| 1. |
Foam Packaging Recycling Basics
(Friday, May 09, 2008 - Dan Bolger)
Recycling EPS now makes sense for furniture retailers. There are a number of processing alternatives that can change its disposal from a big expense to one that can actually generate a payback.
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| 2. |
Revenue Opportunities With Free Website Analytics
(Friday, May 09, 2008 - Leslie Carothers)
Google has empowered any home furnishings retailer who wants to uncover and/or create revenue opportunities by installing Google Analytics on his or her website. Here are the top ten ways you can use analytics to generate more offline sales from your online efforts.
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| 3. |
Help Bedding Customers To Cool It!
(Friday, May 09, 2008 - Guy Eckert)
This article is the first in a two-part series exploring the physiology of sleep, the evolution of bedding products, value promises and how to accurately convey these messages to consumers at the point of sale.
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| 4. |
Forget Old Media, Use People Media™ -- Part 5
(Friday, May 09, 2008 - Larry Mullins)
People Media™ begin at the top. Your store’s Brand begins with your own personal Brand. All of us have a Brand. You cannot fake it. Here are easy and inexpensive tips for using People Media on your website, on your sales floor, in your direct mail and even at the point of delivery.
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| 5. |
16 Bedding Sales Tips
(Friday, May 09, 2008 - Peter Marino)
Sixteen ways you can boost bedding sales... from developing rapport (#1) To handling customer objections by treating them as implied needs.
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| 6. |
“I’ll Know It When...
(Friday, May 09, 2008 - Peter Marino)
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| 7. |
Retail Profile: Decorium
(Friday, May 09, 2008 - Janet Holt-Johnstone)
Once customers walk in the front door of Decorium, this retailer’s focus is on engaging them and keeping them focused on the home furnishings buying process.
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| 8. |
Futon and Specialty Sleep Trade Leases Permanent Space In Las Vegas
(Sunday, April 20, 2008 - Furniture World Magazine)
Space in “Building C” will present futons, sofa sleepers, specialty bedding and related home furnishings accessories.
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| 9. |
Trend Center To Debut At Spring High Point Show
(Wednesday, March 12, 2008 - Furniture World Magazine)
The trend center, located at Suites at Market Square, called "Amazed", is designed as a maze of distinct rooms each providing a different experience for the visitor.
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| 10. |
Convert More Phone Price Inquiries Into Sales
(Monday, March 10, 2008 - Leslie Carothers)
Convert More Phone Price Inquiries Into Sales
This is the first in a FURNITURE WORLD Magazine series written by Leslie Carothers to help home furnishings retailers manage their intentional and unintentional internet presence. This month she explains how to turn internet inquiries into solid sales.
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| 11. |
Don’t Annoy Customers With Poor Follow-up Calls!
(Monday, March 10, 2008 - Joe Capillo)
Although follow-up is the way to get be-back customers, when improperly executed, follow-up calls can be counterproductive. For mega-retailers, bad follow-up can work just enough times to keep them doing it, but for everyone else, it just doesn’t make sense.
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| 12. |
Decorating School Crash Course- Part 6, Accessories
(Monday, March 10, 2008 - Margarett DeGange, M.Ed. )
Decorating seminars help customers solve problems, and they position you as a home furnishings expert. Margarett DeGange presents a script you can use to put on an Accessorizing Seminar for customers and prospects.
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| 13. |
Eye-Popping Retail Display Trends
(Sunday, March 09, 2008 - Furniture World Magazine)
Janet Holt-Johnstone reviews fourteen “Trends” displays, each having a different visual ambience presented to offer retailers ideas for the benefit of “needy” customers.
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| 14. |
Recession Proof Direct Mail Strategies
(Sunday, March 09, 2008 - Brett Kitchen and Ethan Kap)
The Traffic Guys provide recession proof ideas for building traffic by using mailings directed to “be-back” and “lost” customers.
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| 15. |
Add 250,000 Gross Margin $$ Without Raising Prices!
(Saturday, March 08, 2008 - David McMahon)
Clearance sales may have their time and place, however, there are many other more productive ways to increase GMROI. You can do this without increasing prices or holding inventory clearance sales.
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| 16. |
Forget Old Media Use People Media™
(Saturday, March 08, 2008 - Larry Mullins)
Digital communication is changing marketing as we know it. Old marketing assumed that someone was watching your commercials and reading your ads. Many furniture retailers are bombarding customers with weak and hastily prepared advertising messages, but you don’t have to.
