KENNESAW, Ga.--August 1, 2006--Traditional retail, even in flooring, is under attack. The target female consumer is stressed, intolerant of sub-par retail experiences and readily gravitating toward retail options that engage her visually and experientially.
In acknowledgement of these rapid changes, Wear-Dated has developed a new tool for the flooring industry called “Flooring the Consumer” – http://flooringtheconsumer.blogspot.com. Hosted by Christine Whittemore, Wear-Dated's director of in-store innovation, the site consists of a weblog (or blog) that explores the consumer retail experience, identifies best practices, highlights what matters to women, and generally engages the industry in discussion to elevate the flooring purchasing experience for today's consumer.
Originally developed for technical exchanges, blogs are rapidly becoming an important online conversation venue for consumers and businesses to focus on specific topics. The “host” or “blogger” posts reports, opinions and observations and other members of the community can respond to the posts. Millions of blogs exist on the Internet, ranging from online personal diaries to heavily trafficked business sites with worldwide members.
As the Internet radically and rapidly changes the consumer landscape by placing increasing power in the hands of the consumer, blogs play a greater role. Over 80% of women say they use the computer on a regular basis to research and compare products. Specifically, they place great weight on word-of-mouth recommendations. They read blogs and message boards to get the opinions and experiences of other consumers before they make a purchase.
“Our primary consumer -- the woman -- has fully adopted the convenience and flexibility that the Internet offers her to gain control over her over-stuffed and stressed life,” said Whittemore. “If we don't get engaged in and pay attention to the online conversations she is having, then we will no longer be relevant to her life.”
The blog is geared toward those in the flooring industry who are as passionate about improving the flooring retail experience for women consumers as Wear-Dated is. Recent posts include: “Good Tea, Nice House”, “Fashion Statements” and “What Consumers Really Think,” which relates to the recent Sonna and Lis Calandrino four-part interview in FloorDaily. The Calandrinos publish Fabulous Floors, a consumer flooring magazine. Others who share this passion are encouraged to join the conversation. For example, Debi Binder, vice-president of marketing for Flooring America/Flooring Canada, recently contributed a guest post on “Putting Women in their Place - Front and Center.”
Even those with little blogging experience can participate in the conversation. Simply visit
http://flooringtheconsumer.blogspot.com and enter your email in the space provided in the right hand sidebar. The blog updates will be e-mailed to your inbox when they are posted. For those who prefer RSS (Real Simple Syndication) news aggregators, subscription is available.
“We are confident that the flooring industry will find new sources of inspiration to take their retail experiences to new levels,” said Whittemore, “and the North American flooring consumer will be eternally grateful!”
For more information, visit Flooring the Consumer or contact Christine Whittemore at
cbwhit@solutia.com.
Source: Solutia Inc.
St. Louis