Growing Direct to Consumer
Home Textiles Today Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 1/24/2011 1:18:24 AM
"The number of companies in home textiles that have embraced this concept is growing by leaps and bounds.
FOR SOME YEARS NOW, we have been discussing the growth of direct-to-consumer businesses, as well as drop ship capabilities from supplier to retailer's customer.
The number of companies in home textiles that have embraced this concept is growing by leaps and bounds - though not under a name that would be known by the accounts who place orders - or even the consumers, who don't care anyway.
There seems to be a further challenge in this home textiles world in these days of higher and higher raw material prices versus retailers thinking the consumer won't spend on good products.
Today, it's virtually impossible to segregate the bottom feeders from what had been viewed in the marketplace as retailers hoping to project a new product image, perhaps a fashion-forward image as well as a highly focused promotional (aka - lower than low price point) message to customers
Then there is the issue of retailers not ordering until the 11th hour because of ever-changing price quotes. Retailers can fill the home textiles space for back-to-school with more shoes and backpacks to cover the inventory scarcity. But how many more pairs of shoes is Johnny or his mother going to buy? Inventory cannot be filled up with "stuff." The key is not so much "something different" without validity, but more significantly, the need to offer fresh, clean and lighter looks that will attract customers with newness but not radical change Hopefully, last week at Heimtextil the members of the home textiles world shopping the show recognized the dramatic change in the world and the need to respond to it.
We would love your feedback!
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