In a unified effort to help jump start the furniture industry, the non-profit National Home Furnishings Association (NHFA) and World Market Center in Las Vegas announced that they are joining forces with other home furnishings organizations to support the creation of a cohesive consumer oriented campaign promoting National Home Furnishings Month in September. As an added bonus, NHFA member retailers will get national exposure at no cost to them through their microsites listed on the HomeFurnishings.com Dealer Locator.
The new consumer oriented campaign slogan, IS IT HOME YET?™, is designed to drive consumer traffic to retailers by positioning home furnishings as needed and desired additions to the home as opposed to luxury items. The first phase of the campaign will be supported by advertising, branding and education along with special promotions, sales and public events. The core of the national campaign is an innovative digital program anchored by the “Room Design” section of MSN’s Lifestyle network running from Aug. 24 through September 30. By visiting the MSN Room Design consumers can access NHFA’s member retailers through the HomeFurnishings.com Dealer Locator.
“The HomeFurnishings.com full web portal will soft launch in October,” stated Doug Kays, NHFA chairman. “This opportunity will be a great kick off for us and exposure for NHFA member stores plus the National Home Furnishings Month will get a direct link to the largest and strongest home furnishings group in the industry as it connects consumers with quality retailers in their shopping areas.”
The NHFA member retailers will get microsites with key information about that retailer at no cost the retailer during the National Home Furnishings Month event. This exposure and direct connection to the consumer would be prohibitively expensive for most retailers. The retailers will also get direct involvement in this national consumer event through store signage and advertising.
Kay continues, “it is the goal of NHFA and HomeFurnishings.com to take an active leadership role in the home furnishings industry. For home furnishings to regain market share with the consumer, all components of the industry must learn to partner together for the good of the industry as a whole. National Home Furnishings Month is a great start to this type of partnering and NHFA’s HomeFurnishings.com is proud and pleased to be a part of this great effort with World Market Center Las Vegas. It is only through joint efforts like this that we can make the impact that we need to get the consumer to value the benefits of a nicely furnished home.”
The HomeFurnishings.com national promotional program, consumer web portal and Certified HomeFurnishings.com Retailer program is scheduled to soft launch in October 2009 and will launch nationally to consumers in the first quarter of 2010.
National Home Furnishings Association (NHFA) is the nation’s largest non-profit organization devoted specifically to the needs and interests of home furnishings retailers. NHFA’s membership comprises 2500 business entities representing over 9,000 stores in all 50 states and several foreign countries. NHFA’s mission and vision encompass the association’s commitment to helping home furnishings retailers operate highly profitable businesses that provide an exceptional level of service to the consumers who buy their furniture. The mission of National Home Furnishings Association is to provide its members with the information, education, products and services they need to remain successful. NHFA’s vision is to excel as the definitive resource for information and leadership for home furnishings retailers.
About World Market Center Las Vegas - Opened in 2005, World Market Center Las Vegas (WMCLV) is a dynamic new international hub for the home furnishings industry, providing marketing, branding, sales, thought leadership, education and information resources to the industry. A $1.1 billion state-of-the-art, integrated home and hospitality contract furnishings showroom complex, WMCLV hosts the preeminent semiannual Las Vegas Market, bringing together over 50,000 industry retailers, designers and manufacturers. WMCLV’s world class complex showcases furniture, decorative accessories, gift, lighting, area rugs, home textiles and other home furnishings industry’s segments. In addition, WMCLV is the home of the Las Vegas Design Center, featuring a vast array of showrooms open daily to interior designers and consumers. For more information on World Market Center Las Vegas, visit www.LasVegasMarket.com.