John Simonson, president of Webstream Dynamics, has been developing websites for flooring retailers since 1998. Some of these retailers have been involved in e-commerce, selling products online. We sat down with John recently to explore some e-commerce options available to retailers in this industry. The following are select excerpts from that conversation. The entire interview is available here.
Simonson: E-commerce in flooring is growing, just as it is in all segments, although it’s growing at a slower pace mainly because of the logistics involved with flooring. The cost to ship flooring from one place to another, dealing with breakage is definitely a problem. The players that have been at it for a long time are way ahead of the curve. I do see independent flooring dealers getting involved however, but to a lesser degree compared with the big box stores. Flooring retailers that are selling online really don't want to talk about it, but you can see them online. I'm seeing more pay-per-click advertising than a year ago.