STELRAD LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITES TARGETING TRADE AND WIDER AUDIENCES

Consistently a leader in sharing information through its website, Stelrad Radiators, the UK and Ireland’s leading radiator manufacturer has once again updated its website offerings, providing tailored websites for its trade customers at www.stelradprofessional.com and one targeted at a wider audience at www.stelrad.com.

Marketing Communications Manager Sarah Baker says this is a logical next step in communicating relevant messages to different groups of people who are interested in finding out more about the company and its products: “Having two specific websites means we can communicate to our target markets easier.”

“So we have split the website into one that targets our merchant, installer and specifier customers – with more technical information and support – and another that targets the wider audience – homeowners in particular who are taking much more interest these days in their heating systems and how they can heat their homes more efficiently.

“We know from research we have undertaken that homeowners have far more input to the radiators that are selected for their homes than used to be the case. The consumer is the key decision-maker – around two thirds choose the design selected themselves.  Installers and specifiers still have a major input, but we’re being told that far more often, homeowners want to know why trade individuals are recommending specific products for their homes and want to have a say in selecting the radiators incorporated in their homes. Consumers are far more likely to recommend specific – often designer type – radiators. This has come about partly because of the far wider range of radiators available now, but also, the fact that radiators no longer have to be white – Stelrad stocks a number of its radiators in colours from stock and can supply coloured radiators far more quickly than the standard eight week turnaround time that was common even a couple of years ago.

“Designer radiators are no longer seen as a niche product – they now have a broad appeal across income groups. Consumers are far more likely to buy designer radiators themselves – 45-60% do so already. And whilst merchants remain the core purchasing channel for installers, D2C – direct to consumer – is the fastest growing consumer channel currently.”

Both the new site for professionals in the trade and the original Stelrad.com are benefitting from updated themes, improved layout and modernised backend coding. These enhancements have already resulted in faster loading times and improved conversion performance – delivering a smoother, more efficient experience for the site users.

“Feedback already received suggests the new sites are meeting the needs of our customers,” says Sarah Baker. “People want to be able to get hold of the information they seek and need as quickly as possible and the new sites both provide exactly that benefit to our target audiences. They both represent major improvements in our communication processes and more accurate targeting of information to those who need specific support from us, and we will continue to make further improvements in the months ahead.”