Monthly Issue
From Home Furnishing Business
February 10,
2016 by in Business Strategy, Industry 
Durable, well-made furniture with a longer lifespan is a healthy choice for the environment since it does not have to be replaced as frequently.
At some point there has been enough research and the time has come for action. Sustainability in the furniture industry has reached that point. In our research at the beginning of 2015 we documented the fact that more than 80 percent of consumers buying furniture would be interested in products manufactured using accepted sustainability practices.
A year ago, I issued a call to those connectors, the people who know large numbers of people and are in the habit of making introductions. These mavens are information specialists or people we rely on to connect us with new information. Sales people are persuaders, charismatic individuals with powerful negotiating skills. This group could make sustainability a part of the culture in residential furniture.
While the Sustainable Furnishings Council does an excellent job of educating and distributing material at each market, we need more than a small tent card to communicate to retailers. Manufacturers should proclaim the importance in showroom displays and in trade advertising.
For manufacturers of better quality goods, there is a marketing twist with sustainability. Purchasing furniture that can withstand prolonged use is another way to be sustainable. Durable, well-made furniture with a longer lifespan is a healthy choice for the environment since it does not have to be replaced as frequently. This concept was touted in a guide to living a sustainable life. However, the conclusion was to buy from a consignment store. I do not want that to happen.
Sustainability is important to the consumer. Now we must make it important to the retailers who present the product. I know there are retailers such as Room and Board, Circle Furniture, Crate & Barrel and others that have embraced the concept. We need more, and manufacturers and suppliers must lead the charge.
The concept of business managing the triple bottom line—financial, social, and environment—must be brought to the forefront. Is Ikea’s brand strength more than design and value? How important is its social and environmental stance?
February 10,
2016 by in Business Strategy
All last fall a section of the laundry room became trash central. As time passed, the room was nearly taken over with empty plastic two-liter soda bottles and paper toilet paper tubes all for the sake of an elementary school First LEGO League Challenge.
The youngest of the boys’ robotics team was on an ambitious quest to gather the items to meet the assigned challenge—figure out a way to put less in our landfills. The team decided to build a greenhouse from thousands of empty soda bottles. The paper tubes were to be used as decomposable seedling starters. Every greenhouse, afterall, needs a few plants.
With the school community backing the team, social media posts by parents and friends, the drive to collect tubes and bottles was underway, and it was serious business here at home.
Nearly daily, a collection of empty bottles would appear on the front porch; the paper tubes followed. It seemed the never-ending stream of garbage would consume the entire house. In the front door then out the back as we carted the collection to school. I thought we were going to be buried alive in trash over the weekends, and I considered gathering up the collection several Saturday mornings and dropping it in the green recycling bin outside. Who would know, right?
I’ll tell you who. A 9-year-old fourth grader passionate about the challenge, his team AND the environment. At his bequest, we went to the church four days a week to scour the recycling bins placed in the kitchens and meeting rooms. We peeked into dumpsters for stray bottles deposited in the wrong receptacle.
Just as I was ready to say “no more empties”, he would come up with another creative idea for gathering more.
Other parents had similar stories to share. There were stops on the side of the road because a bottle was spied by the curb, and grocery store managers questioned for empty bottles. These kids were nearly rabid in their quest. The passion was palpable. When it comes to fourth and fifth graders, who wants to—or should—quash the drive?
So the O’Maras, and nine other families—bolstered by a supportive community—continued to collect these reusable and recyclable items for months.
The result? The Challenge came and went, and the first-year team brought home a trophy for best robot. The greenhouse is standing in the school’s courtyard filled with cucumber seedlings grown from seed in a medium of hand-shredded paper tubes.
By spring, the school will have a bumper crop of cucumber plants to transplant into its community garden available for those who need or want. All of this from 10 little people who are now haranguing their parents about what to recycle, how to reuse and strategies for reducing waste. They, unlike some in previous generations, care deeply about what the Earth will be like when they’re adults.
What the heck does this have to do with furniture? Not a lot really. I only share because I see a drive in the kids to make a real difference in cleaning up the world. Even if it’s through one soda bottle at a time, they’re moving in the right direction. And, for them, recycling has always been a part of their lives. They’re not being retrained on how to treat trash; recycling, upcycling and reusing are inherent to their way of living. That, my friends, gives me hope.
Enjoy!
January 12,
2016 by in Business Strategy, Industry
Temptation is as old as the world itself, and it remains a powerful draw in all aspects of life.
The allure of a partner; the desire for power; and the seduction of consumer products, including furniture, all reap the rewards of temptation.
