Tuesday, May 18th, 2010
Mannington Introduces Mobile App Designed to Serve the Design Process
Here’s a fun, interesting PR from our friends at Mannington — a mobile app for designers!
Mannington Commercial announces the launch of Choices that Work, the floorcovering industry’s first mobile application designed to serve designers’ process. Using a smart phone’s integrated camera and scanning technology, the app integrates with Mannington sample books to show coordinating collections and enable sample orders.
Sampling is a core service of the industry, serving the design process and driving sales for manufacturers. With an increasing number of designers using smart phones driven by applications, the industry should flex to use new technologies to serve established processes.
By simply scanning the bar code printed on a Mannington sample book, a designer can immediately see coordinating patterns and colors across Mannington carpet collections and hard surface products.
It also scans individual products to order samples immediately, without a designer having to write down product information or take the sample book back to her desk to call or email a sales representative. Notification is immediately sent to the appropriate sales representative, for follow up with the designer to ensure the highest levels of customer service.
“Mobile apps have potential to add real value beyond simply promoting brands,” said Angie Carter, Manager, Commercial Marketing. “Today’s users understand the value of brand building, but are much more interested in tools that serve their own processes – and so create more meaningful interactions.”
Mannington recognized that there is an enormous opportunity to create an app that is relevant to the design process and bring designers tools that they want. Rather than trying to be first out with an app, we wanted to create an app that is connected to real needs, and real products, in the real world.
The program performs two valuable functions. Aiding the sampling process through simple scanning of the bar code printed on a Mannington sample book, the program allows designers to see coordinating patterns and colors across Mannington carpet collections and hard surface products. It also allows designers to scan individual products to order samples immediately, without having to write down product information or directly contact a sales representative.
Showing coordinating products and ordering samples – and so enhancing sample books in design firms’ product libraries, the App uses existing technology that is already owned by designers (iPhone, Android and Blackberry smart mobile phones). It will be available before NeoCon 2010, for download and use.
Mannington Commercial offers a wide range of flooring solutions – all from a single point of contact – so its customers need never compromise between styling, performance, sustainability and customer service. The company’s range of choices that work in carpet and hard surface categories is unparalleled, and its sustainability platform is built upon innovative measures to close the recycling loop, reduce waste streams, reuse waste materials and continue its leadership position in energy efficiency.
