A new online tool aims to help customers find building materials, home improvement and do-it-yourself (DIY) products.

The Product Finder solution was recently launched by home improvement, DIY, and building materials retailer Builders. It utilises a dedicated team of sales specialists to locate and source niche décor and outdoor products, tools, storage solutions, and fittings – whether customers found the item online, in a magazine, or even outside the country. The retailer says that the platform can even be used to find items that it does not stock.  

“In the last two years we have seen a surge in South Africans spending more time at home online to search for solutions to fix or improve their homes.  Builders has always had the “we will find it for you” philosophy although there was not a dedicated way to ensure that we do deliver on these requests or any way to track requests and follow up on the leads. The Product Finder Tool means that we can now deliver on this in a seamless and efficient manner”, says senior manager digital sales Nicole le Roux. 

Orders are uploaded to a track and trace system and can be sourced in-house using Builders’ vendors or from external vendors if the retailer does not stock a specific item. Customers receive a trace number that they can use to track their product progress from initialisation to the finalisation of their request.

“Our new digitised track and trace system merges this convenience of e-commerce, that our customers have grown to love, with Builders’ commitment to going the extra mile to provide the most valuable shopping experience possible. As a result, we can help even more of our loyal customers find whatever they’re looking for, no matter how niche it is”, says VP commercial Trevor Perumal.

Customers can take the following steps to access the platform:

• Navigate to the Product Finder tool on the Builders website
• Leave their contact details so they can describe the product they’re looking for over the phone, or manually input the product details or upload a picture online
• Confirm the order description they will receive from the sales specialist
• Accept or reject the quote, which includes a picture of the sourced item 
• Check out and proceed to payment if they are happy with their product

Builders says the new tool will also help it to determine which products to include in its in-store range, based on search trends.