What We Learned From Our Member Roundtables.

This week we hosted the first of our quarterly member roundtables where our members discussed several of the challenges facing their businesses today, including how COVID is affecting their workplace, the increase in internet shopping, challenges with training and reaching the A+D community and more.  Here are some key takeaways from the roundtables:

• Most showrooms have gone to appointment only and are finding their clients to be more prepared and more serious shoppers.  Some showrooms plan on staying appoint only in the post-Covid world, while others will return to their more retail focus.
• The increase in online shopping has affected the customer expectations, bringing added challenges to the showrooms.  Showrooms must focus on selling on value and expertise rather than price.  Showrooms also have to adjust their stocking position and selling based on availability to compete with Amazon's two-day delivery.
• Reps and dealers would like manufacturers to rethink their return policies and restock fees to allow easier selling against Amazon. 
• Samples are HOT!  With access to the showrooms limited, designers and consumers alike are asking for finish samples.  However, they are still often hard to come by.
• There is a shortage of trades people across the country.
• Costs of raw materials in our industry are increasing, with two to three increases happening since Covid started.  Expect significant price increases this year.
• A main challenge right now seems to be getting in front of the A&D community because they have all decentralized away from offices and will probably be some of the last to go back to the office.
• General consensus is we will not return to "normal" until at least mid-year or until the vaccines have been widely distributed.

If post-Covid life is anything like after the pandemic in 1918-1919, get read for the Roaring 20's!   Our next Member Roundtable will be hosted in April, so stay tuned for registration information!