FULL FRAME Technology
The Invasion Of The Integrators BY O’D MCKEWAN
If you are involved in selling motorized window coverings and you haven’t noticed the impact of audio-visual integrators on the window treatment industry, you will soon. Audio-visual integrators and more and more electricians are now selling motorized window coverings directly to their clients. There is a large push from some major motor manufacturers to market directly to these companies. In fact, some of them have completely jumped ship and are only marketing to these entities and severing ties with their former window covering dealers. This is the business strategy adopted by motor manufacturers because they believe the integrators and electricians have a better opportunity to sell their window treatment products because they get in front of potential clients first. If we, as window covering dealers, are not careful, this is exactly what will happen— especially when it comes to custom-built homes and remodeling projects.
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JULY + AUGUST 2022 | wf-vision.com
Generally, integrators and electricians are involved with the construction of a home long before window covering dealers or interior designers. This gives them the opportunity to introduce the idea of motorized window coverings at the start of the project. This is an opportunity that isn’t afforded to most retail window covering dealers. Window covering dealers are generally called in after construction is complete and the client has already blown his or her budget on upside-down water faucets and indoor barbeques on revolving treadmills. So, when an integrator or electrician offers the client the opportunity to have motorized window coverings from the start of the construction project, the costs can be built into the overall project budget within the home loan. This is certainly more appealing to the client,
as it incorporates window treatments within the project’s overall budget. The impact of this is compounded by the fact that most integrators and electricians price their jobs completely differently than a window covering dealer. Typically, electricians make most of their money off the labor costs of a job and not the products installed. So, they tend to price the window coverings at a much lower margin and offer the window treatments at a lower price than the window covering dealer. This is in contrast to window covering dealers charging a very small percentage of the installation of the motorized window treatments to the total cost. Regardless, the client sees it is a much better deal to get the window treatments from the electrician because he/she is
