By Louis Iannaco
LAS VEGAS— Beaulieu of America’s new exhibit space, created expressly for Surfaces ’08, proved to be a real showstopper. The mill developed it to be used as the backdrop for the introduction of its new femalefocused, consumer-friendly brand, Bliss by Beaulieu.

The word bliss is defined as utter joy and contentment. With an extensive product line that already covers all varieties and styles of residential and Main Street, Beaulieu once again raised the bar. After exhaustive research, the mill found that the female consumer, who makes 85% of all purchasing decisions for the home, has been neglected for far too long in the area of product presentation and communication. To that end, the company made a conscious decision to focus on this lapse in the retail environment.

Bliss by Beaulieu has been carefully created to focus on the female consumer, noted Patricia Flavin, senior vice president of marketing for Beaulieu, taking her interests to heart and communicating in the same tone of voice while using images that inspire and inform in a language and style that speaks directly to her.

Beaulieu calls this The Bliss Experience, a simplified shopping experience where selecting a new floor for an end user is as easy as one, two and you’re done. Along with all the information needed to make an educated purchase, Bliss features new displays, graphics, a large color wall and small/large take-home swatches.

“The system’s new graphics use images that express a blissful experience,” Flavin said. “It’s an easy shopping method for the consumer to choose her new floor, and it puts the fun back into purchasing this fashion necessity for the home. It’s a simplified shopping system with the consumer in mind. “All the information sheneeds is in front of her to make an informed and enjoyable purchase,” she explained, “which, by the way, will also help the retailer improve on his closing rate. It’s a simple and inviting feel with messaging that connects with consumers in a friendly, unexpected way.”

As to the crowd’s reaction, Flavin reported, “[We’ve had] lots of traffic in our booth. It has been really, really busy. And the excitement has been from people saying how different, new, exciting, fresh and crisp everything looks. We expected it from the women, but the men have commented on it as well. They say the products and display systems are very fresh, new and innovative.”

One of the main features from Bliss is Healthy Home, a carpet designed to be “the safe and healthy alternative” to other soft floor coverings. Designs from Healthy Home include Clean Living (45 oz.) and Fresh Air (60 oz.), two sister style contemporary frieze products, along with Live Free (45 oz.) and Breathe Easy (60 oz.), a pair of textured carpets. Relax and Restore round out the collection’s offerings. Ultimate Home and Natural Comfort are two other collections featuring 10 and four new styles, respectively.

One of Healthy Home’s features, Silver Release, is an antimicrobial technology that uses silver and copper ions—elements found in nature—that have been proven effective in reducing bacteria and inhibiting the growth of mold, mildew and fungus. “Our star of the show has been Healthy Home, a new technology built into the fiber of the carpet,” she said. “If you spill milk on the floor and forget about it, this technology will take care of that. And it’s all natural, so it won’t hurt animals or harm humans. In our research groups we have found that women just love this product.

“We talk about the environment in general, and that’s important. But for women, our studies revealed while she wanted to be recognized as a responsible citizen, she wasn’t that excited about walking on recycled garbage in her home. Women want aesthetics. They want beauty.”

For more information on Beaulieu and the Bliss shopping system, call 800.227.7211.