When decorating a house, ceramic tiles must be one of the main materials needed. Most people usually buy ceramic tiles by visiting the building materials market. Of course, a small number of people learn about it through online channels such as Tmall and JD.com.
In China, ceramic tile production areas are distributed in many provinces and cities. The production capacity of ceramic tiles is stable at more than 10 billion square meters. There are tens of thousands of ceramic tile brands. Whether in the industry or in the terminal market, the Foshan brand is the most famous. . So there is a saying inside and outside the industry: To choose ceramic tiles, go to Foshan.
Would it be cheaper to buy ceramic tiles in Foshan? Is it more quality-guaranteed than buying elsewhere? ... With the questions that consumers often have when buying bricks, Zhongtaojun came to China Ceramics City in Shiwan, Foshan. Taking on the role of a consumer, I visited many ceramic tile stores in the mall. Below, Mr. Zhongtao will share with you his experience of visiting the store.
1
Shopping Guide
First of all, Zhongtaojun chose a weekday afternoon to visit China Ceramics City. Surprisingly, the mall still had good customer flow on weekdays. When Zhong Taojun walked into the first tile store (called store A, the real name of the brand will not appear in this article and will be replaced by letters), there were already two or three waves of customers in the store choosing tiles.
Store A operates first-tier brands. The shopping guide in the store was very enthusiastic and very patient with Mr. Zhongtao, who was "acting" as a ceramic tile novice. At first, he was not in a hurry to recommend a certain product. Instead, he took Mr. Zhongtao around the store first, and every time he Categories are introduced and explained one by one. After the consumer has a certain direction of choice, he will proactively provide the consumer with a rough quotation. Zhongtaojun noticed that the main products currently promoted by the store are 600×1200㎜ rectangular floor tiles and 800×800㎜ floor tiles (cut on the wall).
It is also a first-line big brand store, but the shopping guides in store B are relatively inferior. After entering the store, the shopping guide first asked the consumer what products he wanted to buy and what style he wanted to wear. When the consumer said that he had no idea, he only recommended a large-panel product to the consumer. In addition, he did not continue to introduce the more conventional products and did not introduce them to the consumer.There are further suggestions and ideas for consumers. Regarding her performance, it is very appropriate to quote a classic line from the TV series "An Jia": "Sometimes customers don't know what they want.A Excellent sales are to put good products in front of customers and then help them make decisions, rather than leaving the difficulty of choice to customers. ”
Then, Zhongtaojun checked in to a first-tier big brand store next door, namely store C. The store's shopping guides are very confident in their own brand's products. Regardless of whether the consumers who come in have purchasing power, they will explain the products that consumers are interested in one by one, and at the same time tell them frankly: This brand's products are indeed expensive, and what is the value of the products? Approximately when will the event take place, and what types of products will the discounts only apply to... Although "the price directly dissuades", the shopping guide's sense of proportion still makes people feel very comfortable.
After browsing several first-tier brands, Zhongtaojun walked into store D. Store D handles a second- and third-tier brand in Foshan. In addition to being enthusiastic, the shopping guide in this store is also very reliable. It can be said that he is the most professional shopping guide Tao Jun encountered in explaining products that day. After looking at the ceramic tiles in store D for half an hour, the shopping guide only told the truth from beginning to end, and did not lie to consumers because they did not understand. When it comes to recommending products, we also recommend only the right ones and not the expensive ones based on the needs of consumers. We proactively provide multiple selection options and rough quotations, and say we can help with design renderings and recommend construction masters.
It is worth mentioning that in conversations with shopping guides in multiple stores, Zhongtaojun discovered the phenomenon of first-tier brands slandering each other. Our factory, there are sensitive topics such as special price brick sales channels. Although this phenomenon of speaking ill of competitors behind their backs is relatively common in the industry, it is not a healthy trend in any case. Zhongtaojun couldn't help but recall a dealer surnamed Wang interviewed in Guiyang. He said: "I never allow employees in the store to speak ill of other brands. This is our company's red line."
It can be seen that All walks of life have professional ethics, which is related to customers' trust in businesses and has nothing to do with brand popularity.
2
Products
When buying ceramic tiles, of course, you want to buy products that are popular in style and color, are attractive in appearance, have suitable product sizes and specifications, and are easy to construct. Therefore, when "ceramic tile novices" visit the building materials market, the first thing they will learn about is the more popular and best-selling categories.
Zhongtaojun learned that the most popular 800×800㎜ glazed tiles in store A are the gray series 800×800㎜ glazed tiles. The store discount price is 99 yuan/piece, and the official flagship store on Tmall is expected to sell them for 75 yuan/piece. Films, one or two models will also be popular products during the event, with a preferential price of 49 yuan/piece. Similar products are also best-sellers in store B. In terms of price, the gray series 800×800㎜ glazed tiles in store B sell for 108 yuan/piece, and most stores have fixed prices, so there is no particularly large room for discounts. Tmall official flagship store The expected price is 72 yuan/piece. The products of store C are more high-end than other brands. The most sold ceramic tiles are hundreds of pieces per square meter, and these products will not be discounted during the event. Several promotional products in store D are relatively close to the people. 800×800mm full-body tiles only cost 59 yuan/piece, and 750×1500mm marble tiles cost about 100 yuan/piece.
