That #^*! Year Is OVER…. So, Will We be Raging In 2021? By DPHA Fellow Jeffrey Valles.

2021 is almost into its third month and things are looking up.  It seems much of last year’s drama may be behind us and now that the Covid-19 vaccines are being slowly distributed, 2021 has potential to be a nice, normal year.  But then maybe it, too, will be one for the ages.

We now know it will take time for the vaccine to roll out  and, until that happens for many, the pandemic will remain a large part of our lives.  Most experts foresee Covid continuing to heavily influence our daily actions through the winter and probably deep into spring.  This means masks, social distancing and staying put  for a few more months.  In the short term, little will change on the surface. However, scratch beneath the surface, and 2021 pandemic story will be very different than in 2020.

People have been cooped up and have not been able to interact with each other for a long time.  Remove the Covid-19 fear of those now inoculated, and people have the potential to  erupt.  Bars and clubs will open and we just might see Studio 54 behavior well into the night.  In fact, future pundits are predicting another roaring twenties, this time in 21st Century style.  People will be checking off their bucket lists and doing everything they can afford.  All the fun stuff we could do prior to the pandemic will become must-do-now.  For the next few years, free time will be precious.    We will want to go everywhere, do anything and make sure our home spaces are just right.  Who knows when the next pandemic will hit and lock us down once more?  

So, what can we all do to prepare for the upcoming party so that our brands will be sitting in the sweetest spot possible?  I suggest keeping it simple and focusing on three things: 

1. Do not take away your employee and customer pandemic safety nets, masks et all.  Leave your protection and processes in place until at least June.  One case of Covid-19 traced back to your showroom, factory or agency will lead to closure, quarantine and negative branding.  The safer people feel about visiting your showroom, the better your customer flow will be.  People are tired of always thinking safety first, that is your job.  Play it safe.  
2. Get behind your community.  Set up a place in your showroom, on your counter and on your website to promote local businesses.  Restaurants and fellow luxury and premium businesses need your help and you theirs.  Boldly label brands that you sell that are manufactured or warehoused in your area.  Then send breakfasts, lunches and dinners to your good clients from local restaurants.  It does not have to be a PK, CEU or new product introduction.  Simply a thank you to the client while supporting a restaurant the community knows, enjoys and misses.  Surprise them all with your gracious community support and your brand will stand out as one that is authentically supporting the market you and your customers call home. 
3. Work on your website.  In the last 8 months, ecommerce has increased from 15% to 25% of the retail economy and that genie is not going back in the bottle.  A key foundation of any business model for generations is that your brand must be where your clients are.  Today, even 80-year-old baby boomers are comfortable online.  This pandemic not only forced people to order from their computers and mobile device.  It has lasted so long that so many more people are comfortable navigating the web and buying whatever they need, want and dream of owning from their sofa.  Then we add in the X and Y generations growing wealth and you have an opportunity to be the luxury DPH brand that is the go-to in brick and mortar and digital showroom destination.  The first companies that effectively create an engaging digital product presentation that works with their bricks and mortar showroom will be very successful.  To quote Kim Frechette from her Connections article last week, “web views and reviews are, without a doubt, a crucial component to the future of business. We’ve seen how reviews shape the perception of a product or company and how reviewers, paid and unpaid, can affect mom and pop start-ups, large corporations and government agencies, to name a few. The world watches and reads what everyone has to say about a product whether what is being said is true or valuable. They can literally make or break a business.”

The good news from all this is that the DPH world has a successful history of creating new customer experiences.  In the 1980’s decorative plumbing and hardware showrooms were rare.  By the end of that decade, many forward thinking and aggressive businesspeople decided that this was a profitable path and they created stunning showrooms that delivered a novel DPH showroom experience.  In the 21st Century’s roaring twenties, that type of opportunity is again available.  Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more…

Best of luck out there and may your 2021 be wildly…