The ability to buy online has been around for a long while now, but there remains a large contingent of the population who prefers brick and mortar to digital shopping. That contingent shrunk over the last year and a half as online shopping became the only way for shoppers to get their hands on many items over the course of the pandemic. The reliance on e-commerce meant a doubling of e-commerce sales, year-over-year, with a 110.8% increase compared with May 2019.
JELD-WEN Canada customers can use e-commerce to buy windows and doors, but unlike other, more traditional e-commerce platforms, our customers cannot buy directly from us. That means the ways in which we bring e-commerce to our customers is by working closely with our retailers to provide access to all the information they need to make an informed choice before they click ‘buy.’ While demand for e-commerce has grown in recent years, and especially during the pandemic, large-scale purchases, like windows and doors, are not necessarily natural fits for the e-commerce world. It takes expertise and quality planning an execution to create and maintain success in e-commerce. For us, demand started steady and has increased exponentially over the years.
Why the demand grew
Once upon a time, it would have been considered out of the question to trust the purchase of windows and doors exclusively via an online platform. But the growth in popularity for
e-commerce in this industry happened naturally, following in lockstep with the progression in the popularity of online buying. In fact, today, e-commerce is outperforming 80 percent of business that is done in store.
With nine years of experience honing expertise in e-commerce management before the pandemic hit, the platform enabled a whopping 30-40% in increased sales in the last year and a half, due to strong demand and a well-oiled process to fulfil orders. Given that we aren’t a company that sells direct, enabling the success of e-commerce requires a team effort. We value and honour the partnerships that empower us to best serve our customers.
What to pay attention to when order windows and doors online
While the advent and increase in popularity of online shopping has opened possibilities never even considered an option before, windows and doors are one of those things that won’t be an impulse buy. There are some best practices to follow when you choose the convenience of buying windows and doors online.
Know what you’re buying
First and foremost, educate yourself as much as possible. Become an expert on products and pricing by taking advantage of the content JELD-WEN provides to our retailers. Look at all of the options of styles available to you and review the specifications and benefits each product has to offer.
Know your numbers
Measure! Then measure again. Now, go measure one more time. This is the most important step in your purchase of windows and doors. The one downside to purchasing this way is that you are more likely to return your windows or doors if the measurements are off. To save both hassles and headaches, taking the time to accurately measure will ensure what you’re expecting is what you get, the first time. The most important thing to remember is accommodating ¾ of an inch to an inch of space surrounding the frame of the door or window to ensure there is room to insulate.
Know your options
Options matter. Different windows have different performance options and specifications. Whatever you do, make sure the windows you are replacing are upgraded to be more energy efficient than what you already have. If you’re changing out your windows and doors, it’s best to ensure you’re benefitting from increased energy efficiency.
Know what to expect
When you’re making such an important purchase online, you should expect to be provided with enough information to, not only make a purchasing decision, but to also feel supported once your order is received and installed. That means, ensuring there is enough information provided on the e-commerce platform to provide exact specifications, user manuals and warranty information. If there is any information that is lacking on the ecommerce site, ask a sales associate questions to fill in those gaps. There should be enough information on the website and with our retail partners on the floor, to make sure you have all of the information you need to make the most informed purchase decision possible.
Ensure it is packaged well
The increase in online shopping has meant more individual products going to consumers versus large orders to developers and contractors. That means that packaging also has had to evolve. Before e-commerce, crates were the packaging of choice for windows and doors. There has, however, been ongoing efforts to change and look at ways to improve packaging, while at the same time controlling costs and protecting the environment.
Because of that, there is a movement towards cardboard and wood products that are recyclable and have a lower carbon footprint to create.
The way we buy everything, from food to flights, has changed dramatically over our lifetime. The online purchasing experience will continue to evolve as consumers demand more and companies, like JELD-WEN, step up to the plate to make the process as easy, enjoyable, and as efficient as possible.
JELD-WEN Canada in e-commerce
JELD-WEN windows and doors are available online through our retail partners, with whom we work closely to ensure a high-quality and seamless experience.
For us, that means being diligent about providing quality content, images, specs, manuals and enough supporting data to enable a quality online experience. By providing this benefit to our partners, we also help them improve their business by meeting with them to understand where they want their own e-commerce business to go. The key, ultimately, is to maximize information, both for sellers and for buyers, so that people are able to learn as much as possible about JELD-WEN products and make an informed decision when they make a purchase.
Having an enjoyable user experience for consumers also means making very sure that what they see, they can get. There is nothing more frustrating for a consumer than clicking “Add to Cart” and finding out that item is not available. Having an online presence that people can count on means availability of product and ensure the most popular products are represented well on the website.
Planning for long term growth means continuing to build and support our customer base. To be a manufacturer that supports the growth of e-commerce, means that it is vital to continue to partner and improve the online experience. We do this by working closely with factories to improve lead times and product offering. Visit JELD-WEN Canada for more information.