As furniture retailers, a key element in snaring the almighty consumer dollar is temptation, and what better place to start than with a provocative showroom filled with precisely designed and poised product.
Walking into a furniture store should give consumers an aspirational feel of what their home could be. Without that enticement, the consumer is just as likely to turnaround, walk out the front door and find another retail store that speaks to her inner design diva.
There’s no better or more important place to make a first impression and grab the consumer than at the front entrance.
“It’s so important that when the consumer walks through the front door that you take her breath away,” said according to retail designer and brand strategist Connie Post of Affordable Designs by Connie Post. “When you come into a store, and there is something that is just gorgeous to gaze upon that’s when they decide if you have something they’re looking for or not.”
Post suggests the welcoming zone can be done with a color story through a seasonal presentation or a number of creative displays using accessories or lighting.
‘Tis the Season
Cardi’s Furniture & Mattress in Swansea, Mass., has nailed the seasonal presentation. Post said the retailer recently took fall displays to a new level by filling the dining room tables with seasonal appropriate dinnerware and linens, as well as creating a pumpkin house within the store. Carved jack o’lanterns featured the three Cardi brothers images for a personal touch, and Post said the stores were pitch perfect.
Pottery Barn and Pier 1 Imports are other retailers that standout with seasonal displays that are kept fresh and up to date as holidays and seasons roll through.
“It’s the No. 1, easiest thing retailers can to do make a big impact within a small space,” she said. “That first 700 to 1,000 square feet can be filled with three vignettes glamorously set for the holidays.”
Point of View
Once inside the store and past the decompression zone, it’s imperative that the showroom lives up to the consumer’s expectations. Most experts in the industry agree that to create a great looking, well thought out showroom requires a talented design and buying team working in tandem.
Kris Kolar oversees the showroom design and merchandise for high-end retailer Clive Daniel in Naples Fla. As vice president of interior design and merchandise, Kolar spends an inordinate amount of time setting the stage for the retailer’s client base.
“To get the look requires talent and taste of those people in buying jobs,” Kolar said. “You have to have a taste person in on the buying process. You have to buy talent to set a vision.”
Clive Daniel’s merchandising and display strategy differs from many in the furniture industry, and Kolar admits that it’s complicated and takes a great deal of time that Clive Lubner and Daniel Lubner are willing to invest in to get the desired look and feel.
“We think outside of the box,” she said. “We collect bits, or we’ll pull cases from a group and pair them with a bed from a completely other group or vendor. The rule here is that there are no rules.”
Kolar describes the look in the Naples store and the soon-to-be-opened store in Boca Raton, Fla., is more of a curated look than a gallery presentation of matched-up furniture in suites. She points out that retailer doesn’t buy end tables that match cocktail tables and dining groups are often split.
By creating customized vignettes and displays pulled from an immense number of vendor partners, Clive Daniel makes it harder for consumers to come in and then head out to shop the competitor down the street.
“It’s one way we can differentiate ourselves,” Kolar said. “We’d rather have it scrambled. We buy from a wealth of companies. That makes it hard on the buyers and it’s a much more complicated way to merchandise. We’ve chosen to go that route, and we’re better for it.”
Clive Daniel lives and breathes by its breadth. The retailer has more than six lifestyles that it targets with its merchandising. That’s a lot, but Kolar said it’s worth it. In addition to those lifestyle segments, the retailer offers a lighting shop, a rug and flooring area and a section for custom window dressings and ready-made goods.
“Our goal was to cover the total home for every consumer,” she said.
Consumers shopping Clive Daniel one day could very well return the next and find a reimagined showroom floor. The floor flips every, single day.
“We bring transfers in four days a week,” she said, adding that it could be 20 pieces a day that need new homes on the floor. “It’s how we keep it fresh.”
Add to the Mix
Last year, Thomasville of New Jersey underwent a major renovation and merchandising shift. What had been a single-vendor store was transformed into a multi-vendor store, completely redesigned and rebranded to as Home Inspirations Thomasville.
To oversee and manage the renovation and transformation, the Massood family leaned on Jean Hall, president and CEO with Jena Hall Designs.
Hall said much of the renovation was done with “smoke and mirrors”, got rid of the upstairs and added a few structural walls. “The goal was to improve the look of the store to increase sales,” Hall said, adding that it was time to rejuvenate and update the store.
While the Thomasville brand remains the anchor vendor for the retailer, the retailer’s showrooms now include a variety of brands, including private label goods under the “Home Inspirations: Be Inspired” tag.
