Is newness enough these days? For sure, affixing the “new” label on merchandise will capture attention. But, again, is newness enough?
Silly question, maybe, but not the important question, which is: Will the new goods sell? That means do the goods fulfill a discernable consumer demand?
The answer to this important question is critical. Because more than newness, the most important factor is whether a reasonable market exists for any new casegoods, upholstery or decorative accessories.
Even if the trend pundits declare a new sofa style or casegoods design constitutes a trend, it ain’t necessarily so until consumers buy it frequently in reasonable quantities.
While the new merchandise’s provenance is romantically important, actual knowledge that consumers are likely to buy it needs to be the primary determinant.
So how does a manufacturer know what consumers want? Easy in one difficult word: research and more research.
Guessing what consumers want can be costly, and probably more than the investment into consumer research that incorporates many factors: lifestyle, world view, dreams, wishes and aspirations to enumerate just a few.
Data is information, and information put to good use is knowledge. The furniture industry needs both, especially now.
If ever an opportunity for leadership exists, it’s being the purveyor of robust information that manufacturers can use to produce home furnishings with a greater certainty of sales success for merchants.
For the change to occur, retailers need to begin asking their suppliers now what other merchants bought the new goods, but what are the reasons and why the new goods will sell?
Better to be in the know than in the new.
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