The number of consumers seeking store information after viewing the "Furniture Finder" online product catalog on AHFA's consumer website continues to grow.

The expansive online catalog was created for AHFA by FurnitureDealer.net and launched in January 2009. It is the latest enhancement to the consumer website, www.findyourfurniture.com, that has served as the cornerstone of AHFA's consumer marketing efforts since 2002. Thousands of consumers visit the site every day for style and trend information and to search for specific furniture products. AHFA began populating the Furniture Finder with product images and information from member companies in October 2008.

"Although we now have tens of thousands of products in the Furniture Finder, there are some member companies that are not yet taking advantage of this unparalleled marketing opportunity," Jackie Hirschhaut, vice president of public relations and marketing points out. "There is no cost to participate," she emphasizes. "We're offering members a vast 'virtual showroom’ with unlimited floor space to showcase their products and tell their brand story."

The Furniture Finder already contains the broadest assortment of products and brands of any online furniture resource. Consumers can select a category of furniture, then narrow their search by type of wood, by finish, by size or by style. More than 10 percent of all page views on the Furniture Finder are dealer-related. This means that, after viewing products, visitors to the site are using the dealer locator or viewing a dealer/store profile page. This is up from 7.8 percent in February and 2.4 percent in January.

"These visitors are not just looking for furniture – they want to find where to see it and buy it locally," explains Mike Bernstein, president of manufacturer services for FurnitureDealer.net, which developed the Furniture Finder for AHFA.

However, not all member companies represented on the site have provided dealer information. "Brands with populated dealer locators are at a significant advantage," Bernstein explains. "Forty percent of all page views are of products from the members who have provided dealer lists."

In addition, 44 percent of the searches that lead from search engines like Google to the site include geographic terms such as the name of a city, a state or even a specific local dealer. "Members who have not provided dealer information are missing out on the opportunity to stimulate the sell-through of their products in local stores," Bernstein says.

In April FurnitureDealer.net introduced yet another vehicle to help AHFA members monopolize shoppers who are searching for home furnishings products online.

"The Furniture Finder snags consumers who are conducting broad, multi-brand product searches and gives manufacturers an opportunity to tell their brand story and steer those shoppers in the direction of their authorized dealers," Bernstein explains. "Furnoodle! works to maximize a manufacturer's visibility when the search begins in the other direction – with a consumer who finds your brand on an authorized retailer's website. The manufacturer can still control the brand story and the products shown in ways that benefit their bricks and mortar retailers."

To learn how your company may be included, contact Jackie Hirschhaut.