To turn the redesigned showroom into a showstopper, Hall relied on some good, old-fashioned design strategies that fit into the retailer’s parameters to create an aspirational, dreamy space where consumers want to shop. Once the renovations were complete, the product had to come in, and that’s where the serious decisions were made.
“There are few situations in retail where every slot on the store floor is selling great,” Hall said. “Likely there are problem spots and those need to be identified. You have to be critical in the analysis and you can’t fall in love with something if it’s not making you money.”
A critical review means taking into account whether the location, the lighting or the product is the problem.
On Trend
Rug, decorative accessory and lighting supplier Surya has showrooms in every major furniture market in the industry. Shane Evans, showroom director, relies on the company’s trend forecasts to pull together show-stopping presentations to inspire retail buyers.
It’s no secret that retailers and manufacturers are looking to uncover the best presentation to tempt the end consumer and what better way than to share ideas.
“Creativity is key,” Evans said. “We try to think outside of the box for some off-the-wall, memorable displays; something with whimsy. Many of the things we showcase can easily be replicated at retail without a big budget.”
Evans is a fan of cross-merchandising to feature a breadth of products from different categories to create a layered look, another easy strategy to pull into a retail showroom.
“Some retailers come into our showroom and they don’t have an eye to pull it all together,” he said. “We try to make it easy and offer them a little assistance.”
Along those lines, Evans suggests retailers play with texture and color to pull consumers through the showroom, and points to fashion magazines and websites for additional inspiration that resonates with consumers.
“The magazines are filled with metallic looks, for examples,” he said. “Consumers can relate a fashion story to a home trend. Pearlescence and metallic is highly understandable and current.”
When evaluating showroom space, Evans encourages retailers take a step back and make sure there display is telling a story that consumers can relate to. “If not, you likely shouldn’t do it,” he said. “If it’s too complicated to understand or requires too many graphics to explain, you have to simplify it.”
Future Stores
Looking ahead to store design, Post sees movement toward opening up showroom floors and shifting away from cramming as many products as you can into one area.
“We’re looking at taking out unnecessary walls and creating arch elements to open up spaces,” she said. “When a consumer feels a store is big enough to accommodate what she wants, you’re in business. Elements to pull her through the store are key.”
Showroom Design Tips
- Don’t be afraid of color. It grabs the consumer’s attention.
- Be bold and split groups up. Toss the rules and mix and match product from different vendors and groups.
- Keep the showroom fresh by changing with the seasons.
- Make a stunning statement at the front of the store to wow consumers when they enter.
- Get the lighting right. Shopping for furniture in a dark, shadowy store doesn’t work.
- Ensure the merchandise mix coincides with sales data.
- Engage all five senses. Retailers usually get the sight part right, but go beyond with music, scents, taste and touch.
- Invest in the visual and merchandising teams that can implement your vision and brand.
- Freshen up the linens on beds; set dining room tables and create inviting family room vignettes.
- Create beautiful, engaging window displays to entice consumers through the door.
- Thing outside the store. In a warm, sunny climate? Create an outdoor casual display on the sidewalk or in the parking lot in front of the store.
- Don’t forget the signage. Keep it consistent with the overall marketing plan and materials.
- Clear the clutter so consumers envision a clean environment for their homes.
January 12,
2016 by in Business Strategy, Industry
By Sheila Long O’Mara
No other home furnishings item gets more use in the home than a mattress. Even if, as studies show, consumers are woefully sleep deprived, people spend more time in their beds than on any other piece of furniture.
Consumers are continually peppered with messages about the fact that they’re not getting enough sleep. Think drug companies, medical studies and more.
More than two-thirds of the consumers in the latest Home Furnishings Business survey said they get between six and eight hours of sleep a night. The latest research from the National Sleep Foundation recommends adults between the ages of 26 and 64 years od should get between seven and nine hours of shuteye nightly.
For that age group—prime mattress buying segment, by the way—the recommendations did not change. Our survey group is almost hitting the mark, however missing an hour consecutively over time can lead to sleep depravation.
Home furnishings and mattress retailers have a prime selling proposition of preaching a better night’s sleep through a new mattress.
About half of the consumers in the survey said they are not at all satisfied or dissatisfied with the amount of sleep they get daily. What a great conversation starter with a bedding consumer. How are you sleeping? Most are likely on the hunt for a new mattress to improve their sleep quality.
Most of our consumers bought mattresses for the master bedroom (84.1 percent) with guest bedrooms placing a distant second with 13.6 percent. Bedding consumers remain price conscious with more than 86 percent spending less than $2,000 for their mattress purchase.
