Amid so much upheaval in the design industry, product specification is undergoing a sea change. In this episode, ThinkLab examines pain points in the process and dives into how two leading-edge companies are developing phygital solutions to chart a new course (no pun intended.)

Our first guest, Amanda Darley, vice president of marketing at Mannington Commercial, discusses how the company has responded to industry-wide challenges, such as an uptick in re-specifications, by developing its own online inventory tracking, visualizers, and content – and why those innovations have proven successful for specifiers.

Then we’re joined by Meghan Sherwin, Keilhauer’s chief marketing officer, who shares the one big play everyone in the industry should be considering when it comes to technology. Listen in as she describes the firm’s innovative approach to the showroom experience and the unique ways they are integrating a phygital (physical + digital) journey for designers.

In this episode:
 [5:24] Amanda describes how a simple website addition has become an important pipeline for connecting designers to reps.
[12:40] Amanda talks transparency and the key areas where it could drive growth in the industry.
[14:03] Meghan shares the unique blend of physical and digital elements involved in elevating Keilhauer’s new showroom design.
[19:09] Meghan explains the one thing she thinks is set to fundamentally change the specification process in the near future.


Connect with our interviewees on LinkedIn:
Amanda Darley
Meghan Sherwin


This season of Design Nerds Anonymous is brought to you by Mannington Commercial, Keilhauer, theMART, and NeoCon, companies doing big things to move the design industry forward.

Download our leading-edge playbook, 100 Ways to Create a Phygital Sales and Marketing Strategy.

Finally, thanks to Hannah Viti, our audio producer, and Blue Dot Sessions for providing the music for this episode.