For Fulton Homes, design selections are a retail experience, buyer-engagement tool, and a major profit center, thanks to a long-running strategy that connects Zonda Envision with a 13,000-square-foot physical design center.
The Phoenix builder has used Envision, the online options management and digital design-center platform, for nearly 20 years, pairing it with an in-person studio experience that has helped grow average selections revenue to $86,000 per home at 32% profit.
The key really has been having both the physical design center as well as the digital design center. The digital design center has been phenomenal.
— Dennis Webb, Vice President of Operations, Fulton Homes
The result is a consistent shopping experience both online and in-person, allowing buyers to browse upgrades, compare pricing, and arrive at their design appointments better prepared.
We spoke with Dennis Webb, Vice President of Operations at Fulton Homes, about the company’s approach. This interview has been edited for space and clarity.
Zonda: How did Fulton’s design center strategy begin?
Webb: We wanted to make the buyer experience much better. Before, we were sending people all over the place to make selections. We thought it made sense to have a design center where we could control the merchandising, what buyers saw, and the selection experience.
Before Envision and the design center, we were doing about $14,000 per house in options at a 20% markup. In the first year with both, we went to $36,000 at a 30% markup.
Today, we are doing about $86,000 per house at a 32% markup.
A lot of us came out of retail, so merchandising was natural to us. We built a full-fledged design center, both physical and digital.
Why was the digital side important?
We believed the digital design center would be key to our success. We started with Envision in 2006 and merged our back-office systems into it so everything could talk to each other.
What role does transparency play?
It is huge. We wanted buyers to see pricing because we wanted to show how transparent we were. Price transparency gives buyers confidence. It helps them trust us.
How do buyers use Envision before appointments?
Our buyers spend about seven hours in Envision before their design center appointment. We track that carefully. The more information we give them, the better prepared they are.
We carry about 2,300 options, so the challenge is giving buyers enough choice without overwhelming them.
How do the online and in-person experiences work together?
They are totally connected. The options are in Envision, the branding is the same, and the sales office, website, Envision, and design center all feel congruent.
That creates a seamless experience. Buyers see something online, then recognize it in the design center.
What has the impact been?
Before Envision and the design center, we were doing about $14,000 per house in options at a 20% markup. In the first year with both, we went to $36,000 at a 30% markup. Today, we are doing about $86,000 per house at a 32% markup.
