Article Number : 1747 |
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| Date | 2/13/2007 9:12:28 AM |
| Written By | LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services |
| View this article at: | //floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=1747 |
| Abstract | By Liz McKay More than 35 million people who reside in the U.S. are 65 or older. About 80% of women between the ages of 25 to 34 are frequent Web surfers, and at least one in five Americans speak a language other than English at home... |
| Article | By Liz McKay More than 35 million people who reside in the U.S. are 65 or older. About 80% of women between the ages of 25 to 34 are frequent Web surfers, and at least one in five Americans speak a language other than English at home. So with these and other demographics walking into retail flooring stores every day, whose language are retailers choosing to speak? Many don’t see the need for launching targeted marketing campaigns. However, many others have taken steps toward directly addressing the wants and needs of niche consumer groups. Advertising has always been the No. 1 vehicle in ensuring that a particular message gets in front of a very specific audience. Avalon Carpet, Tile and Flooring, a 14-store chain in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware and one of the largest flooring retailers in the country, does a great deal of advertising with a targeted media plan. To reach its growing audience of English-as-a-second-language customers, the company buys space in a variety of ethnic publications. Alongside the Spanish-speaking community, Avalon has seen growth among Chinese consumers and has run several ads in both languages. The chain also plans to launch a Spanish language Web site in the months to come. “Communication is huge,” said Gary Cissell, director of flooring at top five independent retailer Nebraska Furniture Mart in Omaha, Neb., and Kansas City, Kan. While the home furnishings dealer does some advertising to the Spanish-speaking community, it has found that in-store communication is the most important ingredient in successful customer relations. Each year, an internal language list is published. “We have more than 2,900 employees, many of whom can speak multiple languages. We’re able to utilize these internal resources to enable a more comfortable purchasing experience for our non-English speaking customers.” Top 20 retailer S&G Carpet in San Jose, Calif., takes the Nebraska Furniture Mart approach. President Gary Miceli reports the company does not pursue a targeted advertising strategy, but believes having a bilingual sales force can make a difference for its customers. Aside from ethnic demographics, retailers must cover the age spectrum from young professional to senior citizen. These two groups comprise strong purchasing power but bring completely different needs and desires. The key is to understand these audiences and their buying trends. Young professionals tend to be a bit schizophrenic in their buying habits, retailers say. Some, mainly those in the Northeast, are reported to be looking for less expensive, disposable items that can be changed on a whim. Rather than install wall-to-wall carpet, many dealers see this group purchasing lower-end area rugs. “They are buying something they can replace very easily,” said Wendy Fried, president of G. Fried Carpet in Long Island, N.Y. She noted that the company now carries more than $2.5 million of area rug inventory specifically to meet these demands. On the other hand, Phoenix-based Baker Bros. has seen a number of young families looking for more permanent solutions. “Performance is important for many of these customers,” said Phil Koufidakis, president. “We see a number of our Stainmaster carpet sales being generated here, along with durable hard surfaces like wood and ceramic.” Regardless of what they buy, this is a difficult audience with which to gain loyalty. Avalon Carpet sees advertising as playing a big role in increasing store devotion. “This audience is not reading newspapers like the older audiences are,” said Jill Lawlor, vice president of advertising and marketing. “Our strategy here is to use all the broadcast media—television, radio and the Internet—to reach the younger generation of buyers.” However, local newspapers and print media are still the top choice for the company in its approach toward senior citizens. In fact, the more local the better as this group tends to be focused on community, Lawlor said. Usually loyal to neighborhood retail locations, sellers report senior sales are often generated by word-of-mouth marketing, referrals and repeat business, much more so than those by their younger counterparts. While repeat business with older customers may be confirmed in some areas, many retailers experience seniors who have not purchased flooring in decades. “We have elderly customers come in to shop for a new kitchen floor and they’re absolutely shocked about the installation process and price,” said Marlene Demko, owner of Northeast Flooring America in Chelsea, Mass. Demko noted that more hand-holding goes into these sales than those of other customers. “There are so many items to go over with them before we even think about trying to close a sale. We explain their old floor is most likely full of asbestos, that their gas stove can’t be removed by us, that we can move their other appliances for them…there’s a great deal of prep work here, and a number of fees tied to them.” While seniors’ hands may need to be held throughout the installation process, their wallets do not need to be guarded during the purchasing process. Retailers report an “I want what I want” attitude among the senior demographic. Koufidakis said many of these customers seem to view flooring as a more final home investment. And Maryanne Adams, executive vice president at Avalon, agrees. “This is most likely going to be their last home. It should look a certain way and feel a certain way. In these cases, price-point selling becomes much less of an issue.” |