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Nine Ways for Home Furnishings Dealers to Increase Sales

Posted by Joe Gargiulo | Tue, Jan 05, 2016 @ 08:59 AM

With furniture industry growth continuing to outpace the U.S. economy, the time is ripe for all home furnishings dealers to join the party. According to Mike Hudgens, the southeast regional manager of CIT Commercial Services, the upward trend is attributed to “strong performances in bedroom and dining room furnishing sales.”

Hudgens believes the “U.S. furniture markets have seen an uptick due in large part to new home sales and an increase in consumer spending as they look to furnish homes.”

CrossCheck reviewed several sources to compile a short list of traditional and modern sales and marketing techniques that home furnishings dealers can apply to maintain profitability in the current bull market.

Basic Training

GettyImages_153744016_-_Copy.jpg1. As the adage goes, “first impressions are lasting impressions,” so the manner in which customers are treated when they walk through the front door of your store will profoundly affect their response to subsequent interactions.

Sales & Marketing Manager Raven Karam of ServerLogic believes sales reps should be ready for business by tracking customers the moment they drive into the store parking lot. Note the make, model and condition of the car they drive; greet them at the door if possible; acknowledge and smile as they enter; and make them feel welcome. “When you’re working in a retail furniture environment, how you greet your customers can have a huge impact on your sales success,” she said.

2. Vladik Rikhter of Zenput stresses the importance of conducting self-inspections to help create “well-lit, clean and safe environments” for shoppers. His suggestions include optimizing curb appeal, organizing the store according to the sections of an actual home, clear signage, accurate product pricing, up-to-date point-of-sale systems, organized inventory and back stock, and well-trained employees. “These factors give customers a reason to shop in brick-and-mortar stores in addition to any online shopping they may do,” he said.

3. Track new home sales in your area and offer special welcome packages to recent buyers. Websites such as Zillow, Trulia, Yahoo! Homes, Realtor and RedFin provide the opportunity for earnest home furnishing dealers to determine recent home sales in any given area. Mail new buyers an invitation to setup an appointment for viewing your showroom at a convenient time over espresso and pastries.

ThinkstockPhotos-84473739.jpg4. Offer back-to-school deals to college students returning for fall classes. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, over 20 million students attended American colleges and universities in the fall of 2015. Whether they are freshmen living in dorms or upperclassmen renting off-campus housing, most students will need to accessorize their living spaces in some capacity. … And absolutely ask those tech-savvy students to “drop a pin” while they’re shopping in your store.

5. Help customers increase the value of their home by learning basic home-staging techniques. Nearly everyone wants their home to appear spacious, and home furnishing dealers can function as problem solvers for shoppers looking to “stretch” the impact of their living areas. Become a home-staging expert. Enroll in a virtual staging tool service, conduct online self-study by searching for “home staging tools,” or pickup a few pointers from HGTV.

Tech Up

6. Stock the store with merchandise that is currently selling by staying apprised of current buying trends. For example, “casual styles comprise 40% of stationary sofa units sold through furniture store” according to Furniture/Today’s Upholstery Fabric & Style Survey, 2015 while “the leather category accounts for 38% of total upholstery sales” in 2014. Thus, a home furnishing store with a comprehensive inventory of casual styles and/or leather coverings will be able to meet that demand.

7. Employ data driven marketing techniques to optimize your sales efforts. For example, knowing that Millennial households now outnumber Boomers in key furniture-buying categories gives you the inside track on knowing who will walk through your door and what they might buy. The online solutions company Umbel presents a compelling overview in its piece, “Increasing Sales with Data-Driven Marketing.”

8. Build lasting relationships with customers in your area by using social media and collecting email addresses during each transaction. Make sure the focus of your social media posts is on social engagement versus hard selling, and use Mail Chimp or Constant Contact to manage the customer list and launch email campaigns. Consider asking new customers to pose for a quick photo in front of their new purchases, and post the image on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

9. Make it easy for customers to purchase your goods by offering convenient payment solutions. Ever heard of in-home layaway?

Click below to learn about how Multiple Check (aka in-home layaway) increases sales.

 

Topics: Home Furnishings, Increase Sales

Written by Joe Gargiulo

Marketing Specialist Joe Gargiulo has 25-plus years in marketing, communications and copy writing. As a writer, he enjoys connecting story leads to all aspects of the human experience.