How to Choose Kids Furniture Stores

November 19th, 2011 Furniture

Parents may be a diverse and expansive demographic set, but they all share one trait: they’re extremely busy. Brick and mortar kids’ furniture stores should reach out to these important purchasers in unique ways. A typical parent is bombarded with brand options, “online entities”, discount chains, and big-box stores that give them reasons to shop for furniture in new ways. Not only do these parents want the furniture for their little ones to reflect their individuality, they don’t want to pay too much, especially in this economy, but at the same time they also want a quality product. Parents are passionate about their children and the furnishings therein; whether the room is labeled an activity hub or an actual bedroom, each makes a unique statement about its owner’s preferences and purchasing choices.

Fortunately, youth furnishings are a category which is poised to deliver some stability in these tentative times. Youth furnishings are enduring the economic pressures that are delaying shoppers in other sectors, such as adult bedrooms. Many furniture stores are offering inexpensive bunk beds, for example, at a time when shoppers’ price tolerance has risen but the better stores will offer bunk beds with better quality and safer construction. All woods are not created same. A bunk bed may be made out of solid wood, but what kind of a wood is it? Pine, for example, is a soft wood. Sure, it’s a great selling point since it’s more affordable but hardwoods like birch or oak will last longer and wear harder than pine. Due to their inherent softness, softwoods like pine are much more susceptible to dings and marks. A kids’ furniture store

which has a policy where the sales representatives take their time and thoroughly explain this are way ahead of the game. Kids’ furniture stores which simply state that the bunk bed is solid wood does not cut it with many parents. They want to know what kind of species it is and how will it last through the years. Price, in this case, may not be the only deciding factor.

Communication is repeatedly discussed but often-underutilized management tool in furniture stores. All relationships are built on good communication and stores which show care and concern for their consumers mirror customer loyalty. Communicating solutions when it comes to kids’ furniture mandates a shift from simply selling features to pinpointing actual benefits. These are the type of stores parents should choose to shop in. The sales representative shouldn’t tell the parent that the captain’s bed that they want to purchase for their child has drawers, for example. Instead, the sales representative should tell the parent that the bed offers a place for sweater storage during summer months. It doesn’t matter how insignificant the benefit may appear to some, it is precisely what helps parents to decide from which store to purchase. The store needs to create a more meaningful and memorable experience for consumers and the stores that do precisely that reap benefits. After all, consumers don’t base all of their purchasing decisions on logic, rationale, and price. Just like with everything else, emotions play a significant role in buying decisions, sometimes even more than the consumer realizes.

So, shop in kids’ furniture stores where the staff is truly knowledgeable about their product lines and where they truly go out of the way to explain a product. Purchase from stores which focus on both quality as well as value. Don’t shop in places where the sales representatives are simply “order takers”.