Flooring The Consumer: October 2008

Friday, October 31, 2008

Bathroom Blogfest '08 - Fear and the Bathroom

Happy Halloween! originally uploaded by Sounds Good.

Happy Halloween! What a perfect day for highlighting for Bathroom Blogfest '08 - Cleaning Forgotten Spaces Around Us stories about fear and the bathroom. I hope you don't have nightmares tonight!

Several previous posts - Bathroom Blogfest 2008: Trends in Bathrooms and Bathroom Blogfest '08 - A Place For Luxury - have touched on cleanliness and hygiene. It shouldn't come as a surprise that, for a bathroom, it matters. For our total satisfaction and harmony, it matters. And, for the success of a retail experience, it matters.

[I hope you checked out Jo Brown's post where she describes where The Clean Look of a White Bathroom originated.]

Many people fear the horrors lurking in public spaces like bathrooms and forgotten space-items like grocery shopping carts. As we can't control other people's behaviors in these public spaces and can't always depend on the owner's attention to cleanliness, we appreciate automation in ladiesrooms. For example, we're grateful for soap dispensers, faucets and hand dryers that react to a wave of the hand. But, as Retail Design Diva asks in For the Germaphobes Out There..., what about the doors? What about getting out of those pristine handsfree restrooms without touching the door handles? Tricky, isn't it.

Well, Chick-fil-A has come up with the solution: an L-shaped door handle. The Atlanta Journal Constitution discusses it and more in Advances in restrooms help germaphobes' plight by Helena Oliviero from 03/31/2008.

However, as the New York Times describes in For Children, a Scary World Out There (in There, Too), too much automation in a bathroom creates its own set of phobias - particularly for children. Namely, those unpredictable and noisy automatic flushing toilets can traumatize children. [I find them too sensitive and overly prone to flushing for no reason.] Did you know that you can purchase a device to block the sensors [e.g., Flush Stopper]? Or, simply carry around Post-It notes...

Nonetheless, I'd rather err on the hygienically automated and fastidious side than on the overly rustic and questionable side as it pertains to the bathrooms in my store.

Let me put it into perspective.

My nephew has recently moved to Tokyo. Before leaving this summer, he forwarded us an article from WSJ.com by Alan Paul who writes The Expat Life. The article he sent, titled "Choosing When to Be a Local And When to Be an Outsider" and dated 5/9/2008 [no longer available to read online], compares Chinese bathrooms to Japanese ones.

The author writes "to really get to the bottom of the differences between China and Japan it helps to start at the literal bottom -- the toilets. Though rapidly improving, China still has many shockingly unsanitary restrooms. I have smelled and seen things that will be with me forever. And even decent restrooms in nice places often lack soap. Japan, on the other hand, seems to have a fetish for bathroom cleanliness. The toilets do everything except pull your pants up and down, often featuring a wide array of bottom-cleaning water sprays....

However, did you know that only 10 years ago "squatty toilets ... dominated Japan?" Essentially, "China is basically where Japan was 20 years ago."

As Japan has done, I urge you to evolve your bathrooms and convert them from a place of fear and loathing, to one of delight and inspiration from which germs have been banished. Create a place where the experience isn't forgotten, but rather elevated to complement your retail experience.

Next: Advertising!

The latest Bathroom Blogfest '08 posts:
+ From Elizabeth, Bathroom Blogfest '08 - Critical Resources For When You're On The Go [Carpet Shopping?]
+ From Susan, Forgotten Space Blogfest - 2008 version
+ From David Polinchock, Thrillist : SitOrSquat
+ Please note that yesterday's post - Bathroom Blogfest '08 - Art & Shoppertainment - features as anchor photo an image from Kate Rutter's photostream. I came across it randomly while searching through Flickr...

Visit the members of the Bathroom Blogfest Community [BBC] for Bathroom Blogfest ’08 updates:

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Bathroom Blogfest '08 - Art & Shoppertainment

bathroom art at the green frog originally uploaded by kateruttr.

