More Sales = More Returns As retailers gear up for peak holiday season sales, it is important not to lose sight of what happens next. Unfortunately, some of the merchandise you sell is going to come back! And increased sales mean increased returns. With more online shopping, the rate of
It’s no secret that people love to text. In fact, according to a Gallup poll, 68 percent of Americans under 30 prefer texting over any other method of communication. But consumers don’t just want to text with their friends and family. Recent research has found that 90 percent of consumers
HFA member Matter Brothers Furniture always had a plan to venture into e-commerce, but there always seemed to be bigger projects – a new POS system, reorganizing the warehouse and showroom floors – to tackle in the company’s five-year plan. “There was always something that seemed more important,” said Kim Dominguez,
Retailers are facing a good news/bad news situation as we head further into the fourth quarter. Let’s get into the good news first – and there is a lot of it! Consumer demand for furniture is high. According to Smith Leonard, new orders continued to soar in August, increasing 51
Ashley Furniture Industries’ advanced manufacturing and distribution facility in Leesport, Pa., uses a lot of electricity – more than 10 million kilowatt hours a year. But 90 percent of that will be offset by the solar panel installation on its roof. Ashley, a member of the Home Furnishings Association, partnered
For the furniture industry, fall is traditionally the “peak” quarter with higher than average sales volume driven by consumers refocusing on their homes after spending time outdoors in the summer months. Further driven by Thanksgiving, Christmas and year-end bonuses, furniture retailers usually experience their highest furniture sales for the year.
Furniture sales are strong, but retailers have an opportunity to build something more durable, Jeanne Bliss said: emotional bonds with their customers. Bliss spoke with Home Furnishings Association CEO Mark Schumacher in an HFA Live webinar Oct. 8. She is founder of CustomerBliss, consulting with C-Suite executives of major corporations
Ashley Furniture Industries is thinking ahead – and doing something about it. The Home Furnishings Association member recently contributed $20,000 to a middle school near its Leesport, Pa., operations to purchase VEX Robotics equipment. Students will gain hands-on opportunities to learn STEM concepts with innovative, age-appropriate technology, Ashley said in
Eric Sinclair was on the road early one weekday in August, crossing wide open spaces on his way from his home near Sioux Falls, S.D., to Aberdeen. It’s a three-hour drive but a journey of 132 years for his family. Sinclair is president of Montgomery’s and the great-great-grandson of George
Like other furniture retailers this summer, Home Furnishings Association member City Furniture has become a rare hot spot in an economy that is, at best, lukewarm. Since the first days of reopening in the coronavirus pandemic, the Florida-based retailer has enjoyed what City CEO Keith Koenig earlier this year described
With more than 70 percent percent of Americans still under stay-at-home orders from the coronavirus pandemic, most furniture stores are
Pennsylvania’s message wasn’t clear enough. “We strongly urge non-essential businesses across the commonwealth to do their part by temporarily closing
Hundreds of lenders — from national institutions to small-town banks — are preparing for a deluge from small businesses this
The coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing shutdown of stores will have a direct impact on every furniture retailer’s bottom line
Sam Rehal was pleased to see $4,000 appear in his bank account the other day. He was also a little
Congress and the Trump administration are preparing another Covid-19 relief package. The Home Furnishings Association’s Washington representative, Chris Andresen, and government relations liaison Doug Clark
Everyone is trying to figure out what the “new normal” will look like when your stores reopen. What will recovery look like to you and
