DesignCliq Introduces Content Subscription Service At High Point Market

Furniture World News Desk on 4/1/2015

DesignCliq, the internet marketing company founded by home furnishings industry veteran Fred Starr, announced that it is building on the success of its signature Style Quizzes with a new Content Subscription Service.

Set to be unveiled at the High Point Market this month, the program is supported by highly intuitive software built around retailer-purchased credits—allowing merchants to shop for and purchase design-related blogs and tips from a continuously expanding library produced by well-known industry writers.

“We believe the key to success for retailers today is to move beyond cookie-cutter content on their websites, too often produced by writers with no understanding of our industry, to content that is truly helpful to shoppers,” Starr says. “Our goal in creating our new subscription service is to educate potential shoppers about the decorating process, and to position the retailers we partner with as authorities in their marketplaces. Consumers today don’t want to be ‘sold.’ They want to be engaged and empowered and to trust the retailers they buy from whether online or in-store. Frankly, that’s why they are online in the first place, researching as much as they can about the products they want to purchase. Yet the shopping process is about more than product and price. And too often, consumers online don’t get much of a feel for a furniture store’s identity, or the benefits they receive by shopping in-store.”

The DesignCliq team is certain that those who master the online/offline equation will be rewarded, not just with one-time sales, but by fruitful and lasting relationships with loyal customers.

Led by creative director Lynn Courtade, all blogs and design tips in the library are currently produced by veteran industry writers Kimberley Wray and Kim Shaver. “We have gathered the most experienced and talented writers and designers in home furnishings to create quick, easy and fun reads that invite consumers to stop, read, think and behave differently online,” Starr says. “We are not a news source covering industry product introductions or retailer activities. Rather, we provide retailers with an all-important element that is largely missing from their websites, the part that supports a brick-and-mortar store’s unique brand by educating consumers about living well in a space that is ideal for their lifestyle.”
According to Starr, pricing for blogs, email blasts and newsletters is below average, and impossible to duplicate on an individual basis. “Some retailers are lucky enough to have people on their teams who have the time and talent to devote to producing great content for their stores’ websites, but the pressures of the retail business mean that they are few and far between,” Starr says.

“Our library spans a wide range of home furnishings and home-related subjects,” he describes, “produced by industry experts who understand the challenges that high-performance retailers and consumers face. Additionally, we offer the technical support necessary to make the process of transferring content to a retailer’s site seamless and convenient. The subscription service also offers maximum flexibility. As retailers purchase content packages, they’ll build an increasingly important library of helpful information for their website visitors that is exclusive in their markets.”

DesignCliq shows in the Retail Resource Center during Market.

ABOUT DESIGNCLIQ: Founded by home furnishings industry veteran Fred Starr to help high-performance furniture retailers realize the potential of internet marketing, the DesignCliq family of applications captures and engages consumers through a series of Style Preference Quizzes tested and proven to increase ROI with Top 100 retailers across the country. For more information, or to take the Style Preference Quiz, visit www.designcliq.com