September 2/9 2013; Volume 27/number 10
By Jenna Lippin
SmartStrand Silk is not only billed as the softest carpet on the planet, but floor covering dealers are cleaning up with the product—both figuratively and literally. While the first leg of the License to Spill tour, conducted at multiple festivals on the East Coast during the first half of the year, demonstrated SmartStrand’s stain resistance and cleanability, retailers have been cleaning up financially since its introduction.
Most storeowners who have been especially successful with SmartStrand carpet, and now SmartStrand Silk, said they do not have to sell customers once they feel the carpet, whether or not it is prominently displayed in retail showrooms (though it usually is). Consumers are simply drawn to Silk because of its inherent attributes.
“In many cases customers are brought to SmartStrand before other [carpets],” said Matthew Thornton, owner of Thornton Flooring in Sioux Falls, S.D. “My sales staff kind of just directs people to SmartStrand when they come in looking for something that’s going to perform right off the bat. But the big thing is the softness. When [SmartStrand] first came out, that was the home run. Re-introducing Silk has helped with some soft competition that has come out over the years.”
Many retailers share Thornton’s thoughts about SmartStrand Silk: top-notch performance plus extreme softness make for a winning combination. Deboarah Shallock, owner of Malkin’s Flooring in Menomonee Falls, Wis., said Silk “tends to sell itself. Once you reiterate to the customer [Silk’s] resiliency, strength, that it is easy to clean and, of course, performs over the long run, plus once they feel it, the product then sells itself.”
While Silk’s softness is a major, perhaps the No. 1, selling factor, it sometimes creates doubt in the customer’s mind. How is it possible that a carpet so soft can also perform exceptionally well? “Sometimes shoppers are leery because [Silk] is so soft,” Shallock explained. “But once you gain their confidence in understanding how it wears—it wears so well—it sells. We have it installed in the showroom to help illustrate the carpet’s performance over time.”
With Silk, consumers are paying for what they get, meaning a higher price tag, which doesn’t seem to be an issue. And a higher price tag means a higher margin for dealers. “It’s a more expensive fiber, but I see that when [shoppers] feel older nylons and other fibers and then the salesperson takes them to SmartStrand Silk, you would be amazed at how its really does stand on its own.”
Similar to the display at Malkin’s, Carpet Corner, with stores throughout Kansas and Missouri, has SmartStrand installed on showroom floors to help customers understand the product’s outstanding performance. “When customers see [SmartStrand] on the floor, which has been there anywhere from three to six years, they know how well it performs over time,” said Jim Mathews, president. “We have Floorscapes showrooms, so we have large areas of at least 100 square yards of [SmartStrand] on the floor.”
Like Shallock, Mathews has also noticed that Silk’s softness can be off-putting for customers but ultimately the feel just helps in making the sale. “Silk is amazing,” he noted. “Some [customers] are worried it will pack down because it is so soft, but the stuff is unbelievable. In most cases, once a customer sinks her fingers into Silk and she feels how soft it is, it’s almost a guaranteed sell.”
Columbus, Ohio-based Levi’s 4 Floors knew Silk would be a success since its launch. “I told [Mohawk president] Tom Lape when it first came out that SmartStrand Silk was the first piece of carpet we’ve had on the floor that’s bought and not sold,” said a spokesperson for the retailer. “I think it is very obvious its feel sells the product. We reinforce that with the performance. Consumers will come in, browse the showroom floor, feel products and then buy Silk because of its softness. It helps when a salesperson points out the other attributes like performance in terms of stains and soiling.”
Levi’s 4 Floors has launched a number of marketing campaigns specifically for SmartStrand Silk that only lend to the success the carpet has even with minimal or no advertising assistance. The store started to promote SmartStrand’s soft products early on with its “Soften Your Life With Silk” campaign as the market saw consumers lean in that direction. In fall 2012, Levi’s 4 Floors promoted Silk by sending out an actual sample which was the size of a foot, perfect for consumers to experience how the carpet feels when walked on. “We had a promotion attached to the sample, which was a rebate. We had a huge success with it, mostly because of the longevity of the sample,” the spokesperson explained. “We had customers walking into our stores four or five months after receiving the sample and asking if they could see the product. It has an incredible shelf life for one reason: feel. A big part of the campaign was that potential customers had the opportunity to compare the feel of Silk with what was already in
their homes.”