Today's post for Bathroom Blogfest '08 - Cleaning Up Forgotten Spaces Around Us touches on art -- art in a quiet, introspective sort of way, and art as a loud, attention getter for Shoppertainment.

I'm a visual thinker. As a result, I see art everywhere. Visual representations force me to reconsider what I take-for-granted. They also improve many forgotten spaces or force us to acknowledge otherwise forgotten spaces.

For example, are you familiar with Spanish realist Antonio Lopez Garcia? His works were exhibited at the MFA in Boston, MA this past summer. Art Historian and critic Karen Wilkin wrote A Poet of the Commonplace for the 6/3/2008 Wall Street Journal about Lopez Garcia. In fact, the print article included a startling bathroom image titled 'Sink and Mirror' from 1967 that immediately caught my attention. It's confrontational and somewhat disturbing, with a mirror that reflects an unexpected tile wall when it's a human being that we expect. He captures the ordinary, forcing the viewer to reconsider the 'commonplace.' [Do also read Claura Lieu's Antonio Lopez Garcia at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston which includes an image of a bathroom scene.]

Having reconsidered the commonplace, imagine using it to make a statement.

Here, Stan Lee shares a statement about a certain sort of mail in A thousand words.

Or, as Kizer & Bender urge here, If you only attend one decorative toilet seat event this year …, this is the one to attend. As it is over, you might be interested in checking over the guidelines in case you ever want to hold your own event or listen to a MetroChickradio.com interview from 2/27/08. [BTW, this 2002 San Francisco Chronicle describes Toilet seat art / Decorating the throne.]

Moving on to louder, attention-getting, shoppertainment statements...

Check out - also from Kizer & Bender - File under: You just can't make this stuff up ... relating to the Modern Toilet Diner in Taipei. No surprise, it has made the news [see Toilet-themed restaurant a flash in the pan or Modern Toilet diner [including the photos] and from Cool Hunting]. According to Modern Toilet Restaurant, this is a chain of 12 considering further expansion. Hmmm.

Loud statements, though, can tire one out. Once you've gotten used to the shock value, the novelty wears off. That's when I go back to those introspective quieter statements.

And, what comes to mind is this delicious article titled Snap Beans and Carpet Tacks by Cyndeth Allison from 02/05/2008 that makes me reappreciate those forgotten spaces in my home. Yes, those ones that really do need straightening and reorganizing, but that represent a buffer zone between me and the outside world.

Interpreting all of this for you, as important as it is to have attention-getting events to raise awareness about your store and retail experience, it's important to offer thoughtful consistency that matters to your shoppers and allows you to engage in their world while enjoying yours.

The latest Bathroom Blogfest '08 - Cleaning Out Forgotten Spaces posts include:
+ From Maria Palma - Bathroom Blogfest 2008: Creative Public Restrooms
+ From Stephanie Weaver - Forgotten Spaces Day 4
+ From Elizabeth Hise - Bathroom Blogfest '08 - Art of Living
+ From Marianna Hayes - The "Family Restroom" Experience

Visit the Bathroom Blogfest Community [BBC] for Bathroom Blogfest ’08 updates:

Susan Abbott at Customer Experience Crossroads
Katia Adams at Transcultural Marketing
Shannon Bilby at Floor Talk!
Laurence Borel at Blog Till You Drop
Jo Brown and the blogging team at Kohler Talk
Lisbeth Calandrino at Lisbeth Calandrino
Sara Cantor at The Curious Shopper
Becky Carroll at Customers Rock!
Katie Clark at Practical Katie
Iris Shreve Garrott at Circulating
Ann Handley at Annarchy
Marianna Hayes at Results Revolution
Elizabeth Hise and C.B. Whittemore at The Carpetology Blog
Maria Palma at Customers Are Always
Sandra Renshaw at Purple Wren
Kate Rutter at Adaptive Path
Claudia Schiepers at Life and its little pleasures
Carolyn Townes at Becoming a Woman of Purpose
Stephanie Weaver at Experienceology
C.B. Whittemore at Flooring The Consumer

For a taste of past posts, read Flooring The Consumer's posts from Bathroom Blogfest '06 and '07.

