In my latest poll running on my Twitter account, I have been asking my followers if the window and door industry has gone too far with it’s product diversification. For the past decade we have stepped up several gears on the product front, starting from the Great Recession, in an effort to give home owners better reasons to spend their cash on us when it was very tempting to keep hold of it.

We have more than come out of the other side of that turbulent period. We’re a much different offering than ten years ago, but have we taken it too far? I asked the question and you guys answered.

Question and answer

Here’s the question I posed for a week on my Twitter feed:

To be fair, only 4% less said that the extra choice was a good thing and that it has become a USP for companies who want to offer home owners as much as they can.

I suspect though that for many who voted to say that we have taken it a step too far it is down to the complicated nature of having to navigate their way through the sea of choice. I get that. With all the products at our disposal at our place, I don’t feel like I ever fully understand properly what is and isn’t available, and what can be done with the product ranges at my disposal. Things change so much now that its hard to keep up.

As frustrating as it is, it doesn’t mean we need to be rolling back the progress.

Money is where the choice is

The fact of the matter is that installers and indeed fabricators who offer the most choice have the best chance of making the most money. For fabricators, it means their installer customers don’t go elsewhere for products that aren’t available. For installers, they are able to offer home owners a wide range of home improvement products under one roof, with a better chance to pick up extra business.

The key for any of us is getting organised. If we’re going to offer large portfolios of products and services, our companies need to be well staffed and well organised to be able to deliver those products and services efficiently and profitably. Thats easier said than done of course, that usually involves spending a decent amount of money to get yourself into that position.

Going forwards though, I foresee only further diversification in the years to come. Some products that have only just been released will fall by the way side. Some are to come and may be a huge success. The norms that we know now won’t be the norms even in the next five to ten years. What we have to do as an industry is to make sure we make the most of all the new products that come our way and make a profitable earning out of the new opportunities, rather than turn it all in a race to the bottom as we have done with other products in the past.

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