Duct tape be damned! Let's look for the grabber
By Susan M. Andrews -- Furniture Today, March 23, 2003
Consumers with the purchasing power to shop for big-ticket items this year will be hungry for attractive things in their homes to help distract them from world affairs that are at best gloomy and, at worst, terrifying. They are certainly less likely to spend that money on cruises and cars than they have been for several years.
Heck, furniture's a great value already, but it's going to look like an even better value when gas is $3.50 a gallon and nobody wants to travel very far from home! Your job is to be sure you've got product worthy and eye-catching enough to draw the attention of those consumers who might be able to spend money in your store.
Now, consumers may be accenting their interiors with the neutral gray of duct tape — and I understand there's a nice creamy white available as well — but don't assume that means they will want to slip back into the blah, middle-of-the-road, non-color neutrals that shriek "doesn't show dirt!"
Some consumers will want bright, pretty colors for their cheerful appeal and some will want earthy, organic colors for their soothing natural feeling. But, bright or earthy, it's color they'll want, along with comforting softness and easy cleaning. Textile designers and mills, always working to make your job easier, have created fabrics with all those characteristics, and manufacturers have made beautiful use of the fabrics to produce upholstery that will shine on your retail floor.
But before those pretty and comfortable sofas and chairs can land in your store, you've got to come to market and select the right prices, colors and shapes to create the perfect assortment for your customers.
Part of the fun of market for you may be getting a look at that one fabric in many showrooms that was chosen purely for its drama or its outlandish color or its funky pattern or its outrageous price or its exquisite glamour — or just because someone is crazy about it and it's fun. It's sometimes near the front of a showroom to serve as an attention-grabber, an eye-catcher, a conversation piece, if you will.
Alternatively, it's carefully positioned at the farthest reaches of the showroom, allowing you to get a look at the company's entire line while trailing in the wake of the sales rep who is eager to show you the item. Manufacturers don't usually share those with us for this issue because those fabrics frequently aren't truly representative of the company's line and market is plenty confusing already, but they are a treat to see.
I'm looking forward to seeing those and all the other new covers next week and I hope you'll say hello if you see me on the street or in a showroom.
-
Upholstery ekes out gain with style, details
Nov 17, 2011 -
Bonded leather making inroads
Sep 3, 2011 -
Weiman broadens its appeal
May 19, 2011 -
Color, closeouts key in Tupelo
Aug 31, 2008 -
Vegas uptick a promising sign
Feb 15, 2010
Featured Company
-
Brandwise Inc.
Brandwise serves a model - not just an industry - by integrating, automating, and optimizing the entire sales channel, from wholesale Suppliers to their Reps and the Retailers they service. In short, our software helps Reps and Suppliers sell more and create... more
VIEW ALL GALLERIES
