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FurnitureFan e-coupon effort gets early results

By Brian Carroll -- Furniture Today, April 14, 2002

SUDBURY, Mass. — FurnitureFan has unveiled an online coupon program designed to drive traffic into member retailers' stores and to track Internet-generated traffic.

The company also pulled the wraps off of its latest redesign, its fourth.

The site at www.furniturefan.com is "easier to navigate, allowing a shopper to view a detailed piece of furniture or mattress in two clicks instead of four," said Gary Chase, president of the Web directory. "Plus the new site loads in one-third the time (and) retailers and manufacturers can log in right from the home page to view their leads."

Still in its initial phase, the online coupon program is outperforming similar real-world coupon programs, according to Mitch Russo, FurnitureFan's chief executive officer.

Conventional coupons are redeemed at an average rate of about 1%, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. FurnitureFan coupons so far are enjoying a redemption rate of 5.5%, Russo said.

"We have already banked close to $10,000 is sales on the eight coupons redeemed to date," said Larry Slovy, owner of Bay Furniture in Homewood, Illinois.

Liverpool, N.Y.-based Raymour & Flanigan generated $9,000 in five days in sales spurred by the online coupons, according to Mark Manders, vice president of marketing. Not huge numbers, but it is found business, said Russo.

"By providing these savvy shoppers with timely coupons for savings at their favorite store, we are making the purchase decision even easier," he said.

FurnitureFan gives the stores complete control over their e-coupon promotions. Some offer a dollar amount discount, others promise a percentage off.

"The payback on this service is usually 30 days or less," Russo said.

To get consumers the coupons, FurnitureFan offers to sign them up for an e-mail alert when a store in their area offers a special. They can also conduct a manual search for coupons when they log onto the site. Finally, when accessing the home page of a store in their area, consumers will see a "coupon available" icon.

The Web site's next goals include "data mining and the ability for manufacturers and retailers to administer their own sites," Chase said. "We will be able to provide useful information to help analyze products from the consumer's perspective like never before."

FurnitureFan's Web site has been redesigned for easier navigation.

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