Dalton—When it comes to consumers buying floor covering, it has long been noted the most important features to her have always been color, style and texture. These have generally been followed by ease of maintenance, price and durability, though their order fluctuated in importance.

But with energy prices continuing to soar at record levels and the costs of everyday items rising almost daily, there appears to be a shift in what she views as the most critical component when making such a large purchase like floor covering.

This and other findings from an extensive consumer and industry research initiative by Beaulieu of America will be shared with the industry at Surfaces ’06, “Knowledge is the most important tool,” said Ralph Boe, president of Beaulieu’s Residential business, during an exclusive interview with FCNews.

In mid 2005, Frank Lane & Associates of Atlanta spent three months using a three-pronged approach to better understand purchasing motivators when it came to carpet: It conducted extensive interviews with 2,245 homeowners who had purchased carpet during the past several years; it interviewed store owners, sales managers and salespeople at the largest 1,000 Beaulieu retailers across the U.S., and researchers “mystery shopped” 50 retail outlets across the country in both large and small markets.

The biggest surprise was that 60% listed price as the “most critical factor” when choosing a carpet. “Color and texture have historically always been in the top two or three along with performance,“ Boe said. “Price is usually four or five.”

He attributes two key influences: rising everyday prices and the popularity of hard surface flooring, particularly wood. “Color and texture are still among the top three priorities with 50% saying color and 45% noting texture as their most important characteristic. “There’s no surprise she still places a great deal of value on these attributes,” Boe said.

Performance has also become more important with 45% listing it as a top priority. This finding makes sense in light of the feelings about price. Because she is conscious on what she is spending, she wants to make sure her purchase will stand up to her family and continue to look and feel like new for many years.

Within this group of questions, consumers overwhelmingly wanted products to have added-value performance attributes. Of all the characteristics mentioned, one emerging trend stuck out: products that contribute to a fresher home environment.

The final piece of the equation came from dealer input. Whether owner, manager or salesperson, all wanted products perceived to be different from the competition while also meeting consumer needs.

While this is something Beaulieu has been doing the past three years in terms of the products it has introduced, Boe said, there are opportunities to provide even more meaningful information “so salespeople will be able to sell smarter by providing the best possible fit for each customer.”

This is important he said, because one of the other major surprises that came from the research is how consumers shop: On average, they visit only one-and-a-half stores before making a purchase. “Twenty years ago it was four. Today’s two-income family doesn’t have a lot of time to shop, plus many people, especially the younger ones are using the Internet to shop and do research.”

Boe noted Surfaces will be the first place to showcase how Beaulieu is offering both new and differentiated carpet products with the kinds of features and benefits consumers want at the price points they want.