8,000 stores sign up for ‘Is It Home Yet?' campaign

September is National Home Furnishings Month

Clint Engel -- Furniture Today, September 2, 2010

LAS VEGAS — The World Market Center said 8,000 stores have signed up to be part of a store locator as the WMC promotes its second annual National Home Furnishings Month "Is it Home Yet?" consumer campaign this month.

It also said that in the past two months, more than 500 retailers have signed up to offer the related Home Mortgage Sweepstakes this month, where one consumer will win mortgage payments for a year (actually $24,000 in cash, based on an average monthly home mortgage expense of $2,000).

Some 460 retailers have told the WMC they plan to use the free "Is it Home Yet?" toolkit in their advertising.

"National Home Furnishings Month was created to unite retailers, providing them with the necessary tools to inspire a newfound customer enthusiasm," said WMC President and CEO Bob Maricich.

"We believe the new addition of the Home Mortgage Sweepstakes for 2010 is compelling for both retailers and consumers, providing an exciting opportunity for families to ask themselves what long dreamed-of items they would purchase for their homes if they had the extra money in their pockets each month," he said.

Ashley Furniture HomeStores has been among the most active participants this year with more than 60 dealers with 178 stores signed up to participate.

Ashley marketing specialists also have been recruiting other key accounts to participate, including Honolulu-based C.S. Wo & Sons, which will offer coupons during the event and will give away two $1,500 shopping sprees.

Other big retailers participating that WMC noted earlier are Las-Vegas-based Walker Furniture and The RoomStore of Richmond, Va.

In addition to retailers' marketing initiatives, the campaign will be promoted through MarthaStewart.com, a dedicated Facebook channel and ads on Facebook targeted "to reach millions of engaged users, those with the highest affinity toward decorating and purchasing for their home," WMC said in a release.

Consumers can become fans of the "Is It Home Yet?" fan page where they can get trend updates and interact through activities including a "What's Your Style Design Quiz." The campaign's website, www.homeyet.com, also features new content including home makeover tips and trend information.

The initiative encourages retailers to offer special values and incentives during a Sept 18-26 sales event. So far, more than 300 retailers have said they plan to hold sales, which consumers can discover on the store locator when searching by ZIP code.

Retailers who want to participate in National Home Furnishings Month can still do so at no charge through the end of the month. Information is available at http://homeyet.com/retailers or by contacting retailstores@homeyet.com.