IT
DESIGNED TO INSPIRE
Kitchen and bathroom sales can be boosted via the use of smarter design technology as BMJ finds out.
S
tatic showroom displays are no longer enough to provide increasingly design- conscious and savvy home-owners, and the installers they use, with the right inspiration in kitchen and bathroom design. Expanding digital design capabilities is now essential to inspire, engage and convert more buyers. Showrooms are still valuable, but today’s shoppers expect to “see before they buy,” and the trade professionals guiding them need tools that make it easy to demonstrate products in context.
That’s according to Alex Ainge, senior director at Cyncly, the company behind the Winner and Virtual Worlds showroom software packages. “Merchant showrooms have always been a source of inspiration,but digital tools are Increasingly part of that environment too,” he says. “Customers want to understand how products will look in their own homes, whether that means a family kitchen or a compact bathroom and software makes that possible in ways that a physical display cannot.”
Moving beyond static displays He says that, of course, a well-designed display still has its place. “Shoppers want to touch materials, test out drawers and see finishes in real life. Yet a physical showroom can only ever showcase a limited number of combinations.
Digital design software fills this gap by letting merchants show a much wider variety of layouts, colour schemes and product ranges. The same space that displays one bathroom suite can, on screen, present hundreds of variations, all tailored to the customer standing in front of you.”
Visualising the finished project One of the most powerful roles of software is in helping customers picture the end result. Instead of working from a paper plan or a flat 2D drawing, modern platforms can produce highly realistic images and even immersive 3D walkthroughs. Ainge says: “This makes it far easier for customers to understand scale, layout and style. It also helps tradespeople, as they can present and price their recommendations clearly and reduce the risk of miscommunication later in the project.” With the advance of software technology, tasks that would have been the domain of designers with specialist skills specialist skills and plenty of time, are now accessible to general showroom staff. Ainge says that today’s photo rendering engines are faster and more intuitive, giving showroom staff the ability to generate professional-quality visuals without needing to be design experts. “For merchants, this means every member of the team can contribute to creating an engaging sales experience, and customers benefit from seeing exactly what they’re investing in,” he says.
In the kitchen sector, Cyncly’s Winner software enables merchants and retailers to design layouts quickly and produce detailed, realistic images that support sales conversations. For bathrooms, platforms like its Virtual Worlds bring a project to life in 3D and even allow customers to experience designs in virtual reality.
Recent upgrades to both platforms have made this process far more efficient. Ainge explains that Winner’s improved rendering engine now produces high-resolution images
November 2025
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net
in a fraction of the time, allowing designers to move from concept to presentation without long waits. “This means that multiple variations can be shared with customers during a single consultation, keeping the design conversation flowing,” he says. On the other hand, Virtual Worlds has a brand- new rendering engine that removes much of the technical skill once needed. Retailers can now produce near-photographic visuals with a few clicks, while smoother workflows make it quicker to switch materials, finishes and layouts on the fly.
He adds: “Combined with Virtual Worlds’ VR capabilities, customers can not only see their new bathroom in lifelike detail but also step into it, exploring the design at full scale. For the showroom, the effect is simple but powerful: staff feel more confident creating and adapting designs, and customers feel inspired and reassured by what they see. The result is stronger engagement and, ultimately, more sales.”
Support the trade Trade customers, from installers to independent designers, increasingly rely on merchants not just as suppliers, but as partners in project planning, Ainge says. “By offering access to digital design tools, merchants can strengthen these relationships, providing added value that keeps the trade coming back. Having a clear, realistic design on screen helps professionals communicate with their own clients too, reducing costly changes once work is underway.”
He explains that the real value of digital tools is in helping customers make confident choices. “When someone can walk around a virtual bathroom or see their dream kitchen rendered in detail, uncertainty fades and commitment grows. For merchants, this translates into higher conversion rates, smoother transactions and stronger long-term relationships with both consumers and the trade.” BMJ
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