Retailers find power features effective selling points

Jay McIntosh -- Furniture Today, March 4, 2013

SAN DIEGO - Power motion and other electronic features are effective selling points in upholstered furniture, but not every consumer will spend the money for them, according to some retailers selling the products.
     Some features are more in demand than others, the retailers say. And there are some features they'd like to see available on more products.
     San Diego-based Jerome's Furniture, whose eight stores are in the San Diego and Riverside, Calif., areas, was an early adopter of power motion in chairs and sofas, said furniture buyer Andy Andreotti. Jerome's has carried power motion for about five years, and the ratio of power to non-power seats it sells is now about 50-50, he said.
     "Everything I buy today in motion I buy in both power and non-power," he said.
     Power tends to add around $200 to a retail price point and for that reason, tends to sell better at the higher end of the retailer's range - consumers in the market for a $599 recliner are more reluctant to step up to $799, but someone looking at a leather sectional doesn't see as much difference between $1,199 and $1,399 price points, Andreotti said.
     In Poplar Bluff and Farmington, Mo., retailer Hefner Furniture & Appliance has also seen a power surge, said Susan Cockerill, a salesperson for the retailer.
     "Our power groups are selling as fast or faster than our non-power groups," she said. "It's really just taking over the business."
     Store owner Slug Hefner thinks so much of motion furniture that he created World of Motion display areas of around 10,000 square feet in Poplar Bluff and 18,000 square feet in Farmington. Power motion sofas and sectionals are selling in a wide range of price points, from a $799 Ashley model to a Flexsteel sectional that tops out at $2,599, Cockerill said.

	Hefner Furniture & Appliance shows dozens of SKUs of power and non-power recliners and motion upholstery — along with props including a canoe and a classic car — in its 18,000- square-foot World of Motion showroom in its Farmington, Mo., store.
Electronic features in upholstery can increase the size of the ticket, although Jerome’s Furniture in Southern California still gives consumers a good deal by advertising power motion recliners for as low as $299 on its website.
	Miami Gardens, Fla.-based El Dorado Furniture shows a wide selection of power motion upholstery on its website.

     Both retailers said power motion sells to consumers of all generations. Younger ones tend to like the "wow factor" and older ones may have a family member in the home that doesn't have the leg strength to close a recliner, Andreotti said.
     At Hefner, about the only age group reluctant to buy power motion is parents with young children, because they're afraid the kids will find it too irresistible to play with the buttons, Cockerill said.
     Regarding other electronic features, there's some variation in what sells.
     Jerome's tried some motion sofas with docking stations for smartphones, tablet computers or laptops, but found that the higher prices turned off too many consumers. It has had mixed results with massage chairs - some are perceived as just glorified vibrators, but one from Turnda International with an actual Shiatsu massage motion has been a good seller, said Andreotti.
     Heated seating also is a big seller in motion, and he said he'd like to see more manufacturers offer it as an option. Gadgets like lighted cupholders also are popular.
     Brands selling well at Jerome's with power motion or other electronics include Cheers/Man Wah, Mengnu, Madison Park, New Classic, Era Nouveau and Synergy Home Furnishings.
     Hefner has a broad selection in the category and does well with companies including Natuzzi, La-Z-Boy, Flexsteel, Ashley, Franklin and Cozzia, Cockerill said. Some Flexteel power motion sofas "are just flying out of our store," she said.
     "We've also noticed a big increase in demand for products like the Natuzzi (with a) docking station," she said. A Natuzzi sectional with a sound system also is a hot seller, as are La-Z-Boy chairs with a power lumbar support adjustment feature.
     Marlon Davila, a buyer at El Dorado Furniture in Miami Gardens, Fla., lists docking stations for smartphones and reading lights as two popular electronic features in upholstery. Lane is a solid seller in the category, and $1,499 is a popular price point, he added.
     El Dorado lists about 14 power motion sofas on its website, and shows them in high-traffic areas of the store, Davila said.