Jacksonville, Fla.—“This is not a Broadlume event. This is about connecting manufacturers, retailers and consumers and pushing this industry forward.” That was the crux of FloorCon ’23 as described by Todd Saunders, Broadlume CEO, and reflected within the three-day lineup of educational opportunities afforded to attendees this year.
Highlighting that fact was the robust speaker track, which included sought-after training experts like Cordell Riley, Mike Claudio, Brian Elias and Jason Goldberg. And while Broadlume did emphasize its own offerings, the spotlight was not on selling software but instead on the company’s larger goal—unifying a fractured industry.
“We’ve been very retailer focused over the past few years,” Saunders told FCNews. “And what I think the manufacturers have now realized is they need to partner with the retailer to talk to the consumer. There’s a reason there are more manufacturers here now than there have been before, and that’s a big change.”
In fact, there were 50 manufacturers in attendance at this year’s event versus 17 at last year’s show. That included International Flooring Company (IFC), which is spearheaded by the Dossche family—Piet Dossche, chairman of the board; Julian Dossche, president; and William Dossche, executive VP of operations. The company unveiled its Canopy powered by Broadlume flooring brand, which will roll out to the specialty flooring retail channel in Q2 2024 with Broadlume’s full technology stack supporting it.
It also included Mannington, which recently announced its robust partnership with Broadlume, which will be the technology provider for Mannington’s retailer programs including One Mannington, One Phenix and Compass Loyalty Programs.
Digital Retailing breaks tradition
These partnership hinge on Broadlume’s new Digital Retailing program. The platform is designed to facilitate a connection between manufacturer, retailer and consumer to allow for an easier, more robust shopping experience.
“Digital Retailing refers to technology that enables shoppers to complete most of the journey online—and then make the purchase in person,” said John Weller, chief innovation officer at Broadlume. “This is transformational. It’s a better e-commerce experience, it’s a better experience than the box stores can offer, it’s a better experience than even shop at home. Whether you believe it or not, it’s transformational. And the people who do believe it and adapt are going to take market share, period.”
Flooring retailers agreed there’s been a lag, historically, when it comes to technological developments aimed at pushing the industry forward, which Digital Retailing aims to change. “Everything [Broadlume] is offering is stuff every flooring dealer really needed since the beginning of time,” said Scott Perron, owner of several retail operations, including 24/7 Floors in Sarasota, Fla. “There were times that this industry was averaging about 3% net profit across the board. Imagine doing a million dollars and your net is $30K. Why would you do that? Yet generations of people have done that in flooring industry.”
Perron is a 25-year veteran of the industry and is coming up on 10 years with his current business. “This business that I’ve created with my wife here in Florida is way more successful than the three stores I had in New England doing double the volume. And I can’t thank [Broadlume] enough because the technology part of it is going to bring the next generation to us.”
As an example of the program’s possibilities, Perron explained that his current business is located in an industrial area, which has traditionally been a difficult location to draw foot traffic or even coax consumers to venture to. However, the new Digital Retailing program has cleared that hurdle.
“There was a time you could never have opened a flooring store in an industrial park and not done anything but commercial business,” Perron explained. “Now, it doesn’t matter where you are. This technology puts us on the market. Puts us right out there in the front. And when they go to our website, they can look at the product, they can order samples, they can get some price points, they can look at our reviews. Everything they need to legitimize our business is there—and then they don’t mind driving to an industrial park. Not one person has ever come by and said, ‘You know, I was driving by...’ You’re not going to find us that way.”
And while Digital Retailing brings ease to the retailer, it also offers an easier shopping experience for the consumer as well. “I love the simplicity,” Jeremy Carver of Suncoast Flooring and Design in Gulf Breeze, Fla., told FCNews. “The client needs to make a confident decision and feel good about that. You need to remove all of those barriers and help them feel confident about their choice—nothing does that as well as this.”
Making connections
One major focus of FloorCon is networking—and this year was no exception. “We had a forced networking session today where we broke out into groups and had honest conversations with each other,” Saunders explained. “Tomorrow there’s another really big networking session. We believe it’s not just the product and the software in this industry, it’s about who you know. For example, [attendee A] has run into the same problems I’ve just run into. [Attendee A] can help me not make the same mistakes. So, we’re trying to really force those uncomfortable conversations that you’re not willing to have but someone else is willing to have with you.”
Retail attendees touted the openness of their peers and the necessity of thoseinteractions. “[I’m here because,] more than anything, I need to learn from people who have more experience in the business than I do—that’s No. 1,” Carver said. “And then conversations like what’s next in our industry, that helps me to understand where the industry is heading and to try and be ahead of that.”
FloorCon ’23 also held a WOFB (Women of the Flooring Business) event, which was headlined by Stephanie Stuckey, CEO of Stuckey’s, a world-famous candy company founded in 1937. The event drew nearly every registered woman in attendance and had to be expanded so more could participate. Stuckey’s interaction with the group was a refreshing take on navigating business—and the men that often dominate it.
“I was at a trade show a couple of months ago, and a male colleague said, ‘Man, we did all these business deals last night.’ And I said to a female colleague, ‘We’re missing out. What’s going on at night?’ She said, ‘Honey, they’re all at the strip clubs.’ So, we as women have to be here to support one another and elevate one another. My request for you, my plea for you is to bring up others along the way, because that’s how we’re going to dominate as we should.”
The candor was much appreciated by attendees who took more than the allotted hour to chat with Stuckey on her business practices. “I just want to say I found it extremely uplifting to have a woman with your vision and your gumption up there today, in front of a packed room full of men,” said Jennifer Mendez of Griffith Flooring Services in Beech Grove, Ind., of Stuckey’s general session keynote.
According to show management, next year will have much of the same focus—all focused on pushing the flooring industry forward for the betterment of all.