X-Rite Updates ColorDesigner, Introduces PersonalDesigner And TwoVue Bundle Software

Grand Rapids, MI - X-Rite Incorporated, a world leader in color measurement, has unveiled a trio of software packages designed to improve paint-store profitability.

The three products launched are ColorDesigner 10.0, an enhanced color-matching package used by paint-store personnel; PersonalDesigner 1.0, a new color-visualization tool used by customers; and TwoVue, which combines ColorDesigner and PersonalDesigner in one dual-monitor system.

In addition, ColorDesigner is available in a basic version – ColorDesigner 10.0 Lite 400 – that offers the program's core features.

The new software products – two of them new; the other an enhancement – work both behind the counter and in front of it, making life easier for paint-store personnel and their customers by simplifying color selection and eliminating formulation problems.

"Customer service is the bottom line in any retail paint operation," said Shannon Gary, X-Rite's Vice President of Retail and Industrial. "Give customers a little extra and they'll keep coming back. These products provide that extra value-add by transforming paint departments into full-featured home centers. These products add direction and visualization to the color decision process – with minimal setup and without adding staff."

Following is an overview of X-Rite's software packages for retail paint stores:

ColorDesigner
Designed for use behind the counter, ColorDesigner is a versatile color-matching software package that can help increase paint and sundry sales. Key features include:

• Custom match – Allows store personnel to match the color of a customer's fabric swatch or paint chip for precise formulation.
• Fandeck match – Makes it possible to match any color from a manufacturer's fandeck using in-store base and colorants.
• Color harmony – Aids customers in color selection by suggesting complementary accent colors.
• Formula correction – Allows store personnel to reformulate returned paint into a fandeck color for resale.
• Customer paint tips – Provides printable solutions for 24 common painting problems.
• Customer database – Builds a convenient record of customer color selections for quick reference.

"Customers rarely keep track of paint formulas they used in the past," Gary said. "With ColorDesigner's database, store personnel can access customer history to be sure customers get an exact match if they need more of the same. It's an easy, effective tool for building customer loyalty."

ColorDesigner Lite 400
Simplified for the lower volume paint retailer, ColorDesigner Lite also can match any color from a customer's sample or manufacturer's fandeck using in-store base and colorants. The software works with any PC-based system.

PersonalDesigner
PersonalDesigner works anywhere in a store – on a counter, on an end cap, in a kiosk – to help customers visualize how their finished project will look before making a paint purchase. In effect, the software helps customers sell themselves by allowing them to paint a room virtually. Key features include:

• Flexible room images – Offers customers a choice of standard room images to "paint" – even accepts a variety of media with a customer's own room images.
• Photo-realistic images – Accounts for shadows and lighting in the painted "room" to present an accurate representation of the finished project. Room images are color balanced, too.
• Color palettes – Pulls customers into the design process by offering interactive options that make color selection entertaining and engaging.
• Complementary accents – Shows compatible accent colors – customers can experiment to find the ideal mix of colors for walls, doors, moldings and trim.

"When it comes to interior painting, frustration often translates into abandoning the project," Gary says. "Homeowners can get so overwhelmed by their choices and so disillusioned by their inability to visualize their project based on a color sample or paint chip that they end up doing nothing at all. By making visualization fun and easy, PersonalDesigner ends project paralysis and encourages purchase."

TwoVue
TwoVue combines the virtues of both ColorDesigner and PersonalDesigner in a dual-monitor system that runs ColorDesigner behind the counter and PersonalDesigner for customer use in front of the counter.

Among other attributes, the system allows customers to preview paint colors, visualize how their finished project will look, get painting tips, and lock in a precise formulation to ensure color accuracy. It also allows store personnel to build a custom color fandeck, reformulate returned paint for resale, and create a customer database.

"The growth of the do-it-yourself movement has created enormous opportunity for color-matching technology in paint stores," Gary said. "With this collection of software packages, X-Rite is helping paint retailers capitalize on that technology to increase sales."

SOURCE: X-Rite, Inc.