Business owners have to use their heads in order to compete in today's world.

As I talk with a business owners of all sizes, and they explain how their hands are tied in moving forward with an internet strategy. They believe they are doing the best they can under the circumstances, of course, but really there are departments in their organization that need to be protected, prices that need to be kept, sacred cows that can’t be touched. “After all,” they argue, “why should I wipe out my current business just to succeed online?”

This dogged thinking is great, unless your competition decides differently.

When you have someone who is willing to accomplish THIS without worrying about THUS and SO, they will likely defeat you. Online, this happens fast, since there are organizations that are willing to grow at the expense of revenue, ethics or reputation. In your short term, being focused may be a real advantage.  Sometimes, focusing on accomplishing just one thing (whatever it is) pushes a business through this recession or  that far ahead pothole. But at what expense? The competition makes a ton of money and you’ve lost forever.

Retailers, vendors, suppliers, factory branded stores, chains, regional players, local independents, Top 100’s, Mom-n-Pop’s and every other nook and cranny of our industry need to think hard about this before it’s too late

Retail automation vendor Profitsystems has partnered with MicroD and The Lively Merchant on e-Showroom an advanced Web solution designed to help their customers sell additional product, more effectively and efficiently.

e-Showroom enables retailers using Profitprofessional software to integrate and cross reference their inventory flawlessly with vendor catalogs and display them directly on their new e-commerce enabled Web site. The partnership will utilize the ePiphany Web site platform developed by MicroD.

“Retailers can harness the power of three industry leaders in one Web solution,” said Shelley Parlin, COO for Profitsystems. “Through e-Showroom, our clients can establish brand awareness, increase traffic levels, and maximize their advertising dollars by adding the equivalent of a second store without the building expense.”

“This partnership gives retailers the strongest possible solution for their internet presence,” said Manoj Nigam, president of MicroD. “We can help them connect to their customers and provide an easy to use shopping experience. Retailers will have control over their website, email marketing, and products shown without having to invest excessive time to maintain it.”

David McMahon, director of e-solutions for Profitsystems said: What this means for retailers is that they can have a web solution that is easy to maintain with product that can be sold. From Web site development, provided by The Lively Merchant, to customer follow-up, this one solution can meet all of the retailer’s needs. Their website is now relevant to the customer and salesperson. That allows for a huge ROI in terms of increased sales and decreased cost.”

To inquire about e-Showroom, send email to info@profitsystems.com, or visit the Profitsystems, MicroD, and The Lively Merchant’s websites:  www.profitsystems.com, www.microdinc.com, or www.thelivelymerchant.com.

September 14 in Vegas | REGISTER HERE

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Is your online strategy struggling? Do you even have an online strategy? The third release of the Industry-Wide Web Summit will unite home furnishings retailers, manufacturers, representatives and suppliers to:

o Brainstorm new solutions

o Work through existing conflicts

o Bury old misconceptions

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You CAN show and sell furniture online.

We’ll show you how.

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Monday, September 14, 2009 | Opening day of the Las Vegas Market

Building C | 9th Floor | Room C976 | 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

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You will leave the Web Summit with practical, real world information and implementation strategies for all areas of electronic media and web for the furniture industry. Seating is limited. Registration is required for this free event.

Click here to register: please provide your name, company and telephone number.

How to Implement Email Marketing and Social Media for Results | David McMahon | PROFITconsulting

Throw Web-Based Marketing Into Your Mix | Ron Carpenter | Strategic Marketing Solutions LLC

Demystifying the Online Furniture Shopper | David Lively | The Lively Merchant

Create an Engaging Website that Brings Your Brand to Life Online | Renee Loper | aspenhome

“Just the facts, ma’am, just the facts.”

Ms. Jones might pull out this Joe Friday line when she’s furniture shopping. Even if she falls head over heels in love with a sexy chaise or a beautiful bedroom, she’s going to have to justify her financial investment with some cold, hard facts.

