Myriad: Technology a key
By Ray Allegrezza -- Furniture Today, March 17, 2008
San Diego — The need to utilize technology as a key to unlock sales in a steadily changing marketplace was the central theme at the 14th annual Myriad users conference here.
Underscored by the conference's theme, "Evolving," the message was shared with some 60 dealers who attended this year's event at the historic U.S. Grant Hotel.
In her opening remarks to the group, made up of independent retailers as well as La-Z-Boy, Bassett Furniture Direct and Thomasville dealers, Myriad co-founder Carolyn Crowley underscored the changing retail landscape by observing that a number of the more successful home furnishings retailers are not traditional furniture stores.
"Look at Wal-Mart and Target as two strong examples," she said. "In fact, when we asked our friends and family which home furnishings sites they visited often, they told us that Target's Web site was their favorite."
Crowley said that after reviewing Target's Web site, it was easy to see why. "The first thing the customer sees is that shipping is free. The next thing they see that there is a 15% discount for orders of $125 or more."
Crowley also checked out the Ikea site and found that in addition to pricing, it also features a wealth of product information and gives the consumer the opportunity to see the options available for the pieces shown.
Myriad co-owner Russell Higgins used a line from a George Orwell novel to describe many of the Web sites established by home furnishings suppliers. "In 'Animal Farm,' there's that famous line that says all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others," Higgins said, adding, "and the same thing can be said for many industry Web sites.
"They are all equal in that everyone has one Web site. However, the companies that treat their Web site like a separate location are the ones who have a Web site more equal than their competitors," he said.
Good sites share a number of common characteristics, said Higgins.
"They are clean and uncluttered; they project a specific image and do a good job of educating the consumer. And that's critical, because that's how you speak to the consumer," he said.
He said that for him, it's easier to buy a house online than it is to buy a sofa.
"It's usually very easy to distinguish between a home that sells for $400,000 and one that costs $800,000. But it's much harder for me to distinguish between a $1,000 sofa and a $5,000 sofa, especially online," he said.
"To win on the Web, retailers need to show fresh and updated product that is easy to find. You need to be able to easily determine stock status, shipment dates and more, which is why we host these conferences each year," said Higgins. "Your business is evolving and Myriad wants to continue to give you all the tools you need to be successful."
