Websites That Work: Retailers share standout features of their websites and the impact they’ve had – March 2024

By Jennifer Tart Thompson

With virtually every customer beginning the shopping journey online these days, a website is an important front door, but not all are created equal. We asked top retailers around the U.S. to share what sets their website apart and how new tools and refreshed designs have impacted their profitability.

AJ Rose Carpets & Flooring
Boston, Massachusetts: ajrosecarpets.com
Designed by Mobile Marketing, AJ Rose’s new site, combined with a comprehensive digital marketing solution, has resulted in a 46% increase in online leads in the last year. The site prominently displays specials and services, such as shop-at-home, to quickly engage in-market consumers. The site is easy to navigate and contains an area called “Getting Started,” dedicated to informative and educational resources for the average homeowner who is ready to begin the floor-buying process. The site also contains information on products, including in-stock items, a chat function and information on professional interior design services.

Haight Carpet & Interiors
Woodinville, Washington: haightcarpet.com
Adding sample ordering to Haight Carpet’s website has streamlined the sales process. The first sample order notification came a week after Broadlume added the function to the site. While it didn’t immediately result in a sale, about a week later, the same prospect ordered more samples online and was then ready for an in-home consultation. The salesperson didn’t even have to show any samples to the client because they already knew exactly what they wanted thanks to the ability to order samples directly from the website.

Haley’s Flooring and Interiors
Huntsville, Alabama: haleysflooring.com
From professional interior design services to a flooring visualizer and a blog dedicated to tips and trends, Haley’s Flooring and Interiors’ site provides users with information to help them make the best decisions for their space. The Shaw Flooring Network member offers a range of products, including flooring, window treatments, furniture and lighting. The site features current promotions, services offered and online tools for consumers, including the ability to request a sample. Designed by Mobile Marketing, the site reflects the Haley’s brand and values as a complete home furnishings retailer with a focus on design.

Marshall Flooring
Mayfield Heights, Ohio: marshallflooring.com
Marshall Flooring co-owner Matt Wien credits his Broadlume-designed website’s online visualizer and sample ordering for cutting the time to close a sale down from one to two weeks to just two days. “The hardest part of the sales process-which typically involves getting the customer into the showroom, helping them select a product, taking samples home and narrowing down their preferences-is already completed by the customers themselves,” he notes. “All we have to do is follow up with them, confirm their choices, offer a free measure and provide a quote.”

The Design House
Denton, Texas: thedesignhousedfw.com
With a focus on remodeling and design, The Design House’s website has a prominent call to action, inviting homeowners to schedule a professional interior design consultation, and it features an indepth and easy-to-navigate section on remodeling services offered; in addition to flooring, the Shaw Flooring Network member offers in-stock specials, countertops, cabinets and window treatments. The site also features current promotions and digital tools, such as a room visualizer and inspiration galleries. Since launching the site, designed by Velocity and powered by Mobile Marketing, the retailer has seen increases in some of its non-core business, such as window treatments and fireplace refacing.

The Floor Store
Bay Area, California: floorstores.com
Since updating its website as part of a comprehensive digital marketing plan, The Floor Store has seen engagement increase by nearly a third in the last year. The National Floorcovering Alliance (NFA) retailer successfully attracts customers and designers with a clean, modern website that is easy to navigate. The site prominently displays in-stock products-especially important today for consumers in the market for new floors. The site also features products with specific characteristics for different lifestyle needs, such as waterproof flooring and scratch-resistant options. Designed by Mobile Marketing, The Floor Store’s website is a direct reflection of a customer’s in-store experience, answers questions customers may have about products and the buying process, and has tools for interaction, such as a room visualizer.

Johnson & Sons Flooring
Knoxville, Tennessee: knoxfloors.com
A member of Mohawk’s Omnify+, Johnson & Sons credits the surrounding digital strategy for a 33% increase in retail sales last year-when many retailers struggled-due, in large part, to the inclusion and marketing of Roomvo’s visualizer. The visualizer is promoted in all of the firm’s print and digital ads, with a QR code that links shoppers to the asset and generates a lead that’s instantly sent to the sales team, resulting in quicker conversions. There are also large touchscreen visualizers in the showroom, reducing the number of trips home with samples and speeding up the closing process. Additionally, the Omnify+ platform captures website traffic and retargets shoppers through social media, homing in on those further down the purchasing funnel for a fraction of the cost of standard social media advertising.

CCA Global Partners
Earth City, Missouri
As part of the relaunch of its members’ websites, CCA Global conducted consumer research focused on the online presentation of flooring products, asking shoppers what product information, photos and tools they wanted to see. The result is a product presentation that is not only eye-catching but also allows the customer to get to the next step of the floor shopping process easily. The sites offer a streamlined user experience and many lead-generating calls to action as the customer navigates through the content, which members and their agencies can easily customize to showcase the products in their stores and tell their local stories. Additionally, the websites are fully optimized for search engine optimization (SEO) to ensure they rank on the Google search results page.

Copyright 2024 Floor Focus

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