The NHFA announced that retailers will have six opportunities during the April High Point Market to learn how they can join in National Home Furnishings Association’s (NHFA) concerted push, via the Web, to boost sales for home furnishings stores throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Homefurnishings.com, NHFA’s new consumer web portal, will launch in the fall of 2009 with a national online sweepstakes promotion to initially attract consumers to the site. A national media and online campaign for the initiative will begin in January, 2010.
Informational seminars about the program are scheduled at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., and 2 p.m., on Sunday, April 26 and Monday, April 27. All six programs will be presented in a special conference area in the new Retailer Resource Center on the first floor of Plaza Suites.
NHFA has been working on this unique initiative since the fall of 2008 and has assembled an extremely talented creative team to develop the website. Trisha McBride Ferguson, president of Idea Garden, is heading up the editorial and rich content effort. Todd Kinley, president and executive creative director of Crobar Creative, is developing the brand identity, sales collateral, trade advertising and consumer advertising effort. Susannne George Crihfield, principal of Methodfuel, Inc., is designing the look and feel of the website.
NHFA chairman, Doug Kays, emphasized that the Web initiative is designed to take consumers from the initial step of determining what they need to furnish their home to fit their tastes and lifestyles to finding the Certified Homefurnishings.com Retailer that has the products they want and the level of service they expect. He said, “Our goal is to influence consumers to view home furnishings as a necessary part of their lives and spur business for the whole industry.” Net revenues from the website will be used to directly promote home furnishings to the consumer in a nationwide ad campaign focused on directing consumers to homefurnishings.com and to retailers designated as Certified Retailers under the program.
Kays said that retailers attending the informational seminars will be fully briefed on strategies to reach the goal of driving more consumers to their stores to increase sales. He also said that ample time will be allotted for a question and answer period.
Although reservations are not required, space is limited. Seating can be assured at a preferred time by contacting Dianne Therry at NHFA, (800) 888-9590, ext 6126 or dtherry@nhfa.org to register in advance.