[Dallas] Three of Mohawk’s Advisory Council members sat with FCW here last month opening up about today’s floor covering market, its challenges and changes. One common thread for all was a certain confidence in their own business strengths as well as in Mohawk’s ability to give them the tools they need to continue profitably into the future.
And whether it’s the investment in new technology and product innovation or the efforts made in the digital space, these retailers rely on Mohawk to help them navigate today’s challenges. “Mohawk is enabling us to go where we need to be in the next decade,” said Richard Scherzer, About Floors n’ More in Jacksonville, Fla.
Adam Pace, Metro-floors in Lancaster, Calif., agreed, “They are a business partner more than a supplier.”
Both Pace and Mark Compston of Mark’s Floors in Mount Dora, Fla., said they will beat the big box stores any day. In the end, these dealers said that it’s about having credibility and earning the consumers’ trust.
And, while recognizing the obstacles and importance of the digital world, they are unafraid of the internet as well and, in fact, believe that it is tantamount to their success.
Scherzer offered, “80 percent plus of all of our customers have touched the internet in their process — did they use Google maps to search for me or research Mohawk’s site looking or SmartStrand or research the company – theirs or mine? Not that long ago, the discussions were do you need a website. Now (that question) is absurd.”
There too, Mohawk is giving a helping hand with its new offering to select dealers: Omnify. Scherzer said the beauty of Omnify is that it consolidates all platforms under one umbrella. “It will make our life easier and will be a game-changer for the people that are a part of it.”
Conquering the digital world
Compston said that while he knows flooring — he’s been in the business since 1979 — navigating the wide world of the internet is not his expertise.
“I realized I wasn’t good at it. I thought it would kill the flooring industry. Now I’m a firm believer that’s not going to happen or at least not to me. [The] consumer is going to the internet but she is looking for me. I need to be where she is and when she is ready, I need to be able to take advantage of that. I think it’s going to be a phenomenal part of my business in the next few years,” he said.
But there are challenges — investment and properly handling any leads that come a retailer’s way. “The people that were handling leads in my store were handling them improperly,” said Compston. But, now, he said, they have a strategy for engaging the customer and doing it quickly.
Omnify is viewed by these retailers as something that will dramatically change their business by taking responsibility for their online presence no matter if it’s their website, Facebook, Pinterest, etc.
Noted Pace, “Omnify is a cohesive story. It will save us a good amount of money, do more than I do now and be easier to track. And I’ll get so much more. We don’t have to be advertising, marketing experts,” and, he added, “I like that the story will be the same no matter where they find us. A cohesive story and when they come into the store, they’ll see the same stuff and it builds trust.”
Marketplace strategies
These retailers said that not only will they win every day against the big box stores, they can out-price, out-serve and out -install them.
Metro-floors, for example, has been in business for 35 years and Pace said it was there — north of L.A. — before the big boxes. Covering 22,000 square feet of space including a warehouse with a showroom in it, he said, “We are a large stocking dealer,” adding, “It’s the perceived value of the customer because nine times out of 10, we can be cheaper and we do a better job as well.”
He also noted that the big box stores come with unlimited advertising budgets. But he also has other ideas that put his store ahead. One incentive he gives the customer is he will buy the estimate they paid for — usually $50 at box stores. The cost comes off of the customer’s bill and Metro-Floors keeps the estimate so that they can really see what the competition is doing.