The time spent with a mattress increases the importance to a consumer that they rest test the bed. Somewhat shockingly, 15.9 percent said they didn’t rest the mattress in the store. More than 36 percent spent 15 minutes or more testing out the bed. The same number that never tested the bed—15.9 percent—spent five minutes or less relaxing on the bed.
Perhaps consumers are uncomfortable in stretching out on a mattress in a retail store with a sales person hovering near by. Key things to keep in mind when designing mattress departments and in training sales associates on what to do and not to do when consumers are relaxing on a mattress. More than 75 percent said when they did try out the bed they curled into their regular sleeping position for a test drive.
Consumers are consistently turning to bedding specialty stores for their mattress purchases. According to the survey, 33.3 percent shopped a specialty store and 36.4 percent bought their mattress from a mattress specialty store. Slightly more than 21 percent shopped traditional furniture store for their new mattress. Other channels included the Internet and mass merchants (15.2 percent each), department store (9.1 percent) and a wholesale club (6.1 percent).
Overall, the surveyed consumers were pleased with their mattress shopping experience. On a five-point scale with one being not at all enjoyable and five being very enjoyable, 79.6 percent reported a four or a five. Drilling down to retail sales associates and their knowledge, consumers were pleased with what they encountered.
On a five-point scale with one being not at all satisfied and five being very satisfied, 75 percent said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the associate’s product knowledge.
Want More?
A more in-depth report on the bedding category is available for purchase via e-mail to LauraMcHan@ImpactConsultingServices.com or by calling (404) 961-3734.
$10.45 Billion
2015 mattress sales through 3Q
15.2%
Bedding’s percent of furniture sales through 3Q 2015
6.8%
Sales increase through 3Q 2015 over same period previous year
Retailers Say
Serta iSeries Merit Super Pillowtop
"Customers love the combination of specialty foam while still having the innerspring support system." Retail is $1,999 with two free specialty pillows.
Kyle Johansen
HOM Furniture
Coon Rapids, Minn.
Sleep to Live 600 Series
“It provides the ultimate comfort and more importantly — support comfort — that most other brands don’t have. Under the good, better, best categories, it’s in the better category offering the consumer a great night sleep without completely killing the budget.”
Retail is $2,399.
George Bruni
Art Van Pure Sleep
Warren, Mich.
Serta's iSeries Vantage
“Number one, it's made right here in Detroit. Second, Serta's done a great job providing two operations with iComfort and the iSeries.” Queen mattress retails for $1,074.
Jeff Selik
Hillside Furniture
Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
Vendors Say
Tommy Bahama Long Weekend from Therapedic
Part of Therapedic’s Tommy Bahama hybrid collection, Long Weekend offers a luxurious look and plush feel that are enhanced by floating foam. Using domestic materials, the mattress offers a relaxed, island-inspired look and feel. Suggested retail is $2,499 for a queen.
Serta’s iComfort Savant
Serta’s Savant from the iComfort lineup features the company’s premium dual action gel memory foam. The bed consistently receives positive consumer reviews and is a top-rated mattress with a leading consumer publication. Suggested retail is $1,799 for a standard queen.
EarthTerrene by OrganicPedic
The OrganicPedic EarthTerrene is made with certified organic cotton fabric, certified organic wool, and natural organic latex core to create a plush bed. The bed’s construction speaks to consumers looking for a toxin-free sleep surface. Suggested retail is $6,799.
Aireloom’s Preferred
The Aireloom Preferred combines zone support foam with ventilated latex for temperature control for a cooler sleep surface. The mattress is covered in Tencel multi-stretch knit panel combined with a mini-plaid pattern on the border. Suggested retail is $2,500-$4,500 for queen.
Gold Bond’s Smart Series
Part of the company’s first hybrid collection, Gold Bond’s Smart Series 3000 offers the support of an innerspring with the added comfort of a top layer of gel. The mattress is a winner because it provides the benefits of a hybrid at an affordable price. Suggested retail is $1,399 for queen.
Passions by Kingsdown
Kingsdown’s Passions mattress offers a gel-infused performance fabric and proprietary cushioning layer to support from wrapped innerspring coils, Passions mattresses combine technologies for healthy sleep. Suggested retail is $1,599-$4,999 for queen.
January 12,
2016 by in Business Strategy, Industry
Merchandising and showroom display requires much more than being able to plop furniture in a vignette and accessorize for a pretty look.
There a science behind the a merchandising strategy that requires much thought and planning. Much like the process an interior designer takes creates a beautiful room or home, showroom design requires the same precision on a much larger scale.
