RESULT: 1/3rd STORE TRAFFIC INCREASE IN ONE DAY
The skeptics may ask: “Really? A NON-SALE event did that - and for under a $1,000.00 - on a Saturday?”The skeptics may think: “I don’t believe it. Is there proof- in writing?”
Yep.
I’m writing this post to share this: Even though you may not think or be convinced that YOUR customer, at the local level, is interested in eco-friendly furniture - I believe that the success of the event I am about to describe may show you a new idea and a new path forward that doesn’t involve having to cut your margins to gain traffic and sell furniture.
First, a disclaimer. The event I am about to describe is one I was involved in planning on behalf of my social media client, BiOH Polyols. BiOH is the manufacturer of the soy ingredient inside most of the “soy-based” foams used in upholstered furniture and mattresses. It is marketed by foam manufacturers under various brand names, but if you see the word, “soy” associated with “foam”- chances are it’s soy from BiOH Polyols.
On to the event:
The event was called, “Experience Soy Style: Be In The KnOH”. It was held last October at Room and Board in Edina, Minnesota on a beautiful fall Saturday. That day, most of the surrounding stores were having sales and, given the lovely day, there was a lot more for parents to do with their kids than come into a furniture store to get educated about eco-furniture options and play with soy foam - but this store did, indeed, see a verifiable 1/3rd increase in store traffic -which they put in writing!
I hear you thinking “but this was Room and Board and their customers are interested in sustainability - we’re pretty sure ours aren’t - they never ask us about it.”
Here’s the thing I’ve found out through my work online with real, everyday consumers across the country. Gen Y and X and Moms ARE genuinely interested in eco-options for furniture. They just don’t know their choices, they don’t have the vocabulary, they don’t know what to ask about and they don’t know who, locally, carries furniture with eco-options. They generally don’t know any local furniture salespeople who can hold an informed conversation with them about eco-options in furniture that they believe isn’t also a push to make a sale. (If you ever want to see proof that I get asked these questions almost every day by online consumers via Twitter, email me for it at leslie@tkpartnership.com).
What I want to share is this: Maybe, just maybe, your customers really DO care but aren’t asking because:
a. they think it’s going to be more expensive
b. they don’t want to appear stupid if they use the wrong word (we see this all the time in design, right?)
c. they care, but they think their style options will be limited
d. they still think of eco as unstylish and crunchy brown.
e. they have no idea of how easy it is to make a really big difference in their kid’s health and their family’s sense of well being by choosing eco-friendly options.
I believe a way forward for our whole industry may be to hold eco-events in your stores or to get your sales teams trained to hold informed conversations with your customers about the eco-options your stores DO have available for them.
I know - you’re definitely not convinced that it’s right for YOUR stores. I understand.
I offer this idea: Send an email/write a tweet or long blog post/create a FB poll - or all three - and then ask your customers these questions:
1. “If we were to have an eco-section of furniture on our floors (like grocery stores do with organic foods) would this be of interest to you?”
2. “If we were to hold a fun, family-friendly eco-furniture education event in our stores, would you come?”
3. “If our sales people were able to answer your questions regarding eco-options available in furniture, would you shop and buy from us more often?”
All I’m asking is for you to ask your customers (in the social media world this is called “crowdsourcing” - asking the crowd) and not assuming, because you’re not hearing it, that there is no interest. Please, don’t rely on your sales teams for the answers to these questions - ask your customers directly and, if you really want thorough answers, train your associates to ask the questions, too, in their daily interactions with your customers.
I believe, my retail friends and readers, that our industry really has a chance to “do good” in a way that’s never been available to us before. The consumer tide is changing. Even if you are not seeing it quite yet at the local level, both serious research and my own social media conversations with online consumers has convinced me that the time is right to bring this issue completely to the forefront.
If you can help consumers understand that eco doesn’t mean “more expensive” and that there are choices they can make that are better and healthier for their homes….well, being profitable and sustaining that profit over the long run without having to run constant sales will be possible.
