Entertainment sources aim to educate market
Retailers, consumers need help in keeping up with technology
By Alfred Dockery -- Furniture Today, May 29, 2005
High Point — As widescreen TVs, utilizing DLP, LCD and plasma technology continue to drop in price and grow in popularity, furniture manufacturers are working hard to market their home entertainment solutions effectively to both retailers and consumers.
"Retailer training and consumer education is very critical in that you no longer can be just knowledgeable about the furniture; you also must understand the varying electronics, their sizes and what fits in what," said Neil McKenzie, vice president of product development for Hekman.
Furniture sources are providing a variety of point-of-purchase (POP) materials — including brochures, props, videos, finish samples, signage and banners — to aid retail sales. These items often serve double-duty as both sales tools and as reminders to help keep important product features in the forefront of the retail salesperson's mind.
In addition, company Web sites are doing a lot more than just showing images of home entertainment products. For example, Hooker's site includes articles on how its product line addresses the latest trends in widescreen TVs. Sauder's site shows consumers how to measure their TVs to ensure a good fit with the company's products and lets them sort products by TV size.
Sales training pays off
Sligh Furniture's sales representatives train retail salespeople about consumer electronics and how the company's products accommodate them. Short videos show delivery people and retail salespeople how products go together and why.
Hooker Furniture makes sure that it gives its sales reps plenty of information on the new TV types and sizes, and what will fit with its furniture offerings.
"(We) do a good job in sales training for our dealers in this area," said Hank Long, senior vice president, design and merchandising for Hooker. "We also have a session in our Hooker University on new TV technology. We do Hooker U in major metro areas, bringing in salespeople from our dealers, as well as (hold) sessions in Martinsville, Va., involving plant tours."
Stanley also works hard to keep its sales team up on TV technology, including definitions for common TV acronyms like LCD (liquid crystal display) and DLP (digital light processor). Kelly Cain, vice president and product manager for Stanley Collections, feels that it is necessary to get sales reps comfortable with the TV arena so that, when they work with retailers, they also can help clarify terms and technologies.
"I try to have all of our salespeople do sales training in the stores," Cain said. "Within each collection, we will have sometimes four or five configurations available, and usually the retailer will only put one or two (systems) on the floor at most. It's important that our sales reps train retail salespeople about the different options."
Fit and function
One of the major issues being addressed is whether or not a specific piece of furniture will accommodate an individual TV. While furniture makers have become adept at developing home theater configurations that can house TVs of significantly different widths that still look well-proportioned, consumer uncertainty remains a potential deal killer.
"A problem retailers face is a consumer that spends an hour or so with a sales associate and then leaves the store to buy a TV without purchasing furniture," said Rob Sligh, chairman and CEO of Sligh. "The consumer may or may not come back. But the reason they left is often a fear that the TV they end up purchasing will not fit in the furniture."
Media storage from an audio standpoint also has changed with the arrival of digital music technology like the Apple iPod.
"Those CDs can go in cardboard boxes in the garage now," said Gordon Stannis, a partner in twisthink, a design and technology company in Holland, Mich. "However, people are buying more DVDs that require more storage and converting from VHS. I consider it to be an offset — fewer CDs but more DVDs, some shallower audio-video components but some deeper components. Therefore, you have to err toward the greatest extreme."
Paper, props and presentation
Sligh is a leader in providing POP materials to its retailers, including faux TVs from TurboProps that have the key selling features of its furniture printed on the screens. Lifestyle photographs and detail shots with all critical dimensions are featured on tear-off pads made available on the sales floor. Where retailers are willing to use them, the company also provides literature and finish sample stands and banners.
Stanley introduced a new product catalog format in September of 2004. The company took its home entertainment pieces from all of its collections and put them together in one binder.
"Retailers tell me that when customers come in looking for home entertainment furniture they want to be able to go to one place and see everything," Cain said. "Usually they've already purchased the TV and know its dimensions. It has been a big help to us to have that all in one catalog."
Hekman has developed brochures that work both for training retail salespeople and as a sales tool for use with the consumer.
Working the Web
Hooker has an ongoing public relations effort to inform consumers about how to integrate new home entertainment technology into décor-friendly solutions. This includes articles on its Web site describing the features of the company's latest wall units, home theater furniture and plasma TV consoles. An online consumer survey conducted via the Hooker Web site notes that 52% of the respondents said that their next TV purchase would be a plasma, DLP or LCD unit.
Sauder provides a high level of detail on each product page of its Web site for its entertainment items, including links to advise the consumer on how to measure their TV. Another area gives them the opportunity to sort entertainment items by TV size.
The company also is updating its Web site with more information about fitting new 16:9 format TVs into Sauder furniture.
"As we introduce furniture, we keep the 16:9 and other different formats in mind and work to address these evolving sizes to provide flexibility for the consumer who has or will invest in these newer TV technologies," said Susan Dountas, vice president of merchandising for Sauder.
Staying ahead of the curve
Many furniture makers stay up to date on home entertainment technology by attending events like the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas every January. They also constantly check the Web sites of major electronics retailers to see what is new in TVs and visit furniture retailers frequently.
"CES is good for getting the overall long-term picture," said Cain. "I go to the retail stores about every six weeks to see what's going on and try to talk to salespeople."
Cain also occasionally stops by big-box retailers on Saturday mornings just to listen in to the discussions between salespeople and consumers. "It's interesting some of the things you overhear," he said.
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