Leather presents special challenges
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, April 23, 2007
High Point — Leather can present special challenges to the retailer in terms of customer service.
Lonnie McDonald, president of Leather Pro, said the objective is to do it right.
"What has happened over the years is that there has been so much bad information from the leather standpoint," said McDonald.
Far from being maintenance free, leather needs to be cleaned, wiped down with distilled water, moisturized and protected. Certain leathers should be kept away from direct sunlight.
"They have bought the Mercedes of seating and now they need to learn how to take care of it like they would a Mercedes," said McDonald. "If you don't, in my mind, from 30 years in the profession, there is some liability if you don't tell (consumers) how to take care of it or give incorrect information."
Doug Vunder, vice president of sales and marketing for MultiMaster North America, said the insurance-backed warranty that his firm offers to upholstered furniture applies to leather furniture as well. MultiMaster also has built up a catalog of between 25,000 and 30,000 leather colors that can be used for touch-ups.
"We also have regional training seminars for backroom personnel, where we teach them how to fix tears, burns and rips," he said.
That can lead to cost-effective repairs. Vunder gave the example of a sectional that has been discontinued and permanently marred in the warehouse. A $100 repair can make it look like it was never damaged.
In some instances, care of leather furniture has become more of a challenge, not because of the furniture, but because of the math.
"Leather is a challenge, not from what we do but from the market itself," said Brad Geddes, president and chief operating officer of Magi Seal. "Prices are depressed with the retail value of the furniture."
Because of the influx of Asian imports, leather sofas which once sold for $1,500 retail can now be purchased for $499. Geddes said the value of the protection plan tracks the value of the item. So an item that sells for less will mean that the service plan price has to go down. And because lower price often is a sign of lower quality, that sofa will often have more problems and need more service.
At the same time, the consumer will expect that a leather piece will be more durable, not less. Still, at a lower price, a customer might decide that the item will only be kept for a relatively short period of time, and so might not purchase a protection plan.
"It comes down, at the end of the day, to a service issue and an ability to provide a high-touch service to the consumer that represents the value that we provide to the retailer," said Geddes. "That's a challenge for both retailers and ourselves."