If you’d like more information on holding an eco-event BiOH Polyols has now made the Room and Board event available to any retailer, free of charge, as an eco-event “template”. And/or if you are interested in giving your sales associates an “eco-furniture options” education (also free of charge courtesy of BiOH Polyols - the program will be available Spring 2010), please contact me at leslie@tkpartnership.com, via twitter @tkpleslie or by calling me at 713-705-2482.
leslie carothers commented:
Thanks for taking the time to give such a comprehensive comment, Gil!Much appreciated!
I believe your last point is dead on: know your audience. My experience in this area has shown me that many retailers know their best customers, they know what their sales teams are telling them and/or their store managers, but,due to lack of time or money or both, have not conducted direct to consumer research recently so they are not aware that carrying eco friendly furnishings would actually be a competitive advantage for them-even if initial margins are, indeed, a bit lower (which is sometimes, but not always, the case.)
Here is what I really believe about the true value consumer, too: Yes, you are right, they are looking at the bottom line AND they definitely care about their children's future and their children's health-as every parent does. When this consumer is educated and knows the difference that even their tiniest eco choices can make for their children's future- and they know that, as a GROUP, they can truly make a difference by making these choices then I expect this category to truly become mainstream.
Their is an excellent book called "Ecological Intelligence" that I strongly urge all readers of my blog who are retailers of any stripe to read. It's written by Daniel Goleman who wrote the bestseller, "Emotional Intelligence." Please read it for a peak at the future. It's so important to not be caught blindsided by what's coming.
Gil Velasquez commented:
Children tend to also ask parents about sustainability of items, especially when in tow with their parents shopping. This will often put the parent and salesperson on the spot, and if the salesperson can't have an answer for little Johnny or Jamie ready on hand, they'll fall short of closing a sale.
I don't necessarily agree with crowdsourcing as the end-all answer to finding out - especially since there will always be an inherent degree of "chaos" or "madness" in any crowd. Just asking to ask will yield a disparity of results and makes no sense (as crowdsourcing itself is the art of "just asking the question out loud" and not necessarily specified). Asking via participatory survey (with, say, a simple giveaway like a re-usable grocery shopping bag for filling out the eco-survey) in a direct way, with data you can review later may work better, so you can steer the right product mix as a retailer. Say a consumer cares more about a green/eco-friendly mattress in your store, and the data shows that - then, you make it a point to find out about that at your next market. You can worry about the upholstery SKUs later if the green interest is not there. Surveys can get you that data to see what green product mix you should carry.
Events are great, but think outside the box. What about teaming up with a local natural science museum on a green eco-day, or the local arboretum? A little education mix, maybe the local college radio station program that has a passion for this sort of message, mixed with maybe some local eateries that have sustainable / green management practices (like Houston, TX's popular Haven Restaurant) to draw larger crowds. Think far outside the furniture box to bring them in, and you can generate some impact and create some goodwill by your store's name.
Now, all this being said... one also must tackle the pricing issue dead on - many people feel it is too expensive, and even competitively priced eco-friendly furniture products do not have the necessary margins that their non-eco friendly counterparts have for retailers (so, you are fighting the battle on two price perception fronts). In short, why would I (as a retailer) want to carry a particular burgundy-red couch that is hip and stylish and eco-friendly when I can go down the building hallway in High Point and get an exact looking one that is not eco-friendly and retail the same price but make more profit on the non-eco-friendly one? We have to remember that sometimes the only green that matters when it comes time to pay the piper is cash, not the earth - and in hard economic times, a retailer wants bills paid, salaries met, and most of all they want profits. Mother Earth may take a back seat in that case. So a comprehensive education component - from manufacturer to retailer to consumer - is really in order to combat the whole pricing mentality.
In my opinion, do your homework as a retailer - going green is nice and warm and fuzzy, but it really needs to work where you are at. Let's say a store is located in a blue collar community where they lost all the manufacturing jobs to some small third world country. To be frank, these customers are less likely to care about going green then they are about getting a great deal on big-ticket items like furniture... they care more about being able to afford food which they can eat while seated on that new dining room furniture to replace the one that broke. That same family is even less likely to care about the source of wood of that new dining room furniture. Contrary to this, if you happen to retail in an affluent or progressively-thinking community, yes, you should seriously pursue it. Common sense 101: Know the audience before making a green shift.