Most consumers have the same habit when shopping, that is, in addition to looking at popular models, they also want to know about some unique and trendy new products. Zhongtaojun has also thought of this for the majority of consumers. The recommended new product of store A is the 800 × 2400㎜ three-piece slate background wall. The delivery price of the finished product including installation is 7,500-10,000 yuan. What is worth recommending in Store B is a 600×1200㎜ ceramic tile with the function of negative ions degrading formaldehyde. The price is about 150 yuan/piece. The new product recommended by the C store is an oversized full-body slate, which is very suitable for making countertops. The store also said that it can help with cutting, edge grinding and chamfering. The only disadvantage is that the price is relatively high, so wealthy people may consider it. The new product worth recommending in D store is a high-looking slate background wall. The effect of the whole wall is somewhat similar to that of a mural. It can be customized for both large and small apartments, and the price is about 500 yuan/㎡.
People will inevitably be impulsive when they see a product that appeals to them, but the wallet in their pocket won't allow it. Ordinary "workers" must control every budget to a minimum when decorating their homes, so Zhongtaojun also has a rough idea of the price of purchasing bricks for the whole house of each brand. In terms of floor tiles, the specifications and sizes of the products most directly affect the quotation.Large-sized, rectangular ceramic tiles are not only more expensive, but also require higher labor costs during paving and laying.
In addition to the living room, you can choose some low-gloss wood grain tiles and antique tiles for the floors of bedrooms, kitchens and bathrooms. The quotations of these products from major first-line brands are basically not less than 100 yuan/㎡, so it is recommended to compare products. Three. In terms of wall tiles, the price of interior wall tiles (tiles) of several brands in the mall is almost 10 yuan/piece. Most shopping guides will recommend 800×800㎜ floor tiles to be cut and installed on the wall, but the cost will definitely not be low. Among them, store D The 400×800㎜ mid-board shown will be more cost-effective. A quick look around shows that the most economical plan for buying bricks for a whole house for a small apartment is basically no less than 10,000 yuan. It is also common to buy ceramic tiles for 40,000 to 50,000 yuan from higher-end brands.
As the saying goes, it doesn’t matter if it’s expensive, but it’s important if it’s worth buying. It's like wanting to buy 800×800㎜ ceramic tiles, but the only products in the store that cost less than 100 yuan are beige, polished tiles and other outdated styles and backward categories. No matter how famous the brand is, it is not worth considering. In another situation, a certain brand of small floor tiles is affordable, but feels rough, has low flatness, and has a high water absorption rate. Then this type of product is not worth buying, no matter how cheap it is. When we talk about cost-effectiveness, price is always only one aspect, practical performance is the most important.
Therefore, Zhongtaojun recommends that novice ceramic tile buyers must walk more, ask more, and read more when buying tiles. If this is not possible, they can ask relatives and friends with experience in buying tiles to accompany them. The key is to choose products that suit themselves.
3
Experience
The first experience is undoubtedly the service. Although after-sales service is the most important thing, the pre-sales service attitude is enough to show how attentive a business is to its customers. Zhong Taojun visited four or five stores in the mall, and in only two of them the clerks enthusiastically handed over tea. Although this gesture was inconspicuous, it directly affected the time consumers spent in the store. If a store's pre-sales service is perfunctory, how can it ensure the quality of its after-sales service?
The second sense of experience, Zhong Taojun thinks of it as display. Store decoration and product display can intuitively make consumers want to buy. Traditional ceramic tile stores will set up model rooms when decorating, in order to allow consumers to intuitively see the application effects of ceramic tiles in different spaces, and at the same time to avoid the problem of consumers not knowing how to match them. As store operating costs increase, many model rooms are gradually replaced by ordinary sample displays. Thanks to the promotion of smart electronic technology products, some stores will be equipped with interactive large screens. You can directly select tiles on the touch display and pull them into the scene to see the application effects, which is very convenient.
The third sense of experience is the activities held in the store. It is very important to choose whether to buy ceramic tiles in the off-season or the peak season, and which time point to choose for promotional activities. If you just want to know more, Zhongtaojun recommends that you go to the building materials market on working days or during the off-season time before the year. At this time, the shopping guides in the store are not so busy, and you can get a more comprehensive understanding of the questions you want to ask; if it is really When it comes to the purchase stage, Zhongtaojun recommends going there during nodes such as 315, 618, Labor Day, and National Day, because the discounts at these nodes can be said to be the strongest in the year.
Zhong Taojun visited the ceramic tile store this time because he chose the time just after the 315 promotion. In this case, it is obvious that the transaction will not be completed immediately, so he can see more and learn more without any burden. The store shopping guide We will not use various methods to retain customers because we are eager to place an order.
The fourth sense of experience is an eye-catching product. Stone slabs are undoubtedly the most popular product at the moment. Slates are basically sold in stores of various brands, but most of them look the same as large slabs. Even the shopping guides don’t know why. . In terms of application, slate is still mainly used for upper walls and lower floors, without much innovation. Tao Jun finally found a tile store that displayed a slate dining table. After asking, he learned that the dining table was purchased from other places.
It is said that slate can be used across industries, and consumers will be curious even if they don’t buy it for the time being. Therefore, it is still necessary for stores to properly display some slate applications. After trying hard to find nowhere, Zhong Taojun finally found a store in the mall that sells slate for home use. The store uses slate to make cabinets, dining tables, bathroom cabinets, islands, stoves, etc. smart home. This fresh, high-end product effectivelyLeave a deep impression on consumers.
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This issue of "Looking for Bricks" is coming to an end. Did visiting the store and sharing as a consumer provide some help for you to buy bricks? In the next issue, Zhongtao Jun will continue to explore the store and find bricks for everyone. If you want to know any information, you can tell Zhongtao Jun in the comment area below.
