Call it a revolution or an evolution, the fact is, carpets have been getting softer since the turn of the millennium and they are not going away. In fact, manufacturers noted soft is not a fad or trend but rather a mainstay and needs to be a part of every specialty dealer’s portfolio in order to meet their customers’ expectations of what they will see in the store.
Since their initial introduction more than a dozen years ago, retailers have expressed pros and cons—some based on past experiences with the shag styles of the 1970s, some based on pure perception of what they are seeing and feeling, and some based on actual consumer experiences. Over the years, opinions have swayed both ways depending on the fiber type, the product and circumstance.