AHFA to improve Furniture Finder on Web site
Will help consumers research purchases
Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, November 4, 2008
HIGH POINT — The American Home Furnishings Alliance has enhanced its consumer Web site with a new Furniture Finder, designed to help furniture makers meet the needs of American shoppers who increasingly research their purchases online.
Set to debut Jan. 1, the new feature at www.findyourfurniture.com will let shoppers conduct detailed product searches in an expansive, multi-brand, digital catalog. This vast virtual showroom will provide manufacturers with unlimited "floor space" to merchandise their products, according to the AHFA.
 An enhanced Find Your Furniture feature on the American Home Furnishings Association’s Web site, to debut in January, will help consumers research their furniture purchases and find stores. |
The program was developed in partnership with FurnitureDealer.net, a provider of Web sites and Internet marketing services for the furniture industry.
"Furniture shoppers have embraced the Internet," said Jackie Hirschhaut, AHFA vice president of public relations and marketing. "In fact, a recent survey by Nielsen Online shows that furniture is the eighth most researched product on Internet search engines."
Despite this, e-commerce remains a relatively insignificant distribution channel for home furnishings.
"This is because furniture simply does not play to the strengths of e-commerce," said Mike Bernstein, president of FurnitureDealer.net's manufacturer services. "It is generally considered an expensive, complex purchase decision. Most shoppers still want to see and touch furniture before making a purchase decision. And they still value professional assistance in making selections, not to mention the assurance of post-sale service."
But finding the products they want to see in those stores increasingly has become an online venture.
"The big winners are the companies that invest in creating digital catalogs and aggressively distributing them wherever consumers are looking for furniture," said Bernstein. "AHFA's Find Your Furniture Web site already had a huge and loyal following. But, previously, it only allowed consumers to shop one brand at a time, one Web site at a time."
He said the new Furniture Finder makes the site "a more convenient, multi-brand environment. Companies can differentiate their products with detailed descriptions and photographs that include close-ups to highlight unique features and craftsmanship. Powerful search tools enable consumers to narrow their search - even down to the specific width or height of the desired piece. And easily-accessed pages of related items help convert single-product shoppers into multiple-product buyers."
Once they have narrowed their search, shoppers will be able to locate stores that carry the products they want.
"This program represents a paradigm shift in the way manufacturers look at the Internet," said Hirschhaut. "We are arming them with the tools they need to leverage the Internet to grow their business through their preferred retail channels."
FindYourFurniture.com, launched in 2002, also will continue to offer consumers detailed shopping tips, furniture care and safety information, tools for identifying furniture styles, a room planner and the latest trend and new product information.
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