Carpet Business: The Internet and Social Media

The Internet and Social Media Platforms Has Become an Important Channel for Retail Carpet Sales

The internet and social media seem to be the emerging trends in today’s sales market, especially in the Carpet Industry. Consumers are using the convenience and advantages of internet purchasing, while Suppliers are using social media and the internet to promote their companies and push their products. It seems that in this Cyber Society the ways of shopping and marketing alike are drastically changing. Armed with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Email, Websites, and Blogs, sales opportunities are everywhere. Therefore, The Carpet Industry is making large strides to keep up with the times.

Every day more and more Consumers are using the internet to make purchases. By purchasing via internet, the consumer’s main aim is to save money and do so more conveniently. The Consumer often prefers internet shopping because of its convenience, shopping at any time of day – or night. By shopping online, you can read the specifications about the carpet and compare thousands of carpet makes, styles, and prices without having to visit lots of stores or other places of purchase. Not to mention most Carpet Companies will offer lower prices on Carpet and Flooring being sold online vs. that sold in the stores or showrooms. The carpet sold online can keep the company’s overhead low, because manufacture of the carpet or delivery from the mill only transpires after the Consumer places an order.

Low overhead is only the beginning of how the internet and social media are affecting the Carpet Industry. Retailers and Manufacturers are now equipped with, among other things, a website and an active Facebook page. Add a whole lot of tweeting and blogging and the Carpet Industry is fully immersed in the latest social media. By aggressively leveraging these evolving communication platforms, companies are offering their customers a sneak peek of the latest products to be unveiled and the most current news and information, all of which are offered free of charge. A retailer in Alabama brought Zoo animals to the store for an open house to promote a new carpet line. Advertisement for the event included creating an event on Facebook, announcing on Twitter and uploading pictures on the day of the event, and blogging on the store’s website. At Coverings 2011 in March at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, Twitter and blogging were the buzz among the attendees. Via real-time tweets, attendees swapped tips on what to see, which exhibitors had exceptional products not to be missed, and shared thoughts and information, all within the constraints of 140 characters or less. Many were also bloggers, who actively reported on their experiences and finds at the show. Not to mention that Coverings offered its own real-time portal into the show for its virtual fans with more than 50 TwitPics images on Twitter documenting products and booths. This is a whole new market that the Industry is eager to develop, because now Consumers around the world have access to their products. Companies are learning day by day the different ways to engage in these new media outlets and make them useful for the Consumer. The world is definitely changing and to be successful in today’s business climate, the Carpet Industry is putting Social Media marketing at the forefront.