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Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Bathroom Blogfest '08 - A Place For Luxury

Small Luxury Hotel originally uploaded by mag3737.

Luxury Bathrooms are next up on the agenda for Bathroom Blogfest '08 - Cleaning Up Forgotten Spaces Around Us.

Although I touched every so briefly on luxury in Bathroom Blogfest 2008: Trends in Bathrooms, I uncovered enough material to merit full attention in this here post.

Luxury trends across the board affect us - in new product concepts, in service expectations, in color trends, in our retail experiences, and in how to clean up forgotten spaces. The notion of luxury has even evolved to affect every one of us personally when we debate whether to Trade Up or Treasure Hunt.

I offer you examples of luxury to consider.

In High-Style Himalayas - The Taj Tashi Thimphu hotel by P49 Deesign brings cosmopolitan flair to reclusive Bhutan, from the 4/1/2008 issue of Interior Design Magazine, Maria Shollenbarger describes a breathtakingly beautiful location and hotel. I love how the various spaces combine tradition and locally sourced materials. The bathrooms feature "freestanding soaking tubs, nickel-finished fittings, and heated travertine floors [that] signal luxury. The travertine and the walls' yellow marble were sourced from northern India" [do view the photo slideshow].

This next example, One Night in Paris - At L/B's Hotel Everland, contemporary art comes with room service, from the same issue of Interior Design, in an article by Seth Sherwood [with slideshow], describes an amazing concept that "playfully demolishes nearly every convention of the hotel business. There's no lobby, no reception desk, no fixed location, and only one guest room, a trailer-size structure." Different, isn't it? I'm happy to notice that most of the space is carpeted. The colors are bold [sky blue and yellow-green], the shapes curvaceously modern, and the views unexpected [check out the virtual visit]. You'll notice all kinds of storage nooks and the bathroom features Bermuda-blue mosaic tiles. All-in-all, the Hotel Everland combats "imaginative poverty."

Lisa Contreras forwarded this article titled Accommodations for the Discreetly Superrich by Alan Feuer to me. This example of the ultimate in luxury isn't about extreme opulence, but rather about intense hygiene and absolute cleanliness [although it includes plenty of technological wonders...]. Something we can all appreciate and yearn for from the public bathrooms we frequent.

The Wall Street Journal featured Spas in the Sky: Inside the Big Jets by Daniel Michaels and Stefania Bianchi this past September. I'm happy to learn that these forgotten spaces will soon feature - for those of us in coach - electric sockets and possibly additional leg room. In First Class, though, one might be lucky enough to experience a shower spa....

Finally, Trendwatching refers to the trend of 'Perkonomics' and more specifically the "No queue" perks. Their example is the Visa Signature Lounge at the Outside Lands festival in San Francisco. Interesting concept. I found reference to it at Westfield's San Francisco Shopping Centre last 12/20/07 thru 12/26/07 [with a better description in Visa Signature Lounge: Rest and Reward] and a review of the Outside Lands festival which bemoans the overly corporate quality of what looked to be an outstanding musical event.

[Interestingly, there's even a facebook page about the Signature Lounge referring you to visa.com/signature.]

What do you think about Luxury and its effect on forgotten spaces like bathrooms?

As extreme a concept, think how much goodwill you can generate with customers by offering them the ultimate luxury of a beautifully clean and pristine bathroom. If it works for luxury experiences, don't you think your customers will greatly appreciate it? After all, aren't they due the luxury touch?

The latest contributions to the Bathroom Blogfest '08 include:

+ From Jo Brown at Kohler - The Clean Look of a White Bathroom
+ From Marianna Reading Material anyone?
+ From Lolly Shop till you drop! (but don’t drop when you shop…)
+ From Shannon Quick Tips for Cleaning Bathrooms
+ From Carolyn, Bathroom Blogfest '08: Toilets and WC's
+ From Katia Bathroom Blogfest '08 - Cleaning Up Forgotten Spaces Around Us
+ From Carpetology, Bathroom Blogfest '08: Great Flooring Store Examples
+ From Stephanie Forgotten Spaces Day 3

Visit the Bathroom Blogfest Community [BBC] for Bathroom Blogfest ’08 updates:

It's Here!!! Age of Conversation 2. Now Available for Purchase.