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| 17. |
Staying Alive During Tough Times - Part 5
(Monday, January 07, 2008 - Joe Capilllo)
Even with a great strategy and professional players, without a coaching staff who observe, adjust, consult with individual players, and perform ongoing training, and who measure everything, the results will not be good.
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| 18. |
14 Things Furniture “Guys” Don’t Know About Women
(Monday, January 07, 2008 - Steve Fusco)
Informative and humorous look at the ways our male dominated industry is missing out on really connecting with our target customers.
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| 19. |
Decorating School Crash Course - Part 5, Furniture Placement
(Wednesday, January 02, 2008 - Margarett DeGange )
Decorating seminars help customers solve problems, and they position you as a home furnishings expert. Margarett DeGange presents a script you can use to put on a Furniture Placement Seminar for your customers and prospects.
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| 20. |
The Media Is The Message At Conway Furniture
(Wednesday, January 02, 2008 - Janet Holt-Johnstone)
Retailer uses light and entertaining radio commercial format to promote a “Shop?North America”, environmental and quality message.
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| 21. |
Double Your Store Traffic - Part 6: Put A Stamp On It!
(Wednesday, January 02, 2008 - Brett Kitchen and Ethan Kap)
Direct mail is proving to be more and more effective, even while traffic and sales slump for most furniture retailers. If, however, you find that your direct mail results are flagging, read this article for tips and techniques that are guaranteed to improve your returns.
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| 22. |
The Seven Lost Ad Secrets - Part 3
(Wednesday, January 02, 2008 - Larry Mullins)
Larry Mullins explains how to effectively
use new, inexpensive, uncluttered, media to
reach the public and tell your story. He does a post mortem on those pervasive Big Box ads and provides tips to help you to make your ads really pull.
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| 23. |
Meet The Retail Sales Power Players
(Wednesday, January 02, 2008 - Cathy Finney)
Sales tips and training tools from some of the best sales associates and Cathy Finney.
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| 24. |
Second FURNITURE WORLD Beautiful Truck Contest
(Wednesday, January 02, 2008 - Dan Bolger)
FURNITURE WORLD readers, Majors and Independent Stores entered their amazingly beautiful trucks this year along with advertising, maintenance and delivery tips. Winners are presented in a number of categories including a new one, Retail Show Trucks.
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| 25. |
Discover Your Retail DNA - Part 5
(Friday, November 09, 2007 - Martin Roberts)
Seven ways are presented to keep your store looking fresh and make your offerings more relevant... on a budget!
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| 26. |
Markdown Strategies That Work!
(Friday, November 09, 2007 - David McMahon)
Part 4 of the Dynamic Inventory Management Series presents the Five Golden Markdown Steps. This efficient markdown system has a considerable impact on profitability and cash flow because it greatly increases turns, improves gross margin, sales and cash flow.
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| 27. |
Tips For Moving Oddball Inventory
(Friday, November 09, 2007 - Peter Schlosser)
If a piece is clearance, then technically, you are getting whatever you can for it, right? Well, why not consider other more profitable options?
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| 28. |
Turning Retail INSIDEOUT
(Friday, November 09, 2007 - Janet Holt Johnstone)
Retailer finds that having a small showroom isn’t a hindrance to sales success. INSIDEOUThomestore reaches out to customers using marketing and innovative programs to literally turn their store inside-out.
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| 29. |
The Seven Lost Ad Secrets - Part 2
(Tuesday, December 18, 2007 - Furniture World Magazine)
Targeting your message to "Boomers" and "Seniors" because that's where the buying power is.
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| 30. |
Decorating School Crash Course -Part 4, Focal Points
(Thursday, November 08, 2007 - Margarett DeGrange)
Decorating seminars help customers to solve problems, and they position you as a home furnishings expert. Margarett DeGange presents a script you can use to put on a Decorating with Focal Points Seminar for your customers and prospects.
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| 31. |
Who’s Afraid Of The Big Blue & Yellow Box
(Thursday, November 08, 2007 - Steen Kanter & Joe Herget)
So IKEA just announced it’s coming to your town next Fall. Great, just enough time to plan your “Going Out of Business Sale”. Hey, with the soft economy and your shrinking margins, the opening of a 400,000 square-foot IKEA store should just about sound the death knell on your business future, right?
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| 32. |
Seven Lost Ad Secrets Updated For A Digital Age
(Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - Larry Mullins)
How new approaches to advertising can win friends, influence customers and make you money at a time of information overload.
