Phoenix—CCA Global Parnters’ winter convention, ConneXtion, kicked off here Tuesday morning with Rick Bennet, CEO of CCA, encouraging members of Carpet One and Flooring America to get behind Retail 2.0, the new selling system that the co-op has been rolling out.
“I’m not one for platitudes but we are embarking on the greatest transformation in our history,” he said, referring to Retail 2.0.
The selling system, which will be launched in waves this year, is designed to make the shopping experience easier for consumers by offering fewer SKUs and color-coordinated displays intended to expedite the shopping experience and improve profit opportunities for retailers.
Here are some additional highlights from the show:
At the opening session, John Gilbert, president of Carpet One Floor & Home, and Keith Spano, president of Flooring America, shared their thoughts on Retail 2.0, which is being readied for a major launch in 2023.
One of the features of the selling system is fewer SKUs and displays, a decluttering of the showroom that has been well received by consumers during CCA surveys. “More is not always better,” Spano said. “In this case, less is more.”
At the CCA Global winter convention, all the noise was about Retail 2.0. Roughly 10% of CCA retailers have the system, however that number will increase substantially during 2023.
Dozens of retailers took photos or videos of Retail 2.0 displays Tuesday night during the exhibitor trade show including Lee Fisher of Fisher’s Carpet One Floor & Home, West Chester, Pa.
Carpet One Floor & Home in Jacksonville, Fla., was one of 10 CCA retailers chosen for the Retail 2.0 pilot program in 2021. Owner, Bonnie Fenwick, explained the selling system to Zack Allen (right) of Buddy Allen Carpet One in Nashville Wednesday night in Phoenix. Fenwick said sales improved notably after implementation of the system. “It is a game changer; it is a differentiator, plus it looks good. It has the boutiquey look that people like.”
Keith Spano, president of Flooring America, and John Gilbert, president of Carpet One Floor & Home, stand in front of the Retail 2.0 pavilion on the final day of winter convention. According to Gilbert, by the end of this year, virtually all of the 1,000 CCA retailers will have the system installed in their showrooms. “The sentiment at convention was that the time is right for this and everyone was on board with it,” Gilbert told FCNews. “We’re pleasantly overwhelmed by the response here.”
In other news, the executives announced that CCA will no longer hold a summer convention. The decision was based mostly on feedback from members. Instead there will be smaller, regional meetings during the summer months.
(Check back for more CCA Global winter convention 2023 coverage.)