Cover art created by David Armano.

It's here! Starting today, October 28, 2008, at 8am EST, we can now purchase The Age of Conversation 2 - Why Don't They Get It? from LuLu.com.

This is momentous. It's the result of an amazing global collaboration involving 237 authors from 15 different countries, all shepherded by our very own Drew McLellan in the US and Gavin Heaton in Australia.

Why? To raise $15,000 to benefit Variety, the children's charity.

[You may have read my posts on the subject: The Age of Conversation 2 - Update and The Age of Conversation - Why Don't They Get It?]

In short, Age of Conversation 2 - Why Don't They Get It? represents a must-buy, must-read book that covers the following 8 critical social media topics:

+ Manifestos -- Declarations, up front, on the Age of Conversation. Why don't people get it? What about companies? Where are things going? What can you help clarify?

+ Keeping Secrets in the Age of Conversation -- With everyone talking so much, why do we need secrets? What is the role of privacy? What about different personas and identities? Why don't consumers understand that their online conversations are tracked and can come back to haunt them?

+ Moving from Conversation to Action -- Talk is cheap, or so they say. What are the practical steps that businesses and brands can take to move from conversation to something more valuable to their business? And if it is so easy, why don't they just do it?

+ The Accidental Marketer -- People "fall into" marketing. They may study and qualify in a different discipline but somehow find themselves in marketing and advertising. What is the attraction? Or...have you known a company or brand who just seemed to naturally fall into marketing success? How do you think that happened?

+ A New Brand of Creative -- With the changes in the way that people communicate and collaborate online, marketing and advertising companies are needing to reach out and work with a new type of creative team. What do these "creatives" look like. What are their skills? Why do they evangelize digital and new media? And what are the challenges that they face?

+ My Marketing Tragedy -- A topic only for the brave ... Do you know a project that failed? Was it yours? What prevented success? What worked? And most importantly, what did you learn? Who didn't "get it" -- was it your client, your boss, the board, or (dare we ask) you?

+ Business Model Evolution -- Just as the markets and people are changing, so too are the business models around both clients and agencies. What is your take on this? What is working and what is not? Where will things go? What happens if an agency doesn't "get it". How do you measure "it" ... and where will things go?

+ Life in the Conversation Lane -- Bringing it all back to the individual -- how is life in a digitally connected, social world impacting our lives? What is the personal cost and what is the attraction? Is there a balance or are we just kidding ourselves?

My chapter will appear in the Business Model Evolution section. It is titled "Don't Be Myopic About Social Media."

As with the first Age of Conversation, 3 versions of the book are available for sale (hardback, paperback and e-book). Don't wait! Buy it now! If you need a better reason, then read Katie Chatfield's AOC2 - Let's Kick it!

To take part in the conversation around the book and the launch, follow @AOC2 on Twitter [just remember to use the hashtag #AOC2 whenever you tweet about the subject]. You might also subscribe to the AOC2 Podcast series [podcast feed here], to the Author profiles feed and share your excitement, interviews, clippings etc at the Age of Conversation Facebook group.

[There's even an Official AOC2 Widget™ in the works!]

