In the beach community of Englewood, Fla., flooring retailer Nichole Beyer relies on Mohawk’s Product Heroes to drive traffic into her store, Quality Carpet Outlet. Showcasing innovations in soft and hard surfaces, Mohawk’s Product Heroes, which include Air.o, Revwood Plus, SmartStrand, and SolidTech Plus, position retailers like Beyer to succeed through innovative product programs and merchandising, focusing on new product campaigns that drive consumer traffic.

“Customers see something on a larger scale that grabs their attention, and they click and end up on our site,” Beyer said. “We also get additional traffic when we see Mohawk’s national campaigns because we are leveraging what we are doing locally with the larger campaigns.”

Retailers across the country are experiencing increased sales thanks to Mohawk Product Heroes, and the following are a few examples.

Air.o

When Mohawk’s Air.o was introduced in 2017, it offered consumers a revolutionary alternative to traditional carpet and retailers an easy-to-install, easy-to-service product. Air.o is beautifully soft, easy-to-clean, and hypoallergenic—Green Label Plus certified, it also eliminates the “new carpet smell.” The 100% PET polyester fiber is constructed on a premium cushioned backing using an innovative, tension-free process. In addition, the dimensionally-stable surface will not wrinkle or delaminate.

With all of these perks, what came as a surprise to some retailers is how Air.o also solved a major issue for their customers: finding a carpet that would work in damp environments. Shannon Cook, office manager for Nevins Flooring in Menomonie, Wis., says customers have flocked to their store to use Air.o as a replacement carpet in wet basements.

“It’s mostly people who have had multiple water issues, and they want carpet—not everyone wants a hard surface in these spaces,” she said. For comfort, the feeling of warmth, and sound reduction, carpet is a popular choice among homeowners in her area.

The retailer promotes the product heavily beginning late winter in anticipation of Wisconsin’s spring rainy season and maximizes reach through Mohawk’s digital advertising programs. Cook says the store’s sales associates sell Air.o through display boards and brochures—and she keeps some stock on hand for cash-and-carry sales.

“We have two stock rolls right now with grays and other neutrals,” she said. “Since the moisture cannot be absorbed into the fiber, backing or cushion, it reduces odors in those basement spaces.”

RevWood Plus

RevWood Plus laminated wood flooring has built a large following thanks to its unique product positioning and consumer-friendly features. With a 100% waterproof flooring system, RevWood Plus is ideal for families with pets and offers the All Pet Protection & Warranty. The durable planks resist stains and scratches and Uniclic MultiFit technology, a glueless locking system, makes installation easy.

Patty Beseda, business development manager, Beseda Flooring & More, St. Charles, Mo., said the RevWood brand resonates particularly well with consumers in her market.

“RevWood has been really easy to sell,” Beseda said. “It is a really good product that installs great, has incredible looks, and offers real value to the consumer.”

Considering all the positive features, she attributes the store’s success with RevWood to a couple of things. First is the product quality.

“Laminate has come a long way—this is not your laminate from the olden days,” she said. “It’s better looking, scratch and dent resistant, and the sound proofing is so much better. That all goes a long way with kids and pets. Mohawk did a great job on the look and there’s nothing else like it.”

Beseda’s second secret to success with Revwood is the digital marketing support Mohawk provides her. As an Omnify dealer, Beseda Flooring & More has taken advantage of the digital campaigns Mohawk offers.

“Here is where they really shine,” Beseda said. “Mohawk truly has a strategy, and what we’ve done is piggy back on that. While we may be kicking in money for local ad campaigns, and we honor coupons, the visuals and the quality are driving people to buy this.”

To amplify the messaging Mohawk does with its top-down marketing, the retailer produces product knowledge videos on Facebook and advertises through Facebook and local print publications to further drive awareness into the local market.

SmartStrand

Scott Allen, general manager of Carpet Corner, which has six locations in Kansas and Missouri, has been a longtime advocate of SmartStrand carpet.

“We bought in early, probably in 2007, and SmartStrand is our biggest fiber,” Allen said. “Performance-wise, it’s a superior fiber. It has superior cleanability, wearability, and they have some great styles.”

The innovative fibers in SmartStrand were designed to maintain their beauty, superior softness and durability—resisting crushing and matting. Advanced Nanoloc technology encapsulates the fiber and will not wear or wash off, making SmartStrand easy to clean. In fact, it is three times easier to remove pet hair, soil and dander. Plus, SmartStrand features Mohawk’s All Pet Protection and Warranty and ActivFresh technology, which actively neutralizes and eliminates odor-causing bacteria within the carpet.

Specifically designed to complement the color variety found in materials like wood and stone,

SmartStrand carpet featuring ColorMax technology offers a unique blend of high-definition colorations that coordinate with a nature-inspired color palette. Whether customers use the carpet throughout their home, or in addition to hard-surface flooring, the result is a consistent, balanced look throughout the entire floor.

Allen relies on Mohawk’s digital campaigns, which include inspirational room scenes, to draw attention to SmartStrand and drive traffic to his locations.

“We were doing our own advertising online with local advertising partners, but it didn’t compare to what we are doing with Mohawk,” Allen said. “With the same budget or less, Mohawk is much better at it. We get leads, not every day, but it’s come a long way. The performance draws people in, and SmartStrand is something the sales team believes in.”

SolidTech Plus

Mohawk’s newest addition to the luxury vinyl flooring category, SolidTech Plus, launched in retail stores in October. Building on two years of growing momentum in the luxury vinyl category with SolidTech, SolidTech Plus adds a more authentic natural hardwood look and feel to the SolidTech collection. Designed for any room, any climate, 100% waterproof SolidTech Plus blends style and durability. The domestically produced vinyl offers low pattern repetition, embossed textures and painted beveled edges.

An Omnify dealer, Nichole Beyer said Mohawk’s digital marketing tools have shown that most of her consumers have spent a lot of time online researching styles and benefits before they ever come to the store to shop for SolidTech.

“We live in a very senior-centric community—our average age in Charlotte County seems to be 65 to 72 years old,” she jokes. “While everyone grabs the paper, the boomers are digital as well. We found majority of people who walk into our store have visited our website or online presence on social media.”

Another benefit? Less price shopping.

“Price competitiveness has become a farce,” she said. “Once they come in and we have the privilege of talking to them, it is much easier to direct them to the flooring that is right for them.”

Beyer said her success with Mohawk’s Hero Products are encouraging her to shift her marketing spend towards digital ads on Facebook.

“Although print is not going away, we get a better ROI on the digital campaigns,” she said.

Her marketing mix includes digital campaigns, newspaper advertising, sponsoring local sports teams, and word of mouth.

“This is my gut—and I haven’t dug into this enough—but there is brand loyalty,” Beyer said. “We have been a Mohawk store since 1989. The products we have installed in stores have longevity. We have customers who purchased carpet from my dad when I was five years old, and the carpet has held up. They remember the interaction, the in-store experience, and those referrals mean a lot to us.”