Carpet buyers favour in-person shopping

A new report has revealed that while many homebuyers make their decisions on prospective properties based on online floor plans and 3D visualisations, when it comes to carpeting, they prefer to see and feel the carpets before making a purchase.

Some builders are now providing online 3D views of homes that have not yet been built. They allow viewers to change the design of the rooms to see how different fittings and fixtures will look. When it comes to carpets, however, a digital image gives a limited impression of how the carpet suits a room.

According to The Mercury News, Jennifer Kamenca of design studio Residential Design Services (RDS) sees the future of home design as a mix of virtual and in-person experiences. Virtual design applications give a good initial introduction to interior design options and save people having to travel to a retailer to get a first impression of different designs. However, before a buyer commits, they want to see and feel samples of the materials used in their preferred designs.

During the coronavirus pandemic, most RDS design meetings were held online, but after lockdown restrictions eased, many customers preferred to visit the studio to handle material samples. All participants must wear masks and gloves, and the studio is disinfected before each meeting.

When it comes to choosing a quality carpet for a North Wales home that will be in a room for many years, there is no online substitute for seeing and feeling a carpet.