Here are the 237 authors from 15 countries who came together for Age of Conversation 2 - Why Don't They Get It?
Adrian Ho, Aki Spicer, Alex Henault, Amy Jussel, Andrew Odom, Andy Nulman, Andy Sernovitz, Andy Whitlock, Angela Maiers, Ann Handley, Anna Farmery, Armando Alves, Arun Rajagopal, Asi Sharabi, Becky Carroll, Becky McCray, Bernie Scheffler, Bill Gammell, Bob LeDrew, Brad Shorr, Brandon Murphy, Branislav Peric, Brent Dixon, Brett Macfarlane, Brian Reich, C.C. Chapman, Cam Beck, Casper Willer, Cathleen Rittereiser, Cathryn Hrudicka, Cedric Giorgi, Charles Sipe, Chris Kieff, Chris Cree, Chris Wilson, Christina Kerley (CK), C.B. Whittemore, Chris Brown, Connie Bensen, Connie Reece, Corentin Monot, Craig Wilson, Daniel Honigman, Dan Schawbel, Dan Sitter, Daria Radota Rasmussen, Darren Herman, Dave Davison, David Armano, David Berkowitz, David Koopmans, David Meerman Scott, David Petherick, David Reich, David Weinfeld, David Zinger, Deanna Gernert, Deborah Brown, Dennis Price, Derrick Kwa, Dino Demopoulos, Doug Haslam, Doug Meacham, Doug Mitchell, Douglas Hanna, Douglas Karr, Drew McLellan, Duane Brown, Dustin Jacobsen, Dylan Viner, Ed Brenegar, Ed Cotton, Efrain Mendicuti, Ellen Weber, Eric Nehrlich, Ernie Mosteller, Faris Yakob, Fernanda Romano, Francis Anderson, Gareth Kay, Gary Cohen, Gaurav Mishra, Gavin Heaton, Geert Desager, George Jenkins, G. Kofi Annan, G.L. Hoffman, Gianandrea Facchini, Gordon Whitehead, Greg Verdino, Gretel Going & Kathryn Fleming, Hillel Cooperman, Hugh Weber, J. Erik Potter, James Gordon-Macintosh, Jamey Shiels, Jasmin Tragas, Jason Oke, Jay Ehret, Jeanne Dininni, Jeff De Cagna, Jeff Gwynne & Todd Cabral, Jeff Noble, Jeff Wallace, Jennifer Warwick, Jenny Meade, Jeremy Fuksa, Jeremy Heilpern, Jessica Hagy, Joanna Young, Joe Pulizzi, John Herrington, John Moore, John Rosen, John Todor, Jon Burg, Jon Swanson, Jonathan Trenn, Jordan Behan, Julie Fleischer, Justin Foster, Karl Turley, Kate Trgovac, Katie Chatfield, Katie Konrath, Kenny Lauer, Keri Willenborg, Kevin Jessop, Kristin Gorski, Lewis Green, Lois Kelly, Lori Magno, Louise Manning, Luc Debaisieux, Mario Vellandi, Mark Blair, Mark Earls, Mark Goren, Mark Hancock, Mark Lewis, Mark McGuinness, Matt Dickman, Matt J. McDonald, Matt Moore, Michael Karnjanaprakorn, Michelle Lamar, Mike Arauz, Mike McAllen, Mike Sansone, Mitch Joel, Neil Perkin, Nettie Hartsock, Nick Rice, Oleksandr Skorokhod, Ozgur Alaz, Paul Chaney, Paul Hebert, Paul Isakson, Paul McEnany, Paul Tedesco, Paul Williams, Pet Campbell, Pete Deutschman, Peter Corbett, Phil Gerbyshak, Phil Lewis, Phil Soden, Piet Wulleman, Rachel Steiner, Sreeraj Menon, Reginald Adkins, Richard Huntington, Rishi Desai, Robert Hruzek, Roberta Rosenberg, Robyn McMaster, Roger von Oech, Rohit Bhargava, Ron Shevlin, Ryan Barrett, Ryan Karpeles, Ryan Rasmussen, Sam Huleatt, Sandy Renshaw and James G. Lindberg, Scott Goodson, Scott Monty, Scott Townsend, Scott White, Sean Howard, Sean Scott, Seni Thomas, Seth Gaffney, Shama Hyder, Sheila Scarborough, Sheryl Steadman, Simon Payn, Sonia Simone, Spike Jones, Stanley Johnson, Stephen Collins, Stephen Landau, Stephen Smith, Steve Bannister, Steve Hardy, Steve Portigal, Steve Roesler, Steven Verbruggen, Steve Woodruff, Sue Edworthy, Susan Bird, Susan Gunelius, Susan Heywood, Tammy Lenski, Terrell Meek, Thomas Clifford, Thomas Knoll, Tim Brunelle, Tim Connor, Tim Jackson, Tim Mannveille, Tim Tyler, Timothy Johnson, Tinu Abayomi-Paul, Toby Bloomberg, Todd Andrlik, Troy Rutter, Troy Worman, Uwe Hook, Valeria Maltoni, Vandana Ahuja, Vanessa DiMauro, Veronique Rabuteau, Wayne Buckhanan, William Azaroff, Yves Van Landeghem

