FLOORtalk

John Simonson, president of Webstream Dynamics and Five Star Store Reviews, talks about the advantages of floor covering retailers discussing installation on their websites. He also recommends retailers also include on their websites specials on the most popular products, changing those specials every month. Also discussed is the importance of including reviews on retail websites and actions retailers can take to encourage the flow of reviews.

John Simonson, president of Webstream Dynamics and Five Star Store Reviews, talks about the priorities and approach he recommends to his retail floor covering clients with regard to putting specials and unique content on their websites. He talks about the necessity of making websites mobile friendly and including unique education material to inform consumers. Also discussed is the importance of having reviews on retail websites.

John Simonson, president of Webstream Dynamics and Five Star Store Reviews, talks more about Amazon’s Storefronts and its similarities to Etsy, Amazon’s promotional efforts for its storefront units, featuring small business owners and the strength of the Amazon platform. Simonson also talks about Google's efforts aimed at small and mid-sized business, which included Google My Business, artificial intelligence, and shopping ads as he shares his opinion as to the success of Google My Business among retail floor covering players.

John Simonson, president Webstream Dynamics and Five Star Store Reviews, talks about Amazon Storefronts, the latest offering from Amazon aimed at small to mid-sized businesses. Simonson talks about how it works, the costs, the features offered to small businesses, and the exposure it offers as well as the promotional efforts behind it and whether he feels it has potential for floor covering providers.

Brian Gracon, Brian Gracon & Associates, talks more about the reasons many training programs in the flooring industry are not successful, calling it a change management issue, and how retailers can ensure that training programs focus on meeting their specific needs. Gracon discusses the concept of providing a vehicle that permits retailers to communicate with trainers prior to signing up for educational sessions and the importance of training for the survival of a certain percentage of retailers. Also discussed are alternatives to traveling to a central location for educational sessions, such as webinars, programed e-learning, and content curation systems, available via subscription platforms online.

Brian Gracon, of Brian Gracon and Associates, talks more about the reasons many training programs in the flooring industry are not successful, calling it a "change management" issue, and how retailers can ensure that training programs focus on meeting their specific needs. Gracon discusses the concept of providing a vehicle that permits retailers to communicate with trainers prior to signing up for educational sessions and the importance of training for the survival of a certain percentage of retailers. He also discusses an alternative to traveling to a central location for educational sessions in the form of webinars, programed e-learning, and content-curation systems, available via subscription platforms on line.

Brian Gracon of Brian Gracon and Associates responds to the question about retailers opting to not attend many industry training events, delving in to the potential answers: do they feel it’s not needed, or is it too costly, inconvenient, or does not address the correct topics? Gracon talks about the dramatic changes in the marketplace, including changing trends, increased competition and changing wants and needs among consumers. He also talks about the importance of trust in the providers of education and the success of the TISE educational program.

Kim Oderkirk executive vice president of the FCICA, the industry’s contractor association, talks about the association’s upcoming mid-year meeting in Hershey, Pa., talks about the various events scheduled to be held at the meeting, including a CIM certification session, recruiting, motivating, and retaining top talent, LVT and ASTM F 3261, business succession planning, and communicating back to the office. Also discussed is the industry’s installer problem and whether to hire or use independent contractors.

Kim Oderkirk executive vice president of FCICA, the industry’s contractor association, talks about the association’s upcoming mid-year meeting in Hershey, Pa., and the association’s membership. Oderkirk talks about the group’s Certified Installation Manager (CIM) program, a program aimed at providing industry professionals with the knowledge and skills to successfully manage commercial flooring projects. She talks about the availability of certifications and the certification that will be available at prior to the mid-year meeting.

Bill Yeadon discusses the quality of carpet cleaning today verses 10-15 years ago as a result of improved equipment and chemistry as well as better relationships with carpet producers. Yeadon names the encapsulation method of carpet cleaning as the most important development in the cleaning and maintenance sector in a number of years, for many reasons, the prime reason being its ability to effectively clean without the need for truck mounts, long hoses, and noisy machinery. Also discussed is the increase of franchise operations in the retail maintenance sector.