Look at the following areas where Ms. Jones might find information about furniture. Rate them for accuracy, and then rate them for influence:

1.       A recommendation from a friend

2.       The internet

3.       A store visit

Now rate your store in these same areas. Have you irritated your customer base to the point that your name is dragged through the mud more often than it’s recommended? Do you have a website? Is it fresh and relevant? Do you have tear-offs in the store that she can take home with her? Does your entire staff know your policies? Are your designers well trained? Be honest!

Once Ms. Jones is in the information gathering stage, she has already decided that she’s going to buy furniture. The only question is, from whom?

How do you ensure that it’s from you?

For months, we have been talking about the choices major furniture suppliers are making about selling furniture online. Here is another example.

   issue date 8/4/2009
FROM THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

 Thomasville.com visitors with just under 200,000 page views per day, on average. Over 1 million visitors used the store finder tool to seek out your retail locations.

I am emailing you today to share our short and long-term Thomasville.com goals. We are ALL invested in the Thomasville brand. I want our dealer base to be full partners and participants in our growing web strategies:

CREATIVE RELAUNCH APRIL-AUGUST 2009: In April we introduced a new consumer-tested Thomasville.com navigation. These were architectural changes, a necessary platform for continued site development. Coming in late August, you’ll see the next phase of a site upgrade which focuses on creative. This will include landing page refreshes which change with every promotion to keep consumers interested and coming back.

ECOMMERCE PILOT LATE-AUGUST 2009: Simultaneous with the late-August creative reskin, we will begin piloting e-commerce in Company Store markets. Consumers will be able to purchase casegoods, married frame-fabric upholstery and selected accessories online. Order confirmation and entry will be managed at the corporate level. The individual company stores will manage the delivery process…and cultivate a relationship with the consumer to win future sales. Based on these learnings, we will broaden the ecommerce roll-out in late 2009 in all Company Store markets and consider other test markets where we presently have no distribution.

INDEPENDENT DEALERS & ECOMMERCE: In 2010, Thomasville will open up the ecommerce test to selected independent dealers on an opt-in basis. We are looking at a number of different customer service and delivery models for this broader roll-out. ALL include significant revenue share with the retailer. ALL include strategies for connecting an e-commerce experience to the retail store, where Design Consultants can engage with consumers to more fully address their needs and desires.

You may have seen the recent Furniture Today story on July 16th reporting that online furniture sales totaled $4.6 billion last year — 6% of total consumer spending on furniture and bedding. FT cites an HGTV study indicating that 44% of US adult consumers have purchased furniture online. Generation Xers no longer kids but 34-44 years old in peak household formation and furniture-buying years — are most interested in the online channel.

This is not isolated data. Today we know that 75% of furniture purchasers use the web before visiting a store. They often return to the web after a store visit, moving fluidly between virtual and store experience. All consumer usage and trending research clearly indicate that online is hugely important in the furniture category. Is it mature? No. Will it replace traditional furniture retailing? No. Can any of us afford to ignore it? Again, no!

To continue to earn our status as one of America’s best known furniture brands, Thomasville needs to be where customers are. Online and ecommerce are part of the equation today. Thomasville Company Stores are going to pilot a program that will ultimately be to the benefit of the brand and all our retail partners. I look forward to sharing more details on our plans and earning your support for this exciting new endeavor.

Best regards,

Ed Teplitz

President

Thomasville Furniture

Please note the FT story he references from earlier this summer. 75% of the customers are shopping online before theyt ever get in their cars!

Now is the time, folks.

FURNITUREToday recently reported that David Lively was elected to the HFIA Board of Directors:

“Our board is on the front lines of the furniture industry every day,” said Frye. “They know exactly what keeps an independent retailer up at night. We continually ask ourselves, ‘What can we do for our members that they can’t do better themselves?’ We rely on the board’s insight and oversight to develop a mix of services to save our members time and money.” Read more…