WINCHESTER, VA.—Rugs Direct has announced a new service on its e-commerce website, rugsdirect.com; custom printed rugs.
“Basically this new offering allows our customers to take their favorite photographs and convert them to a customized, one-of-a-kind area rug,” explained Randy Kremer, president of Rugs Direct. “We expect there will be a great demand for this service, based upon input our Customer Service Department has received over the past few months.”
The customer goes to a special landing page on the Rugs Direct website. There, he or she selects the size of custom rug to print. There are currently four rectangular options: 1-foot 8-inches x 2-feet 8-inches; 2-feet 7-inches x 4-feet 1-inch; 3-feet 11-inches x 4-feet 7-inches; and 5-feet x 7-feet.
Next, the customer should select a photo from his or her computer. Currently the only file format accepted is a standard JPEG, which is what most digital cameras create. If the customer has another photo file format, Rugs Direct provides a link to a free conversion utility that is available on the Internet.
After the customer agrees to a set of terms and conditions that prohibit the uploading of copyrighted or illegal images, she is presented with a set of cropping and sizing tools. The image easily can be resized and the customer can eliminate any extra background or empty space in the photograph that should not appear on the rug. When done, a click of a single button adds the custom rug to the customer’s shopping cart.
“We expect this service is going to appeal greatly to both pet-lovers and parents,” said David Craig, CEO of Rugs Direct. “I wouldn’t be surprised if some people actually hang their photo-rug on a wall,” he predicted.
“This is a unique blend of two technologies,” added Bill Martin, Rug Direct’s senior vice president. “Our front-end position as the leader in online area-rug sales combined with the sophisticated textile printing capability of our fulfillment partner. I think this has great potential,” he concluded.
The rugs are designed to be durable and are made of 100% nylon. There is a latex rubber backing so they can be placed on just about any surface without risk of scratching or slipping. In the past, normal production time for any type of custom rug could average more than a month. The photo rugs from Rugs Direct will be delivered to the customer’s door in two to three weeks from the date of the order.
“We’ve thoroughly tested every step of the process and are confident our customers are going to be delighted with this new product,” said Kremer. “These rugs will make great mementos, provide wonderful personalization to one’s home and make outstanding gifts,” he suggested.
This new service rolled out on the Rugs Direct website on Nov. 1.
For more information, visit rugsdirect.com.