Won't you support our effort to help Variety? Purchase your copy today from LuLu.com.

Thank you!

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Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Bathroom Blogfest '08: Dressing Rooms

miley cyrus dressing room originally uploaded by g.n.o32.

Next on my agenda for Bathroom Blogfest '08 - Cleaning Up Forgotten Spaces Around Us: Dressing Rooms...

True, dressing rooms aren't bathrooms. But, they are often overlooked and dismally depressing [think Loemann's or even TJ Maxx]. Paco Underhill, in Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping, equates bad changing rooms to "bathrooms without the plumbing" which are "design[ed]... with all the romance and glamour of changing stalls at public pools."

What a mistake! Dressing rooms, fitting rooms or changing rooms - according to Paco - "may be more important that the floor of the store." Think about it. A dressing room is where a customer tries ideas on for size; it's where she becomes involved with the product. She interacts with it and, as a result, engages fully in your store and in all that it has to offer. This process takes time. It usually means that your customer is serious and in full buying mode.

Paco even developed a formula after extensive observation: "shopper conversion rate increases by half where there is a staff-initiated contact, and it jumps by 100 percent when there is a staff-initiated contact and use of the dressing room."

Are you paying attention?

Now, perhaps dressing rooms are irrelevant to your category. Nonetheless, even if you are selling flooring, you need an area where your customer can try ideas on for size, where she can consider possibilities and accessorize her choices. It's the same concept as trying on clothes, and needs the same kind of careful attention...

Here for your consideration are examples of stores that fully understand how important dressing rooms are to the selling process. Visit them, observe what makes these changing rooms critical to the retail experience, watch how customers interact with them and also how sales associates facilitate the customer's buying process via the fitting room. Then, think how you might translate some or all of these considerations to your store.

My favorites:
+ Urban Outfitters
+ Anthropologie
+ Coldwater Creek - where a sales associate is assigned to the fitting rooms specifically to help shoppers find what's missing
+ Even Macy's has added banquette seating and TVs outside its changing rooms.

VMSD's August 2008 issue features an article titled Dressing Up the Dressing Room by Lauren Mang. It makes the point that "dressing rooms should be an experience." The print version includes photos of Love Culture in Los Angeles, Galeries Lafayette's Berlin store, G by Guess in Hollywood Hills, Geometry in Berlin, Te Casan, Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters.

The article touches on the evolution of the fitting room experience into one that is about community. It states that "common areas in fitting rooms give shoppers a place to hang out with friends and interact with other shoppers." Have you noticed the increase in sofas and chairs with coffee tables loaded with fun reading materials outside changing rooms? [Think, too, about how social an Apple Store experience can be.]

As you consider the dressing room experience and how you might apply it to your store, here are ideas:
+ Can you create a comfortable nook or area with table and comfortable chairs?
+ Can you surround it with ideas? Color boards and vignettes and maybe even examples of other successful concepts or installations?
+ How friendly and engaging is the lighting?
+ Can you make the experience social?
+ Can you include other sensory elements?

If you have other ideas on how to incorporate the dressing room notion into the store experience, please do share them. This Bathroom Blogfest '08 - Cleaning Up Forgotten Spaces Around Us is all about identifying and sharing best practices to improve all of the forgotten spaces affecting the customer experience.

