PlaceMakers Launches Next Generation 3D Kitchen Planner, Powered by the Marxent 3D Cloud

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Nov. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today PlaceMakers, New Zealand's leading supplier of building materials and hardware, announced the launch of a new 3D kitchen planner, powered by the Marxent 3D Cloud. The all-new PlaceMakers 3D Design Planner allows customers to drag and drop products directly from 2D inspirational photos into a 3D floorplan. This initiative is a part of the company's commitment to providing easy online tools that make choices for builders and homeowners easier. Consumers and pros can access the PlaceMakers 3D Design Planner from a single online app. It will also be used in PlaceMakers retail stores for in-person design appointments.

The new Marxent 3D Cloud-powered application bridges inspiration, design, and purchase. It also allows customers, builders, and branch consultants to collaborate on designs. The PlaceMakers 3D Design Planner is browser-based, integrates with their existing enterprise quoting system, is easy to master, and eliminates the complexity typically associated with kitchen build projects. Offering a new level of design customisation, it features over 10,000 product SKUs including a full range of cabinet fronts, finishes, hardware, benchtops, sinks and taps, wall paint, and flooring options. The company plans to add bathroom, laundry, and wardrobe configuration in the coming months.

"Kiwi shoppers deserve a best-in-class online design experience for kitchens," said Ruth Brash, General Manager of Merchandise for PlaceMakers. "Today's shoppers bank on being able to try out different products before committing to a design. They want to visualise their material selections without having to know the entire catalogue or take special training courses," Brash said.

"The PlaceMakers 3D Design Planner is entirely visual, providing a fun, fast, and easy kitchen design process to online and in-store homeowners as well as builders," she said.

Utilising Marxent's patented Design from Photo technology and a guided design process, the new room planner takes consumers through inspiration to design culminating in an in-store or virtual planning appointment.

Design starts with inspirational 3D rooms featuring fresh, on-trend colours like Storm and Fog or Cinnamon Ash; with pre-sized template rooms that can be modified; or by drawing a floorplan with custom dimensions. Customers can design directly from inspirational photos, play with cabinet layouts and door styles, wall colours, flooring, and more.

Once finished with a design, the customer then clicks a button to send the design to a branch consultant. The consultant works closely with the customer to confirm the details, then clicks a button to enter the order directly into the PlaceMakers enterprise quoting and ordering system.

"PlaceMakers thrives on using innovation to make new house builds and home improvement projects easier for our customers," Brash said. "When we were ready to upgrade our kitchen and bath experience to align with the expectations of customers, Marxent delivered quickly and with excellent customer service. They took us from contract to launch in just 12 weeks," she said.

"PlaceMakers came to us ready to innovate with the end goal of delivering an updated, extraordinary design experience," said Beck Besecker, CEO and Co-Founder of Marxent. "The new PlaceMakers 3D Design Planner is unlike anything else in the region and reflects how people want to shop, opening up kitchen, bathroom, and wardrobe project design to a broader audience. The metaverse is unfolding and investing in digital versions of products and 3D applications is the first step," Besecker said.

"Kiwis often think of the kitchen as the heart of the home," said Elliot Mercer, Head of Innovation Insight for PlaceMakers parent company, Fletcher Building. "PlaceMakers' pivot to Marxent's 3D visual design tools reflects our commitment to making it easier for customers to start, customise, and finish their home improvement projects with ease so that they can spend more time enjoying their new or improved home. Nothing beats the 'I did it feeling' and that's what we're after here," Mercer said.

Check out the new PlaceMakers 3D Design Planner.

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About PlaceMakers
PlaceMakers is the trading name of Fletcher Distribution Limited, the retail trading arm of Fletcher Building Limited in New Zealand.

PlaceMakers is New Zealand's leading and largest supplier of building materials and hardware. We're 100% committed to our customers. We employ over 2,100 people and assist over 300,000 customers.

We have 62 stores, from Kaitaia to Invercargill. We sell over 74,000 product lines from concrete to paint and plasterboard. We manufacture frames and trusses from 8 manufacturing plants nationwide.

About Marxent
Marxent is the global leader in 3D e-commerce for furniture, kitchen, bath, outdoor, and office furniture. Marxent's 3D Cloud platform allows retailers and brands to manage endless product variants and build endless applications from a single 3D product catalog. With 3D Cloud, 3D content is created, managed, and published to all 3D applications from a single source of truth for consistency across every touchpoint in the customer journey. Applications that run on 3D Cloud include 3D Product Configurators, 3D Sectional Configurator, 3D Room Planner with Design from Photo, 360 Product Spins, 3D Renders, WebAR, Augmented Reality retail apps, and Virtual Reality retail apps. Marxent has offices in Miamisburg, Ohio, and St. Petersburg Florida as well as an international presence with offices in London, England; Paris, France; and Leipzig, Germany. Clients include Lowe's Home Improvement, Macy's, HNI Corporation, La-Z-Boy, Joybird, and John Lewis and Partners. Every 3D App, Under One Roof. For more information, visit www.marxent.com.

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SOURCE Marxent

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