Blissliving Home Readies Enhanced Website

-- Home Textiles Today, 11/23/2009 12:00:00 AM

Rockville, Md. —

Blissliving Home after Thanksgiving will launch an enhanced Web site that emphasizes community building and provides more expansive shopping features.

“We are still a very young company,” said Mareike Finck, assistant manager of public relations and marketing. Bliss was founded in 2007. “The Internet is the most important tool we have.”

Community features will include:

Blog pages with reader comments and a “reply to” thread feature so readers can respond to one another;A photo gallery where customers can show their Blissliving decorating;A video gallery where Blissliving will post product-related videos, special interviews and event highlights;A virtual catalog with easy zoom and pdf download of all/any page, including catalog request features for both consumer and trade;Free wallpaper downloads featuring Blissliving photography for a consumer’s computer, iPhone or iPod touch;Expanded “About our Team” section with team photos and rotating notes from each team member;An interactive press section where customers can review the latest news, features and press releases and with a virtual book view and easy pdf downloads;Trade show calendar;“Sales Tools” section for the trade highlighting the tools available to retailers to promote sales of Blissliving products;An e-newsletter registration for weekly product news and specials.

“Really what we hope to accomplish is to become the leader in our industry for social media technology,” said Finck.

In terms of the direct-to-consumer retail component, the company will add a gift registry feature, a store locator to find the nearest retailer selling Blissliving products, larger product photos and an improved zoom, a share button on every product page for easy posting to all social media channels, and customer product reviews.

Blissliving has always sold direct as well as wholesale but maintains strict pricing policies, said Finck.

“We are very conservative about running promotions,” she added. In most cases, Blissliving offers retailers the opportunity to run the same promotion simultaneously.

While it rolls out the new site, it will continue to circulate its catalog, which reaches 50,000 consumers, she said.