L&P's Quinn: Stir your consumers' emotions
By David Perry -- Furniture Today, December 9, 2007
Palm Beach, Fla. — The home furnishings industry can successfully compete with industries hawking trendy products by stirring consumers' emotions, Leggett & Platt executive Mark Quinn said in a presentation at the Furniture/Today Leadership Conference.
Quinn, group executive vice president of sales and marketing in L&P's bedding group, said home furnishings marketers can reach consumers by touting the power of the home.
"It's a place for love ... a place for memories ... a place for laughter," he said, citing a message used by retailer Ikea: "Home is the most important place in the world."
And that emotion-laden appeal is one that other industries simply can't match, he said. "Consumers buy based on emotion, not logic," Quinn noted. "Show me the emotion."
Unfortunately, he said, the industry often delivers sale-oriented messages instead. He flashed a mattress ad on the screen that he said represented a typical bedding message. The ad included a 15-month no-interest offer, a queen set for the price of a twin, and a $59 twin mattress.
Those kinds of messages, he said, don't make a compelling case for bedding. "What do we look like to other industries?" Quinn asked. "Is anyone saying, 'We have to watch the mattress industry?'"
But the mattress industry has a major opportunity, he said. He gave three examples of effective messages citing the benefits of good sleep that consumers may not realize:
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"Chronic sleep deprivation could be making you fat."
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"The best way to fight off the flu is with a good night of sleep."
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"Some researchers think sleep may be the missing link when it comes to overall health, safety and productivity."
Quinn said Leggett & Platt believes so strongly in touting the benefits of good sleep that it sponsored a national retail bedding tour focused on that topic. He said good sleep should join bedding specifications and comfort as key elements of the mattress sale.
Focusing on comfort helps trigger buying decisions, he said. But focusing on sleep helps lead consumers to buy better bedding.
Quinn then introduced Craig McAndrews, president of retail consulting firm Innovate Retail, who conducted the sales associate training sessions that were a key part of the L&P retail bedding tour.
McAndrews said consumers want "tailored communications" rather than a "canned approach." The problem, he said, is that "the industry has a one-size-fits-all presentation, but consumers want a personal experience. Think of all the things you can customize."
Bedding consumers are frustrated because they can't navigate retail stores. They want to be empowered to find what they want, rather than having the sales associate control the shopping process, McAndrews said.
He said sales associates must start to adjust to the varying "buying personalities" of consumers, must give them choices and space, and must emphasize and educate consumers on sleep and related topics. They also need to demonstrate that they are genuinely interested in their customers and their needs.
"This is our industry," added Quinn. "We choose if we want to let someone else out-message the consumer. We choose what gets served up. My hope is that we choose action. Make that consumer experience different."
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