Monthly Issue
From Home Furnishing Business
Editor’s Note: It’s Time to Claim Your Name…
November 30,
2022 by HFBusiness Staff in Business Strategy, Industry 
by Bob George,
I guess it would be expected, in today’s environment of lack of trust. Foundation issues such as reliability of elections, availability of basic food items on the shelf of the grocery store, and dependable airline schedules and so forth is an accepted fact. But what about our industry impact on the consumer’s trust factor.
In the ongoing research by FurnitureCore, LLC, a sister company of Home Furnishings Business, in Q1/Q2 of 2020 as the pandemic became a fact, the consumer’s purchase motivator ranking moved MANUFACTURER’S BRAND from position four of six to two of six. The table below compares 2019 to the initial pandemic period.
The following is a list of motivators that influence a purchase of furniture: Rank in order of importance to you with “1” being the most important:
As can be seen from the graphic, DESIGN returned to its previous level, post pandemic, in importance but MANUFACTURER BRAND remains a solid #2 after QUALITY. The question is what are manufacturers doing to establish brand presence with the consumer? While consumers list shelter magazines as the THIRD most preferred influencer, there is a lack of advertisers of furniture in these magazines.
While the emerging direct to consumer (DTC) manufacturers are actively promoting their brands to consumers, traditional manufacturers are relying on the retailers to promote their brands. Manufacturers should learn from the bedding sector. Brands such as Casper, Purple, and so on have overtaken the traditional brands from a consumer’s perspective. Their new brands are now invading the traditional retailer’s floor.
Should traditional manufacturers rethink their consumer advertising strategy?