Color Matching for Retail Paint

In the retail paint industry, long-term success is determined by the accuracy of matches and speed of formulation to deliver exceptional customer satisfaction. An accurate match is the fundamental selling point and keeps customers coming back time after time. From cabinet doors to fuzzy pillows, a precise match equals happy customers.

X-Rite solutions make life easier for independent stores, mass merchants, and home improvement stores. These easy-to-use color measurement and retail merchandising solutions help retail paint associates produce a customer’s vision time after time with the perfect match.

X-Rite tools help to: 

The Best Solutions for Paint Color Matching

For retail paint associates, it is important to get each customer’s paint color right the first time. Color measurement instrumentation that you can trust will help set your paint counter apart from the competition and keep customers returning for more paint.

  • MetaVue™:

    Easily handle the widest array of samples, including small, large, multi-colored, and odd-shaped, with breakthrough versatility and accuracy.
  • ColorDesigner PLUS:

    Customer-and retailer-friendly, this color software expedites and refines the color selection process, eliminating wasted effort and formulation errors.
  • W Series:

    Meet the needs of retail paint operations of all sizes with customized product bundles that include both color software and color measurement instrumentation.

Color Search for Paint Retailers:

Quickly measuring a sample and finding a corresponding color formula is important to confirm and validate known paint recipes. Simple color measurement tools are needed to enable fast searches across known paint libraries to validate an end customer’s paint color selection.

  • i1 Paint:

    A cost-effective and easy-to-use handheld spectrophotometer to match a common sample like a fan deck card or painted sample.
  • CAPSURE:

    A pocket-sized identification tool that can measure color on an inspiration item and identify the closest match in related color libraries.
  • Color-Eye:

    A calibration card that enables customers to measure the color of any item at home and find complementary products and paint colors.

Basic Components of a Retail Paint Solution

In the retail store and paint store environment, customer service is key. When a customer brings a sample to the counter for paint project, the faster and more accurately you can match the desired color, the more likely the customer will return.

With the right equipment, you can convert your store or department into a color inspiration design center. Today we’ll explain how to get the most from your process so you can formulate quickly and accurately.

A Spectrophotometer

When a customer comes to the paint store counter with an idea or inspiration item to match rather than asking for a color name or choosing from the color wall, you need a spectrophotometer.

MetaVue

Not all samples are smooth and uniform. When a customer arrives with a difficult or unusual sample as their latest inspiration, like a textile swatch with multiple colors, a small painted chip or wallpaper, or even carpet or a stuffed toy, the X-Rite MetaVue non-contact imaging spectrophotometer can take a picture and formulate a match.

Instead of averaging all visible colors, MetaVue's smart spot technology captures an image, removes shadows and defects, evaluates each pixel, and returns a match of the sample. For a multi-colored swatch, MetaVue offers more color capture and hue match options than ever before.

Using Dominant Color Extraction, MetaVue identifies the three most dominant colors in the sample image. Customers can even preview the measurement picture to view similar and coordinating colors right from the image on screen.

i1 Paint

This cost-effective and easy-to-use handheld instrument enables retail associates to match a common sample like a fan deck cards or paint chips. Portable and lightweight, i1 Paint offers simple targeting to match paint. It can also be connected to the counter using a Kensington security lock.

Compared to visual matches, a custom match with i1 Paint can save up to 30 minutes per match, reduce mismatched colors, and decrease waste.

Software

Color Designer Plus

X-Rite's ColorDesigner PLUS software expedites and refines the color selection process, eliminating wasted effort and needless formulation errors. It can:

  • Search across lines to visualize and mix paint colors for an interior or exterior paint project
  • Connect to a dispenser system for fast delivery of formulations
  • Directly manage and control dispensers from a single central database
  • Capture and save colors and order details so customers can purchase colors in the future

ColorDesigner PLUS also allows you to create custom databases for popular colors and palettes to make hue selection fast and painless.

Match Paint Colors and Win New Business

Empowering your associates to be experts can help you save money and stand out from the competition. Browse these additional resources to learn how other stores and departments are using X-Rite solutions.

X-Rite MetaVue helps Diamond Vogel formulators spend less time training, more time formulating, and has already reduced waste by 35% in just 18 months.

To meet customer expectations at the paint counter, it is important to get color right every time. Measure & Match creates a formula to produce an exact paint color match to inspiration items

Port Stanley Home Hardware used to color match by eye. Since choosing i1 Paint to measure customer samples, paint counter associates are achieving faster, more accurate colour matches.

Need a Quote? Contact Sales(888) 800-9580

Technical Questions? Contact Support(888) 826-3042