The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect numerous businesses around the world—one of these being the interior design industry. Of course, almost everyone is spending their time at home. Nowadays, this is where one works, eats, sleeps, exercises, and so on.
With that, the demands of the public in terms of the physical aspects of their home are now shifting as well. So, as a business owner, what can you do to keep up with all these sudden changes?
The World of Design
Entering this industry requires creativity. There are many interior designers out there. So, one way of standing out among your competitors is by having your own style. At the same time, this would also help attract clients with the same ideas as you do.
So don’t hesitate to have a specialization. It may be risky since this could lead to you having lesser clients. But it’ll be even harder to manage a project that you don’t feel a connection to.
You probably started your business because you loved organizing and decorating things as a child. Or you loved transforming vacant spaces into functional areas. So as you grew up, you also wanted other people to experience the same kind of environment.
But with the situation nowadays, coming up with fresh and innovative ideas tends to be a little tricky. However, it’s at times like these that one’s creativity needs to flourish. The situation isn’t going back to normal anytime soon. Luckily you, as a designer and business owner, can do something to help.
Go Digital
Working from home is now the new normal for most companies. With that, people started needing to alter some parts of their homes to make them more conducive.
So, this is where your creativity will come into play. But since you can’t meet with clients face-to-face, you should consider going digital. You can schedule video appointments where you’d present your portfolio and all that. You may even choose to offer paid consultations. If your clients are too far away, you can give some tips instead. They may be residing in Haxby while you’re all the way in Balham. In that way, they’ll be able to decorate their place by themselves.
Conform to the People’s Needs
Of course, you should keep up with the times and anticipate your clients’ needs as well. Usually, they would look for a design suitable for their soon-to-be office at home—one where they can hold meetings and work without having any distractions.
Colours are also a way of attracting potential clients. At present, most of us are experiencing a feeling of anxiety and unrest. So, you can choose more uplifting colours. Something that can provide them with comfort.
Consider the Price
And while you’re in the process of getting clients for your business, you need to consider the price as well. Yes, there are still a lot of people who can afford your regular services. But you shouldn’t base solely on the standards of the industry. You should be able to justify the prices that you set in your business. You’d need to convince the people that the services they’re paying for are worth it.
And for other individuals, spending on the design of their home isn’t really a top priority. This is usually because many people already have a hard time meeting their daily expenses. On top of that, there is no guarantee when this pandemic would end. So naturally, people would want to keep their spending to a minimum.
But you shouldn’t worry that much because the demand for your services will slowly rise over time. Spending most days at home would allow individuals to see even the littlest of flaws in their property as well.
Have Great Resources
And for you to establish great relationships with your clients, you need to earn their trust. One way of doing this is by ensuring that the materials you use are of great quality. So you should take your time in choosing the brands and companies where you’ll get your needed products from.
You need to know which type of material would work best with the area you’ll design. For example, if the target area is the kitchen, you’d opt for ceramics instead of wood. The sturdy flooring for bedrooms may differ from the ones in the living room as well. So, you need to go over a lot of factors before coming up with a final plan.
Leave an Impact
Designing a home takes a lot of creativity and time. Of course, the changes you make would impact your clients’ lives, especially at times like these when almost everyone stays indoors. So you should see to it that you take their needs into careful consideration. Not only that, but the prices you set, as well as the materials you use, should also be well-thought-of.