Bespoke Vs Bought- why do people assume expensive?

8 years ago

I've been trying to figure out for a long time as to why people assume bespoke will automatically be out of their price range? Our typical kitchen fully fitted is around the 8k mark and we are a completely personalised bespoke service.

Do we market ourselves differently? Are we underpriced? Do people prefer the high street?

Just bouncing ideas off of fellow design orientated people and customers!

Featured Answer

Laura

8 years ago

I definitely agree with mrsmcee. On the high street you know exactly how much a cupboard, the door, the handles etc cost.
I hate going somewhere where I have to ask how much something costs; personally, I'm always made to feel if you have to ask then you can't afford it. I like clear prices, not 'ask for a quote'.

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Comments (11)

mrsmcee74
8 years ago
It's never occurred to me to go bespoke because I always assumed it would be out of my price range - high street is more transparent on price when you start trawling the options and have lots of special offers etc. Obviously I would prefer bespoke but I didn't realise that there were competitive price points out there.
PRO
Home By Design Ltd
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks so much for your feedback. Maybe we need to advertise a clear cut view on our prices. Reality is we have beat 80% of high street quotes through the door for a bespoke solid made kitchen!

I believe the marketing ploys of the 'sheds' of retail give a false lead to who and what people can afford!

Sorry you were misinformed!

Jade
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PRO
The White House Interiors
8 years ago
It is a misconception of our field that bespoke or hand made means more money. I think clients/ customers don't realise that large retail chains have higher overheads and they will be charged for this. Going direct to source through your designer is more often than not cheaper and better quality than what any high street store can offer.
PRO
Home By Design Ltd
Original Author
8 years ago
Definitely! I feel I need to post this on every thread about the chains lol!

Please look local as well as the 'sheds'.

We offer a choice of over 2000 combinations of door choice. We have a solid 18mm glued and do welled carcass all the way round and also have bespoke sizes and the whole kitchen can be personalised!

We beat 80% of the high street quotes through our doors and provide a completely personal service and aftercare!

Not selling our company a such just saying I would definitely take a look local as well as the major chains as all of our customers have been majorly surprised and saved a lot of £££ in the process!!

Jade (Home By Design Kitchens)

It's a real shame as I hate the idea of people being ripped off or unhappy with their purchase! I know different areas etc have different prices but some of the margins companies make are seriously unethical lol!

Jade X
Jonathan
8 years ago
The trouble is language.
Bespoke means to most people that the product is going to be made for their space and the inference is that it is handmade and a superior product.
My research suggests Bespoke often means sourcing carcasses and doors from different manufacturers to drive down price.
Both offerings are valid as long as people get what they are expecting.
Tani H-S
8 years ago
When we did our kitchen rounds, the worst offender for making us wait for prices (numerous hours spent tweaking designs first!) was Howdens. We presumed the sheds would also be cheaper but Wickes quoted us £16k (yes that's right!) for a £5k kitchen we got elsewhere - from a bespoke company.

The trouble is some of the kitchen places look so posh and scary and don't show any prices that you do feel you can't ask. We got referred and we're lucky in the end.
PRO
Leberta London
8 years ago
We make bespoke furniture and customers are pleasantly surprised when they visit our store and get quotes as our prices are very competitive but the word "BESPOKE" automatically suggests expensive. We have difficulty in breaking this concept that BESPOKE is expensive and our shop does look posh too which is why it may be scary as Tania suggests but we want to offer good service to our clients in a nice environment. Bit of catch 22 really :)
alant1000
8 years ago
I think perhaps it's because many (most?) kitchens can accommodate a ready made set of units, bespoke implies that you have a non standard sizing and the first thing I think is that the lead time will be 12 weeks plus. You can go to Omega etc and get units delivered which will fit within a few days. I haven't really considered bespoke before as I've not encountered a situation where I'd need one.
titiankim
8 years ago
We only investigated bespoke because we wanted to fill awkward sized alcoves and spaces, and also wanted to integrate existing freestanding appliances. I was surprised to find a solid wood painted bespoke kitchen was cheaper than a quote we had for an MDF one. I love my kitchen - we had fantastic service and their designer added some great ideas to really maximise the storage. I recommend bespoke to lots of friends now
ganevitch
8 years ago
I sourced our kitchen directly from various manufacturers, all made to size, with varying success (some understood what I wanted others didn't). Loved visiting the workshops and picking and choosing what I wanted.
But it did feel like a HUGE gamble because it is difficult to imagine what it is going to look like.
The biggest challenge with bespoke was not knowing how the price was made up - so you point at a sink in the catalogue, out of a selection of 20, without knowing how much it will add to the total cost. Suppliers who have examples on their site with prices is really handy.
I did not consider high street (did not want to end up with kitchen that would look dated in 5 years) nor kitchen designers (terrified of cost and being tempted into an all singing all dancing kitchen).

Bespoke Vs Bought- why do people assume expensive?

Laura

Comments (11)

mrsmcee74

Home By Design Ltd
Original Author

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Bespoke Vs Bought- why do people assume expensive?

Comments (11)

Home By Design LtdOriginal Author

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Home By Design LtdOriginal Author

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Home By Design Ltd
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