Paul Friederichsen, president of Brand Biz and partner in the Blake Project, talks about the overarching importance of a retail website and its aesthetics and the need to launch a professional-looking site, which is also mobile. He also talks about the content, the importance of being found on search engines, and the importance of including blogs to shoppers. Friederichsen also offers blog post ideas, such as decorating tips, selecting the correct flooring for the application, installation, and care and maintenance as a means of becoming involved in the customer’s decision process.

Paul Friederichsen, president of Brand Biz and partner in the Blake Project, talks about the importance for retailers to have a well-planned, competitive, and effective website. He stresses the importance of educating oneself as to what constitutes an effective website and employing professionals to build and maintain sites. Friederichsen also talks about the elements of a quality website.

Scott Perron, floor covering retailer and owner of 24/7 Floors and Floors for Pros in Sarasota, Fla., discusses the installation situation in his area, the lack of qualified installers migrating south, and what is needed in the installer/retailer relationship to make it lasting. Perron also assesses the long-term prospect for the national installation situation and the issue of liability. He talks about his steps of evaluating new installation candidates and the need for installation training and preparing installers to be better business people.

Scott Perron, floor covering retailer and owner of 24/7 Floors and Floors for Pros talks about his reliance on networking as his dominant marketing approach, how they work, and the several approaches taken by the various groups. He discusses the software program he is running and how its adoption has changed the business. Perron also discusses the value of credit in both the 24/7 retail business and the Floors for Pros sales to the trade unit.

Scott Perron, floor covering retailer and owner of 24/7 Floors and Floors for Pros in Sarasota, Fla., talks about the three years since he launched 24/7 Floors as a shop-at-home business and the launching of another unit, Floors for Pros, that sells to the trade last year. He talks about how these two approaches work well together, and about changes that have occurred within the 24/7 Floors unit, operating primarily on referrals and larger jobs and focusing on service. Also discussed is the nature of the Tampa Bay area with northerners coming for the winter and the company’s shifts in hard surface and soft surface products.

George Celtrick, president of Whitewood Products, talks about trends in hardwood flooring, including gloss levels. Celtrick discusses the feedback from contractors and retailers indicating that consumers are increasingly saying they are not finding the products and looks they are seeking in showrooms, leading to Whitewood Products' custom offerings. Celtrick also talks about the consumer and hardwood flooring, online sellers of hardwood flooring products, and some of the contractors he works with who provide unique patterns and custom designs.

George Celtrick, president of Whitewood Products, discusses further Whitewood Products' custom large and small order hardwood flooring products offered to contractors and retailers to match their customer’s needs. He discusses the process, which includes either a description of the desired flooring or a sample, which Whitewood will replicate. Celtrick also talks about the elements of the custom program and the Fiddleback program, offering a wide variety of hardwood and color offerings.