Case goods mfrs. put feet on promos
Post-market support materials take on new importance for absentee buyers
By Powell Slaughter -- Furniture Today, October 28, 2001
HIGH POINT — With market attendance down, case goods manufacturers were taking extra measures to make sure what they believe was a strong slate of new product didn't go by the wayside.
Many offered extended market specials and promotions, and many sales representatives made an early exit from High Point so they could hit the road to drum up business.
And with fewer buyers in the showrooms, manufacturers concentrated on providing after-market sales support materials quicker and in many cases at unprecedented levels of depth and quality.
Century, for instance, is working to get the word out on its new Casa Collection to retailers who stayed home last week.
"This is our seed corn for next year," said Bob Maricich, president. "Our sales force will have the most professional, comprehensive after-market materials they've ever had. The international people who aren't coming will have a display on CD … that we think is compelling enough to where they'll buy."
American Drew weighed the possibility of a showroom video, but decided to concentrate on more and better market photography and other materials.
"We took 20% more showroom photography, and a lot of that was detail shots to show the pieces up close," said President Jack Richardson. "We're going over and above what we do on finish panels to give the salesmen tools on the road."
At Lane, a focused approach to case goods introductions — Gramercy, a full but tight collection, and a short carved European bedroom — made the job of preparing for market follow-up easier.
"We didn't come out with five groups, hoping one of them would stick, and that definitely cuts down on problems with lead times," said Jim DeRose, merchandising manager. "Since we anticipated attendance would be down, we're shooting a lot of new product in the showroom so we can give salespeople a full catalog they can take on the road Monday. Usually we wouldn't start to shoot so soon."
Low attendance in High Point was no surprise to anyone, and Hurtado started working on follow-up strategies even before the opening bell. By Tuesday of market, the high-end Spanish manufacturer had a virtual reality CD-ROM ready for salespeople to take to customers.
"I knew before we opened this was going to be a tough market," said Eloy Selles, general manager of Hurtado USA. "We're creating a virtual reality walk-through of the showroom on CD-ROM. The people who didn't make it here have the possibility of living the showroom experience, in a way."
Though it's no substitute for seeing the showroom in person, Selles believes the CD will be particularly useful for existing customers who are familiar with the company's construction, finish and engineering. They'll be able to "walk around" the product and zoom in to examine details like hardware and inlays.
While its Dick Idol Home Collection was a hit with buyers who came to market, Klaussner also worked hard to take its inaugural case goods collection to those who didn't.
"We're shooting an interactive CD-ROM tour of the showroom," said Darren York, sales and product development manager. Klaussner also got a head start on follow-up product, showing sketches for a new bedroom inspired by the collection's Glacier Mountain bed and an assortment of smaller-footprint cases.
"We'd like to get some of these things rolling," York said. "It depends on when we see the samples and do some tweaking. We'll probably finalize in January, place orders and hopefully have it in stock in time for April market."
Sharp pricing was widespread here, and case goods companies will carry that message into the field in coming weeks.
"There's a whole lot of price-cutting and giveaways, and I know we're doing some promotions and deals," said Randy Austin, president of Hickory White. "We rolled prices back on some items from our South American source. We'll do a nicer job of photography for our sales materials, and we'll continue our market deals and specials out in the field."
Rather than a wind-down from the hustle of High Point in the event's final days, there was a gearing up to take market on the road. Manufacturers reasoned that if pent-up demand existed before Sept. 11, it's even greater now, and wood makers want their retailers locked and loaded when it happens.
"There's no doubt there's going to be an incredible rebound," said Maricich at Century. "It's a matter of when."
| Adaptations of traditional American styles, such as the soft arch reminiscent of Mission designer Harvey Ellis on this Nichols & Stone cabinet, were popular at the October market. |
| Palliser scored a hit with its contemporary Mantaro sleigh bed, part of a nine-piece collection. Target retail for the bed is $499. |
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