Special events, furniture stores and geocaching

My previous blog, Grab the Opportunity, started me thinking about how furniture stores are bringing - or not bringing - consumers through the door.

Here are some advertising statistics: According to Furniture/Today’s annual Furniture Store Performance Report, on average, 5% of furniture store revenues go towards advertising. And, one-fifth of those ad dollars is spent on no-no-no advertising. 

According to sister publication Home Accents Today’s 2008 Retail Operations Survey, nearly 40% of furniture stores hold special events. Open houses are the most popular type- used by 53% of stores. Another 40% each host workshops, seminars and trunk shows.

So, what about the 60% of furniture stores who don’t hold special events? How are they spending their precious ad budget? What are they doing to get the customer through the door and how are they creating a following?

This leads me to the subject of geocaching. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, geocaching is an outdoor treasure-hunting game where participants use GPS receivers to find caches hidden in public parks, residential areas and shopping centers. A typical cache is a small, waterproof container containing a logbook, inexpensive toys and/or household items.

Geocaching started in 2000 and now there are more than 750,000 active geocaches in 100 countries around the world. Cachers go online to post latitude and longitude coordinates for a new cache. After a find, cachers go online to share their stories. There’s even an app for it on the iPhone. I bet a geocache is hidden near your house, near your office or plant and near your store.

The greater point of geocaching is that it has created a community. It has brought excitement and adventure to millions of consumers. It has created a following.

Are furniture stores accomplishing these same goals? Let’s put our heads together and figure out how to create some energy and thrive rather than just survive. Send me an email and tell me about creative ways you’re bringing consumers through your door.