Articles

Every retailer attuned to marketing could see it coming, but perhaps not to this degree. Five years ago, I did not fully foresee the significant benefit an evolving change in marketing would bring to independent flooring retailers. Ten years ago, budget lines included 2 percent to 6 percent of sales earmarked for advertising. That is what it took to drive consistent foot traffic. Read More

Visuals and style have always been a critical part of the customer’s shopping journey. These days, there’s an even greater emphasis on aesthetics and style is a bigger part of the conversation. There are a number of reasons for this shift, including the rise of social media and home improvement influencers, renovation shows, not to mention the COVID-19 pandemic. Read More

Consumer spending on home grew 20 percent in 2021 over 2020, which followed an 8 percent advance in 2020 over 2019. While 2020 growth didn’t come close to the unprecedented increase in 2021, it was still double the average 4 percent year-over-year advance tracked from 2010 after the recovery from the last recession. Read More

Millennial and Gen Z shoppers and the way they think is pivotal to growing business. According to Rochelle Routman, chief sustainability and impact officer for HMTX Industries, these shoppers are increasingly concerned with three main facets of a company and its products: sustainability, social change and “how brands treat their employees, even beyond their supply chain,” said Routman. Read More

One of the largest problems is the rapidly aging demographics facing developed economies. For an economy to grow, there must be a balance of consumers and producers. This balance necessitates a growing population that skews to the younger end of the spectrum. An aging populace creates a lack of producers and tends to grind down growth as workers retire and begin pulling money and other resources from the economy. Read More

Before March 2020, the COVID-19 virus seemed like something sort of far away. While world health experts had been nervously tracking and documenting its spread and there were some isolated cases in the United States, people didn’t think it would be very serious. One of the biggest shifts is how consumers shopped, with a dramatic shift to online. Digital Commerce 360 estimates that the pandemic contributed an extra $219 billion to ecommerce’s bottom line over the past two years, with consumers spending $871 billion online in 2021. From March 2020 to February 2022, U.S. consumers spent $1.7 trillion online. Read More

The last five years saw some of the most cataclysmic changes in society and the economy since the Great Recession. And the last two years were even more tumultuous. Between the global pandemic, an ominous war abroad and major swings in consumer mood and sentiment, it’s hard to pick what the most significant event is. Indeed, there’s a meme going around that says, “When they said history repeats itself, I wasn’t expecting all of the 20th Century in the last two years.” Read More

Each new year delivers a whirlwind of exciting design opportunities. We always look forward to experimenting with fresh colors – so we eagerly anticipate Pantone's Color of the Year announcement. We’re consistently pleased by the gorgeous colors that Pantone’s experts highlight. As a respected authority, the Pantone Color Institute draws upon the year's most relevant themes to select a hue that reflects these trends. Beyond this, the Color of the Year sets the stage for the aesthetics that will dominate in months to come. Read More

“Tile’s long-lasting qualities are proven over centuries of use; it’s an amazingly sustainable choice.” From a composition standpoint, ceramic tile is made from natural materials, like clay, sand, feldspar and other minerals, and is free of VOCs, formaldehyde, plastics and PVC. In addition to the product itself being free of harmful materials, the inherent characteristics of tile surfaces allow for cleaning without the use of toxic or harsh chemicals. Read More

The passenger who jumped in to fly and land a plane at Palm Beach International Airport after the pilot collapsed is Darren Harrison, vice president of Sunshine Interiors, a flooring business in Lakeland, Florida. Read More