Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
Furniture First Redesigns Prospective Member Site
May 9,
2014 by in Furniture Retailing, Industry, Internet 
Furniture First has introduced a redesign of its Web site for retailers interested in learning more about the national buying group.
The site highlights the benefits of joining, acquaints visitors with Furniture First’s history and mission, and outlines membership qualifications.
Visitors can watch videos of current members describing the benefits they value most. The testimonials were recorded during the group’s 2013 Symposium in New Orleans by Ellen Gefen of Gefen Productions.
In the videos, members share their Furniture First experiences and successes, citing the advantages they’ve enjoyed through membership.
The site was built in-house by Furniture First staff using the WordPress platform. Its responsive format allows for optimized viewing on iPads, phones and other devices. The redesign has improved the site's functionality, readability, and resulted in streamlined content.
The Web site features an interface for retailers to submit preliminary details to begin the application process. Inquiries about membership from retailers west of Mississippi are directed to Ron Page, senior director of dining and membership, and inquiries from east of the Mississippi go to Furniture First President Bill Hartman.
“Furniture First’s membership has grown substantially in recent years, so it was a good time to enhance our outreach tools,” Hartman said. “The Web site redesign helps present all of our programs, discounts, and networking advantages in an improved format.”
The qualifications for membership in the national buying group result in a high-quality cooperative. Furniture First only accepts stores that are full-line independents in business for more than five years, though the average age of member businesses is more than 45 years. Retailers are required to have good credit and meet minimum volume requirements. Most members, whether they have a single storefront or a chain of locations, serve the solid middle market of consumers. The group is geographically exclusive by representation, and members are rarely in direct competition with each other.