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| 33. |
Double Store Traffic-Part 5: Hispanic Marketing
(Friday, September 14, 2007 - Brett Kitchen & Ethan Kap)
Even if you don’t speak Spanish and don’t have any bilingual staff, you can boost traffic and sales by addressing the growing and affluent Hispanic or Latino market.
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| 34. |
Staying Alive During Slow Times- Part 4
(Friday, September 14, 2007 - Joe Capillo)
A formal customer engagement strategy helps salespeople produce sales from those customers who should buy from you, but don’t.
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| 35. |
Turn Your Repair Shop Into A Leather Profit Center
(Friday, September 14, 2007 - Bruce Nurse)
Someone stands to profit from your damaged and defective leather furniture. That “someone” should be you!
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| 36. |
Why 20% Inventory Is Too Much!
(Friday, September 14, 2007 - David McMahon)
You can escape the excess inventory trap before you become too entangled, or avoid it altogether if you understand the reasons why so many otherwise good companies get caught.
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| 37. |
Upscale Retailing At Linley
(Friday, September 14, 2007 - Janet Holt Johnstone)
London based retailer creates and maintains a well deserved image through quality products, facilities and marketing.
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| 38. |
Improve Your Hiring IQ
(Thursday, September 13, 2007 - Ron Wolinski)
Time spent recruiting, interviewing and hiring are critical to the continued health of any furniture business. Here are tips and tools you can use to find and hire better people.
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| 39. |
Finding Figment: How To Stay Up For Your Next UP.
(Thursday, September 13, 2007 - Cathy Finney)
It is possible to re-imagine, re-create, and re-define your professional life with each new “opportunity”.
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| 40. |
Delivery Survey 2007
(Thursday, September 13, 2007 - Dan Bolger)
More than 400 readers participated in a FURNITURE WORLD Magazine/ furninfo.com survey on delivery problems and solutions.
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| 41. |
Ask The LightingExpert: Halogen & Heat
(Thursday, September 13, 2007 - Monte Lee)
Contributing Editor & lighting expert Monte Lee tackles a tough lighting question posted to FURNITURE WORLD Magazine’s furninfo.com message board.
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| 42. |
Discover Your Retail DNA -Part 4: Store Exterior
(Tuesday, September 11, 2007 - Martin Roberts)
Support your brand building efforts with the biggest, most permanent billboard available - your store’s exterior.
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| 43. |
Dynamic Inventory Management - Part 3
(Friday, July 27, 2007 - David McMahon)
Buyers, who aren’t involved in the inventory management process, produce lower GMROI. It is, therefore, critical that they become expert inventory managers and that their duties don’t end with the filing of a purchase order.
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| 44. |
Staying Alive During Tough Times - Part 3
(Friday, July 27, 2007 - Joe Capillo)
Joe Capillo explains how the most effective and productive salespeople can return 30% or more of monthly Ups as be-backs. Why is it important to have a system to encourage this? Because these customers are 40% more likely to buy.
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| 45. |
Double Your Store Traffic - Part 3
(Friday, July 27, 2007 - Ethan Kap and Brett Kitchen)
Here’s a technique that can help you to demand higher prices, become an expert in your marketplace, create a relationship with customers and make them feel guilty for shopping at the competition.
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| 46. |
The Secret Of Positive Sales Energy
(Tuesday, July 17, 2007 - Cathy Finney)
What actions can you take to connect with customers and keep performance on track when you feel unsettled and negative?
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| 47. |
2007 Retail Furniture Transportation Update
(Tuesday, July 17, 2007 - Dan Bolger)
Recent International Furniture Transportation and Logistics Council conference tracks trends and advances that will affect furniture retailers.
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| 48. |
Revisiting Management By Walking Around
(Tuesday, July 17, 2007 - Larry Mullins)
Is Management by Walking Around still relevant for retail furniture stores in a cyber-based culture?
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| 49. |
Sustainable Furniture Marketing - Part 3 Bedding
(Tuesday, July 17, 2007 - Janet Holt Johnstone)
The third in a series of articles that looks at sustainable furniture, ethics and organic furniture retailing. Three bedding retailers share their views on sustainable marketing. The new sustainable foams are discussed as is the problem of child labor in rug
production.
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| 50. |
Decorating School Crash Course - Part 3 Style
(Monday, July 09, 2007 - Margarett DeGange )
Decorating seminars help customers to solve problems, and they position you as a home furnishings expert. Margarett DeGange presents a script you can use to put on a Furniture Styles Seminar for your customers and prospects.
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