Reasons to Add Virtual Design to Your Services
I know that many designers avoided offering virtual design services in the past. E-design is sometimes seen as low-cost and low-brow. But things have changed. This pandemic has shaken things up and is actually providing interior designers with a great opportunity.
The last recession hit a lot of designers hard, when it comes down to it, interior design is a luxury service and certainly not a necessity. So to stay in business, we need to adapt. In 2010 I gave a talk in Atlanta about how designers needed to adapt to survive. And the same holds in 2020- we need to innovate, adapt, and be able to look at our businesses differently to make it through the pandemic and whatever the economic future holds.
Here is your opportunity.
Reasons you want to add virtual design to your services.
People are home - a lot more than they have ever been. (Opportunity is knocking.)
Since people have been home a lot, they’re more aware of how their home looks and functions, therefore where it could use some work.
Virtual design can be an entry point for clients who can’t afford full-service design or don’t want to invest too much right now.
Virtual design focuses on the best part of interior design - the design.
Virtual services are typically a shorter time commitment for the designer, so you can easily manage the new realities of your family being home more with running an interior design business.
The margins on virtual design can be higher than full-service design.
You can easily book virtual design clients with very little effort.
You don’t have to worry about supply-chain disruption (i.e. backorders, delays, cancellations).
An additional revenue stream from your normal design service offerings.
Clients may not be as comfortable with other people in their home - having a system for working virtually will put them at ease.
It’s safer for everyone to maintain distance during a pandemic.
Your virtual service clients may become full-service clients down the road after working with you virtually.
You can use virtual design packages to focus on your favorite parts of design (plans! kids’ rooms! color palettes!) without all the other stuff.
Virtual design can be as high-end as you’d like, especially now for many clients it’s a safety necessity rather than a financial necessity.
Full-service design projects are still happening, but not at the same rate as before, people are more cautious, so virtual design can be the bridge for your business during these times.
As you can see, there are many good reasons to add virtual interior design services to your design business. In fact, it’s the perfect time.
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About The Author
Hi! I’m Capella and I’m an interior designer who helps fellow designers build their businesses. Forget secrecy and competition, I believe designers should support and uplift each other. By helping and boosting one another, we can elevate the business of interior design together! Hang around a bit and I’ll share all the business “secrets” no one else wants to talk about.