Think accessories, lighting and accents. Consider implementing a bit of humor and other surprises for a consumer-stopping tool.
Jena Hall, president of Jena Hall Designs, suggests retailers evaluate their strategy and determine their approach as to whether they interested in presenting product by category or lifestyle settings. Hall recommends the higher the price point goes the more likely it is that product should be showcased in lifestyle vignettes.
“Creating many mini-vignettes doesn’t require walls and they don’t require construction to be successful,” she said. “They do require a vehicle that allows the eye to come to a resting point so that the consumer can focus on the entire story.”
Hall suggests a hanging mirror or piece of art to break up the sight line. Other options include painting a wall a bright color for a bit of pop or simple clean drapery panel.
Other suggestions include wallpaper or expansive murals. “You can pick those up at Ikea and they don’t have to be custom painted,” she said. “They become the wall so that the eye stops.”
Hall is an advocate of themes and suggested using a coastal or urban theme depending on a retailer’s target consumer. At the Home Inspirations Thomasville store, a cityscape was used to highlight the feel of an urban loft.
“Retailers need to figure out how to emulate the features they see in interior design magazines,” she said, adding that done right, the displays are easily changeable to keep the store looking fresh.
The most inexpensive freshening up for a retailer to make comes from paint. Hall points out that many retailers are afraid of color for fear of getting it wrong. “A gallon of paint is cheap, and it’s easy to change,” she points out.
Grabbing the consumer is key in boosting sales, and the trick in grabbing them is through a consistent style teamed with consistent images and philosophy of design, Hall said.
“It is helpful to the consumer to create a vision for them,” she said. “We want them to be excited about furniture, and the only way to do that is to make a powerful visual statement.
“Encourage them to by the sofa plus the rug, plus the lamp,” Hall said. “There’s nothing new about this. It’s consistency. If I go into Anthropologie, I know exactly what I’m going to find every time.”
Hall encourages retailers to find their point of view—point of view in design philosophy, point of view in price point and vision. Once found, it’s imperative they stick with it and remain true. Otherwise, the message gets cluttered, and consumers no longer understand the vision.
Color Pop
Like Hall, Clive Daniel’s Kris Kolar is an advocate of adding color to liven up the joint. In the Naples, Fla., showroom, much of the sofas are white or very light. They live among walls painted in vivid colors, rugs in on-trend hues and pillows that add the perfect splash of panache.
“Those splashes of color are not only eye-catching, but give consumers the impression in our second-home market that it’s easy to play with color without breaking the bank,” she said.
Connie Post of Affordable Designs by Connie Post said the sea of brown, taupe and beige on furniture retail floors must be jazzed up. “I know retailers will do 6 percent of their business in neutrals and sage, but there has to be pops of color,” she said. “Otherwise, it’s boring.”
Cardi’s Furniture & Matress makes a point that every sofa vignette adjacent to its store’s main aisles and the circle are color coordinated and highlighted with color.
A Fresh Start
With the New Year and resolutions, Post encourages retailers to freshen up throughout the store. Now that the holiday decorations and displays have been packed away, it’s time for a new beginning.
Bedroom vignettes should be dressed with fresh sheets, beautiful, sumptuous comforters and fluffy pillows. Make sure they’re clean, Post said, adding that revamping the beds could add to sales.
“Go to HomeGoods or Target and pick up a complete duvet set,” she said. “Stuff that old, outdated comforter in the duvet for a completely new, fresh look. For less than $100, they can have a whole new look.”
Memorable focal points can leave a big impact with consumers, she said, adding that if you can’t afford to redo the entire department, invest in the most visible settings.
Post said consumers are looking for a little glamour and the truly want to be woed.
“Glam it up,” she said. “I’m talking about getting in her head and giving her an amazing experience in product presentation. There are girly girls, country girls, city girls and beach girls. Give them a presentation that speaks to someone’s heart. There should b moments for glam throughout the store. Give someone a reason to make a change. It’s about adding some details to your essentials. These are some little things that can be added for panache.
Marry Marketing with Display
An aspect of showroom design that is often overlooked is the marketing that generates consumer traffic into the store. Hall said the integration from the outside marketing to match what is happening on the showroom floor is crucial to setting the right tone.
“Integrate merchandising with your marketing,” she said. “It’s very important that the font is consistent at every touch point.”
Martin Roberts, principal of Martin Roberts Design has created a formula to help retailers determine how much space to allocate to various categories. More on the merchandising matrix can be found in Roberts’ column on page 54.