Casual Living Blogs
A Web for Everyone!
Welcome to the New Year and more exciting advances in online technology! I can't wait to see if the 2012 predictions -- including increased mobile marketing, greater use of the cloud, and continued growth of online video will happen even faster than predicted. I hope all the readers of this blog received the latest technology gadget on their wish list! While visiting my parents for the holidays, I... More
About this blog
Hi, I'm Penny Schneck, the Online Sales Manager for Furniture/Today. Over the last eight years I've seen the Internet transform not just the way we advertise, but the way we do business. It is the great disintermediary. I've personally seen it change the travel, financial services and employment advertising businesses. I've no doubts that its impact on the way we buy and sell home furnishings will continue to grow. This growth will be accelerated by the recession as consumers and businesses look for new ways to communicate and transact business. The Web is certainly the Wild West of our time with global implications and new technologies at every turn, but that's what makes it exciting. Join us on this special blog for a lively discussion on the benefits and challenges the Web offers to our industry. I look forward to a lively debate! Email: pschneck@sandowmedia.com
Award Season - Casual Living Rolls Out Red Carpet
I'm a sucker for award season. It doesn't matter if it's Critics' Choice or Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild, Independent Spirit or the grand finale Academy Awards, each New Year the film industry has me enthralled with the first glimpse of red carpet it unfurls. Casual Living highlights two integral facets of the industry with the Supplier of the Year Award and Retailer of the Year Award... More
About this blog
Nicole Crews is the new Executive Editor for Casual Living. She will oversee and direct the editorial content of the publication and web site. Nicole also will bring her extensive knowledge of the home furnishings business to this weekly blog, Outside Insider. Feel free to comment on the blog or contact Nicole directly at ncrews@casualliving.com.
Rebound with confidence
You may remember Oprah Winfrey's witty quote about each new year bringing just "another chance to get it right."While new years and new seasons are seen as fresh starts by some folks, others focus only on failures of the past year. Whatever your perspective on the first few weeks of 2012, glimmers of hope streamed from early winter home furnishings markets as well as retailer association... More
About this blog
Cinde W. Ingram: Casually Speaking
Hi, this is Cinde W. Ingram and I'm the Editor in Chief of Casual Living and Garden Decor. Each week I hope to use this blog space to stay in touch with our readers. I want to know what you think about new products, markets, the retail climate and, most of all, Casual Living. Let me know what's going on. Check out my latest below.
2012 IS THE YEAR OF THE NETWORK
Wouldn't it be helpful (especially as we scramble to regain our business equilibrium during this post-recession recovery) if we had a set of guard rails that could keep us safely on the road to profitability?While there's no magic solution, there happens to be a very real, very practical and powerful tool that can literally be as close as one or more of your co-workers.In case you haven't already... More
About this blog
For those of you who don’t know me, I’m the editor-in-chief of Furniture/Today, sister publication to Casual Living. In that role, I oversee the editorial content of our publication and our Web site, www.furnituretoday.com, I create content for the paper and the Web site, I pen a weekly column, maintain a blog, create the content for an annual Leadership Conference, and try to stay as plugged in as possible to every aspect of the residential furniture business.
Internet 303 Magnetic Web Sites, Part 1
There is a term used when referring to successful web sites: “sticky.” Good web sites are like fly paper, they attract users who then stick to them for a long time. (Of course, no one dies or, at least, they shouldn’t.) These web sites are so good, users come back time and again. In this blog, I’d like to think about what makes one e-tail web site “sticky” and another “slippery” When you think ab... More
About this blog
Bruce Aronson and his family have been in the outdoor industry since 1952. Their single location store is the largest specialty outdoor furniture retail store in the New Orleans area. Although Bruce has served as VP of The Casual Furniture Retailers Association and has been active in the industry for many years, he does not claim to be any less confused by retail than any other retailer out there.
New Frontiers
Is the new frontier of strategic marketing for the Casual Living industry pointing towards Sensory Marketing? Sensory marketing engages the consumers' senses and affects their behaviors. These marketing techniques aim to seduce the consumer by using their senses to influence their feelings and behavior. The strategy is based on the idea that a customer whose senses are fully engaged will stay lon... More
About this blog
Marcia Blake is President / Creative Director of Outdoor Interiors® a design firm specializing in creating outdoor living spaces. She also provides design and consulting services for outdoor furniture manufacturers and has launched a new collection of soft goods and accessories she designed called Outdoor Couture®, she is an active member of the Color Marketing Group, ASID and ICFA.
Banks are Lending!!!
Seven months ago my client was presented with their bank's plan of forced liquidation. That's when they called me. Even while charging 10% interest on a fully collateralized loan, the bank had lost patience and was ready to force change. Options from alternative lenders were all in the range of 16% - 18%.Today my client has offers to lend $10million at 3% interest from four strong regional a... More
About this blog
Turning Points is dedicated to helping industry leaders survive the current recession and to prepare for success in the inevitable economic recovery.
