In Germany, over 90% of buyers use the internet as their first source of information and initial contact. However, it turns out that many window dealers have not yet fully seized the potential of the internet, as shown in a mystery shopping test by Interconnection Consulting among the 176 dealers with the highest market share.
There are usually big differences between the dealers, both in the speed of processing pure email enquiries and in the quality of the answers.
Only Half Make an Offer
The 176 window dealers were contacted by Interconnection via email, regarding a specific request for a new project. For about half (46%) of the companies, an online enquiry alone is not sufficient. Only after a reminder email and telephone contact, around 93% of the surveyed dealers responded. The number of window dealers who made an offer fell dramatically compared to previous years, reaching only 51.8% this year. The dealers chose different communication channels to submit an offer.
Of the 85 dealers submitting an offer, about one third suggested a telephone conversation or a face-to-face meeting, even if this was only possible to a limited extent due to the pandemic. Almost two-thirds send their offer by e-mail. The follow-up rate is dramatically low: only two of the 85 traders who submitted an offer asked whether there is still interest.
Some Dealers Do Not Answer Any Questions
The average response time was 4.3 days. Around 40 percent of the dealers fulfilled the golden internet rule- reply within 24 hours. The average time for making an offer was 3.7 days. The enquiry not only contained a concrete request, but also three questions on the topics of window handles, warranty and installation. Less than one third of the dealers responded to all three questions asked. Around eight percent of the dealers did not answer a single question. The importance of dealers answering questions is obviously underestimated.
