Hicksville, N.Y.—Although cork flooring has been available for generations, it is not exactly the first floor covering on a consumer’s mind when she enters a dealer’s showroom. Getting this type of flooring on her radar screen is the goal of cork floor manufacturers, and that job falls basically into two merchandising camps: display systems and training. “Our display system is elegant,” says Philippe Erramuzpe, president of Natural Cork. “We want our display system to be upscale to fit the nature of cork flooring.” The unit has a mahogany veneer because plastic or metal would send “the wrong message,” he said. The display, which showcases 17 patterns, was introduced this year to help merchandise the company’s Earth Series. The line has 10 colors in natural earthtones because, “people don’t want to buy orange-colored floors,” jokes Erramuzpe. “They want natural colors on natural materials.”

In addition to the samples that fit into the display, Natural Cork sells loose samples to dealers at a discount. “Very soon, we’ll be offering dealers sample books, also available at a discount.” For product information, the unit holds a consumer brochure that explains cork floor benefits. “People buy benefits, not properties,” he said. A strap set designed to work with the display holds eight tile patterns. Natural Cork has a network of service technicians nationwide to help with display set up and any other cork issues. Space saving is the driver behind BHK of America’s latest flooring display. The unit takes up a mere two-foot, footprint, and features the company’s cork and engineered wood product lines.

Ken Riley, director of sales, said the display does more than just show product. “The header explains the advantages of cork flooring and panels feature beautiful room scene photos.” The display itself includes a literature rack and can accommodate strap sets. According to Riley, the BHK display “helps the dealer step up the consumer from laminate to cork in a logical progression. At the same time, our laminate display is designed to work in tandem with our cork/wood display.” The combination system is now available to all premier dealers who carry BHK’s entire flooring line, says Riley.

The display is designed to educate consumers about the company’s Uniclic locking system for floating floors, which features a sound-deadening backing. Options are at the heart of displays available from Arcobel USA Corp. “Our economy version was our original display, and now we offer a medium and large version too,” says Charly Hilton, vice president. The new displays hold half planks of the full product assortment and one full 12X36-in. plank. Still in a conceptual stage, Hilton says they will be introduced at Surfaces and are the company’s first new display options in years. “Their theme is ecological soundness. Photos and copy on the display and accompanying literature tell the consumer about the ecological advantages of cork flooring, as well as homeowner benefits.”

A premium product at an affordable price is the philosophy behind Wicanders cork flooring and its new display. “We just put the prototype up this month,” says Robert Whitney, sales and marketing manager. “This is an upscale display but not at an upscale price. He explains the features of the new display as showing large product to showcase the maximum amount of cork. The display also joins cork and wood pieces together. “Dealers like that because they can show the consumer a novel, unique look. With just a click, they can demonstrate what CorkLock products look like when used together, and how easy they are to install together.” The display gives equal space to the company’s cork flooring and flooring that features a real wood visual on a cork bed for sound deadening. In addition to the display, Whitney said Wicanders “loves sampling.

Others may look at sampling as a cost drain, but we see it as an opportunity. We’ll gladly send full size samples to distributors, in fact, we encourage it.” Strap sets with additional SKUs are also available, as are brochures with product and installation information. Consumer-friendly displays in short and tall versions are available from WeCork. Ann Wicanders (no relation to the mill), president, says both carry the same materials. “They show the pattern and colors of tiles together to give the consumer an idea of how different visuals and colors work well together.” They also show floating floors. “An advantage to our displays is they are two sided so the consumer can easily see the finishes on the back side. In addition, brochures that help the consumer understand the mill’s flooring selections are available.

Wicanders says the display is easy for dealers to work with, and easy for consumers to shop from. “The design has worked well for WeCork for years,” and there are no plans to modify it in the near future. We also have a binder which is more for the architectural audience, but increasingly, we see it being used by consumers.” The binder contains small samples, installation and maintenance instructions, pictures and the product warranty. Sales Training Displays and the products they showcase are necessary for the showroom, but personal, hands-on selling is necessary for cork floor products. The consumer may not be familiar with all the features, and knowledgeable salespeople are needed to answer questions. That’s where training makes the difference.

Natural Cork provides dealers with a detailed binder which includes a tutorial, case studies, installation instructions, specification information and the product warranty. “A good foundation is critical to successful selling,” is the mindset of BHK’s Riley. “Cork has been around a long time, but dealers still need and appreciate education to help them sell better.” BHK conducts training sessions with its distributors, who, in turn, train the network of dealers. The company’s training program focuses around the unique product features of the Uniclic system, which, according to Riley, allows the homeowner to easily repair and or replace one piece of flooring. Dealers who carry Arcobel get personalized training from Hilton and/or the company’s distributors. “I can easily spend three to four hours in a training session. I like to be in front of the customer, not just a voice on the phone.”

The sessions focus on cork’s benefits and installation. “Continuous education and sales support work together,” says Wicanders’ Whitney. “We try to partner with distributors and key dealers to provide the support they need to get the word out on cork. We have a strong emphasis on training because we want to maintain enthusiasm for the product.” He added the goal is to ensure the right product sold for the right application, installed correctly and maintained properly. “Otherwise, we’ll end up with an unhappy customer.” The Wicanders educational program includes a full-time technical specialist who conducts training at distributor and dealer locations. “He is a total expert and a great resource. We feel our training is one of our greatest strengths,” says Whitney.

National training seminars are conducted on a regular basis, and distributors are encouraged to bring their key cork dealers and installers. Training is also an integral part of the WeCork distributor package. “We might spend a month’s time, over the course of a year, training a distributor,” says Ann Wicanders. There is follow up training as well as the initial session. The distributor then spends time with the dealer. “The distributor is really our key contact person with the dealer, it is a very effective system.” Merchandising Beyond The Store To attract consumers to cork flooring, and to help answer their questions about the products, many manufacturers are increasing their merchandising efforts beyond the dealer’s showroom. Along with traditional advertising, some mills are seeking new sources to convey their messages. For example, WeCork advertises in a new magazine, :Extreme How-To, to reach the homeowner, while Arcobel is actively using its Web site to educate consumers and drive traffic to dealers. The site includes all product information in English, French and Spanish. “We encourage contact through our Web site, so we are constantly keeping it up-to-date,” concluded Arcobel’s Hilton.