Next: Luxury Bathrooms

These are the latest Bathroom Blogfest '08 updates from the BBC:
+ From Marianna What would momma say if she knew I was participating in "Bathroom Blogfest '08 - Cleaning Up Forgotten Spaces Around Us"?
+ From The Carpetology Blog Bathroom Blogfest '08 - How Hotels Inspire Me
+ From Shannon, great water saving tips in “Bathroom Blogfest ‘08 - Cleaning Up Forgotten Spaces Around Us”
+ From Stephanie Forgotten Spaces Day 2
+ From Claudia 3 American toilet things to hate

The Bathroom Blogfest Community [BBC] for Bathroom Blogfest ’08 consists of:

Monday, October 27, 2008

Bathroom Blogfest 2008: Trends in Bathrooms

Image courtesy of Ottawa At Home

I'm fascinated with trends. They offer an opportunity to gaze into the future, to look back on where we've been and to take into account the present. For that reason, I'm kicking off Bathroom Blogfest '08 - Cleaning Up Forgotten Spaces Around Us with trends in bathrooms.

You might be wondering "so what?" particularly if you're thinking that your store has nothing to do with bathrooms...

Do you have a bathroom on your premises? Do customers ever visit those premises?

If you answered "yes," then pay attention.

Pay even closer attention if any aspect of what you offer has to do with the home. Because bathrooms matter in homes, and they are the one common element that a customer experiences in your store that has the potential to be home-like.

My favorite bathroom trend has to do with ergonomics and comes from Villeroy & Boch courtesy of Sphere Trending. Imagine, a bathroom concept that offers a stylish solution to evolving as our physical needs change over time. It's practical and attractive. I love it. I also expect this kind of thinking to affect kitchen design.

According to Home Channel News and its 5/5/2008 article on Scouting trends in the bathroom by Kate Fazzini [link to article doesn't work; through HCN search, it's available for purchase], "new colors and technological advances" are what we can expect more of in bathrooms. The article refers to tubs than can be painted, iPod-like control devices, chromatherapy, easy-to-clean toilets and surfaces and water conservation-friendly flush technology. The article claims that black is a color to watch in bathrooms. Hmmm.

When I Googled 'bathroom trends,' I came across several interesting resources. Kohler Trends in the bathroom lists the following trends: luxury, standalone vanities, adding color, reinventing retro, the warmth of nature, chromatherapy, all the shades of white, vintage baths, bold color in the bath, vessel sinks, faucet finishes. Each trend has a link to an in-depth article with photos and more information.

Another came from MSN Real Estate. Titled "13 top bathroom remodel trends - From heated floors to soaking tubs to flat-screen TVs, the emphasis today is on luxury and comfort" by Christopher Solomon, it referred to large, airy showers; noisy jacuzzis replaced with soaking tubs; let the light in; steam bath; the big blow; walling off the loo; bathroom as entertainment zone; smarter storage; dueling vanities; grab bars; bring on the heat; good tiles; on-demand water heaters and other green products.

I discovered this last resource while looking at images related to the Google search above. What’s making a splash? Discover Ottawa’s top 10 bathroom trends refers to serene retreat, steamy choice, furnish your bathroom, getting wired, the heat is on, bringing the outdoors in, fancy faucets, the great wall, sparkle time, and going green. There's also information on color trends. Hint: the picture above captures it all.

Notice the commonalities among these trends:
+ enhancing private luxury
+ creating a place to retreat and recharge
+ appealing to the senses with color, scents, sounds, and textures
+ practicality - from better storage, to improved ergonomics, heat/warmth and cleanliness
+ ensuring a better use of resources

As it relates to water conservation [i.e., better use of resources], Todd Weber at Kohler shared with me recent news that the EPA had just recognized Kohler in EPA Taps Kohler for Inaugural Partner of the Year Award for their involvement in the WaterSense program [WaterSense toilets were featured during the 2007 Charmin PottyPalooza!] and for sponsoring the new IMAX film, Grand Canyon Adventure: River At Risk. Very exciting!

