Volume 26/Number 16; Dec. 17/24, 2012
Mohawk has raised the bar on soft with the introduction of SmartStrand Silk. But don’t be fooled by this wolf in sheep’s clothing: This carpet is every bit as durable and high-performing as the existing SmartStrand carpets.
“It’s all about bringing value to the consumer through innovation,” said David Duncan, senior vice president of marketing. “We already had the softest carpet in SmartStrand Sorona—competitors have been chasing its softness for years. They are just now getting close to where we already were; with Silk we leapfrogged three to five years.”
Tom Lape, president of Mohawk’s residential and commercial businesses, added, “Silk represents a technical marvel. It is truly the next generation in softness and maintains its stain- and fade-resistance and durability attributes. We think this product is a breakthrough, and when the consumer walks in your store and puts her hand to it, it will be a separator.”
Silk will carry a slight premium to the current SmartStrand Sorona platform. It hits the streets in March with four styles and 40 colors. Tonals and LCLs will be introduced in the second quarter. “This will be top-of-pyramid in style, performance and softness,” Lape said. “It will be priced competitively for its best-in-class position.”
SmartStrand has been a home run for Mohawk since its launch six years ago. In fact, it is No. 1 in customer satisfaction, Duncan said. “We did an independent study, peer review by a Harvard PhD., that looked at consumers who purchased [carpet]. We asked how satisfied they were, if they would purchase it again and if they would recommend it to others. In all categories, Smart-Strand won out.”
Why? “If you look at innovation, you look at durability and you look at softness, you can’t touch us,” Duncan said.