Comfort, durability, quality top consumer preferences
Gary Evans -- Furniture Today, August 15, 2004
It's a safe bet the buzz words in stationary upholstery will continue to be "something new." It can be in the form of new colors, styles and fabrics, or even new sizes to fit contemporary lifestyles. But whatever it is, it had better include comfort, durability and overall quality — ranked one, two and three in importance in the most recent Furniture/Today poll of 50,000 U.S. households to determine upholstery buying trends.
With sofas, sectionals and other seating pieces the foundation for home décor, upholstery will be a key element in the bottom-line success of furniture stores. Margins are good, and turns are better than average. But a key to maintaining momentum is tied to the industry's ability to offer consumers something other than "the sea of brown" that characterizes many a showroom floor.
Delivery ranks well down on the list of things important to consumers, far below stain resistance and easy upkeep and maintenance, according to Furniture/Today's survey. These latter characteristics rank just below the selection of a cover fabric.
The message: Don't miss the add-on profits that come with post-sale fabric treatment programs. Fifty-six percent of respondents favored those programs, but the sale of highly profitable protection plans surely would be boosted if consumers knew about it. Unfortunately, 37% of poll respondents said it wasn't offered when they shopped for upholstery.
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