CCA Global Rolls Out Digital 2.0, Enhanced Digital Marketing Initiative

Dallas, TX, January 18, 2024-During the general session of CCA’s ConneXtion conference, which wrapped up yesterday, Carpet One president John Gilbert said Search Engine interest in flooring, as measured by Google Trends, is down 47%.

To help members drive more traffic to their stores, the general session also focused on a new digital marketing initiative, dubbed Digital 2.0 in keeping with the group’s Retail 2.0 showroom conversion strategy.

The marketing program includes enhanced SEO and paid search-which are becoming more noteworthy as Google changes its formula for top search results-retargeting ads, new store landing pages, curated but automated social media content and new CRM technology.

With only 30% to 40% of customers actually completing a sale, Digital 2.0 seeks to engage shoppers at every point in the process to both increase that number as well as the frequency with which they purchase flooring. A highlight is a digital mail campaign that uses web traffic to target interested shoppers by mailing a promotion to their home, which has led to a dramatic increase in incremental sales since the pilot rolled out last summer, reported senior vice president of marketing and advertising Frank Chiera.

While members’ business is still up 10% cumulatively compared to 2019, 2023 was a challenging year, said Keith Spano, who is currently president of Flooring America/Canada, The Floor Trader and IDG but will soon transition to a new position on the retail side. In addition to a softening market, the group suffered from the impacts of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), which detained some products slated for the Retail 2.0 hard surface display.

To help combat some of the ongoing hurdles, the group also unveiled new displays to focus on value-oriented options as well as higher-margin soft surface offerings, both designer carpet and runners. And on the hard surface side, it will be filling UFLPA-affected product slots with domestic offerings.

In addition, it was announced that CCA is expanding its diversification into the kitchen and bath segment with Kiba Studios. Launched in 2009 for ProSource members, the option was promoted to Carpet One, Flooring America/Canada, The Floor Trader and International Design Guild (IDG) members during the general session.

The segment is a $50 billion industry, reported CCA vice president of kitchen and bath retail Jill Lombardo, with the average kitchen remodel coming in at $23,000 and the average bath remodel costing $14,000-and 57% of consumers saying they wish they’d spent more.

“We know the consumer starts their [home remodel] shopping for kitchen and bath,” she pointed out.

Having built an inclusive program utilizing best practices learned from ProSource members, Lombardo expects the retail stores that sign on could make more than $1 million in additional incremental revenue annually. The program is basically a turnkey solution to help members transition into the segment, offering showroom planning, product and design training, recruitment for related designers and installers, and ongoing support.

Pic: John Gilbert