May 2022

Customer trends
Continued from page 66
Sternfenster was the first UK fabricator to own a
Graf Welder, and now has three at its Lincolnshire
facility.
They produce a range of finishes, from a near
invisible weld on foiled StyleLine sashes, to
a 1.5mm pencil line finish on standard white
outerframes.
Sternfenster’s best-selling product, StyleLine is
available with a flush sash, is rated A for energy
efficiency as standard, and the multi-point
shootbolt locks and MACO hardware provide
PAS24-compliant security.
“We’ve found that homeowners’ views on
aesthetics are changing,” Nathan said.
“The window industry has gone from being
driven by the demand for white squares, to about
changing the look and the feel of your home.
“This is important in driving sales of StyleLine
windows.
“On the one hand you’ve got more expensive
alternative products out there which you can
sell against – because it is a high-end product
at a reasonable price point – and you’ve got
consumers’ buying habits changing, and that’s
really what’s driven the numbers.”
Nathan argued that this demand in higher value –
and higher margin – products have always been
there, but the window and door industry chose to
sell on price instead.
“Up until now, this industry was not driven by the
consumer,” he said.
“It is a salesman’s job to sell aesthetics and
to create the desire for a product – like a
Dyson vacuum cleaner or a Mercedes car, for
example – but rather than selling on the features
and benefits offered by high end products like
StyleLine, window companies were selling on
price – a race to the bottom.
“Look at the history of the flush sash. It’s taken
something like 12 to 16 years to really take hold,
which is ludicrous for a product that is so good,
and which can really drive-up profit margins.”
Nathan explains the pandemic didn’t change
people’s aspirations, it just altered their buying
habits. And now that the window industry has
realised that modern features such as foiled
profile and flush casements – as offered by the
StyleLine window – win customers and increase
margin, there’s no reason why things should
change now.
“Some people believe that now we are through
the worst of the pandemic, and we are facing
a squeeze on the standard of living because of
rising energy prices, that we are somehow going
to return to the bad old days of simply selling on
price and settling for reduced margins,” Nathan
concluded. “But I don’t think that’s the case.
“In the current climate, it is the people who have
the spare cash who are going to buy windows,
and they will be going to products that fit their
chosen aesthetic – a better-looking product that
fits in with what they want.”
Contact Sternfenster:
01522 512525
www.sternfenster.com
@Sternfenster
68 TI MAY 2022 PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST