and feel of wood. Success! Then, with a trusty colour checker to ensure perfect white balance and regularly calibrating our computer screens, we rendered each texture true to life. Online shoppers would now be able to tell the difference between an amaretto red oak and a cinnamon hard maple floor without needing to see the sample in real life.
Joseph TosajProduct Manager
Elevating the entire customer experience journey
Although we now had virtual samples, it wasn’t the most exciting way to present the high-grade wood flooring. Our next step was to create 10 different environments including kitchens, living rooms, and bedrooms that each expressed a unique lifestyle. With the power of 3D visualization, a potential client could then imagine themselves in a contemporary kitchen with Appalachian Flooring’s biscotti-coloured birch. But the user experience didn’t stop there! With our custom-built online configurator, a client could click through all of the 1400+ options and see the flooring change in real time along with the chosen living space. Our team of developers made sure to build the application to be compatible with all web browsers using a responsive design, as well as being mobile-friendly.
Limitless creative bounds with the power of 3D
Choosing materials to renovate without being certain of their quality can be a costly mistake if the style doesn’t live up to a person’s expectations. It can also be a major factor in holding people back from moving forward with signing purchasing agreements and, ultimately, making sales. Fortunately, we’ve gotten amazing feedback from Appalachian Flooring and their retailers across the country who’ve felt empowered to sell confidently using our life-like 3D renders. It’s eliminated a lot of unnecessary returns and saved a lot of time in the customer experience journey. Thanks to the photorealistic images and online web application, Canadians everywhere were able to confidently renovate their homes and say goodbye to buyer’s remorse. That’s a huge win in our books!