As you consider these bathroom trends, think which ones you might easily reflect within your store. Are there ideas that your store offerings can supplement or coordinate with? Are there similar colors or textures? Or perhaps a look and feel or design style?

Next, Dressing Rooms...

The latest updates
+ Hidden Behind Forgotten Customer Spaces from Iris at Circulating
+ Bathroom Blogfest '08 - Cleaning Up Forgotten Spaces Around Us from Elizabeth
+ Bathroom Blogfest '08 - Potty Parity from Elizabeth
+ Bathroom Blogfest ‘08 - Cleaning Up Forgotten Spaces Around Us from Shannon at Floor Talk!
+ Forgotten Spaces: The 2008 Bathroom Blogfest continues from Stephanie at Experienceology

Visit the members of the Bathroom Blogfest Community [BBC] for Bathroom Blogfest ’08 updates:

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Announcing Bathroom Blogfest '08: Cleaning Up Forgotten Spaces Around Us

The Bathroom Blogfest is back for 2008!

This is the third year that we draw attention to the customer experience by highlighting how forgotten places - like bathrooms - should receive the kind of tender loving care that customers appreciate and want to associate with you.

Yeah? So what?

Because how well you manage bathrooms and other similar forgotten spaces communicates critical information to customers... about what kind of treatment they can expect from you during their initial transaction and throughout a longterm relationship with you.

The long and the short of it is that bathrooms matter. And the Bathroom Blogfest represents an opportunity to demonstrate how much they matter.

Here's what I anticipate addressing during this week's Bathroom Blogfest '08 - Cleaning Up Forgotten Spaces Around Us...

+ Trends in Bathrooms - it's good to know where bathrooms are headed so you can be prepared.
+ Dressing Rooms - the next most forgotten space after bathrooms.
+ Luxury Bathrooms - oh, wait til you catch some of these!
+ Bathroom inspired art - both eye-catching and thought-provoking...
+ Fear and the Bathroom - for Halloween!
+ Bathroom inspired marketing.

The word is already out about Bathroom Blogfest '08:
+ Lolly was the first with Bathroom Blogfest ‘08 - Cleaning Up Forgotten Spaces Around
+ Shannon posted about it in Floor Talk Invited to Participate in Bathroom Blogfest with WearDated
+ Darryl provocatively posted blog while you lay a log.
+ The latest is from David with Facebook The 2008 Bathroom Blogfest - Cleaning Up Forgotten Spaces All Around Us.

Please join us to raise awareness about the importance of the customer experience during Bathroom Blogfest '08 week. Share your experiences with us. Join the conversation via comments, through your own blogposts, join the Facebook event, get the word out on via Twitter and YouTube and post photos on Flickr. I guarantee you will learn a lot, have fun, and definitely view your customer retail experience with renewed appreciation and perspective! Each blogger participating has her own take on how the bathrooms affect the customer experience...

Visit the following bloggers for Bathroom Blogfest ’08 updates:
Susan Abbott at Customer Experience Crossroads
Katia Adams at Transcultural Marketing
Shannon Bilby at Floor Talk!
Laurence Borel at Blog Till You Drop
Jo Brown and the blogging team at Kohler Talk
Lisbeth Calandrino at Lisbeth Calandrino
Sara Cantor at The Curious Shopper
Becky Carroll at Customers Rock!
Katie Clark at Practical Katie
Iris Shreve Garrott at Circulating
Ann Handley at Annarchy
Marianna Hayes at Results Revolution
Elizabeth Hise and C.B. Whittemore at The Carpetology Blog
Maria Palma at Customers Are Always
Sandra Renshaw at Purple Wren
Kate Rutter at Adaptive Path
Claudia Schiepers at Life and its little pleasures
Carolyn Townes at Becoming a Woman of Purpose
Stephanie Weaver at Experienceology
C.B. Whittemore at Flooring The Consumer

For a taste of past posts, read Flooring The Consumer's posts from Bathroom Blogfest '06 and '07.

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Friday, October 24, 2008

The Great Round The World Envelope Race

I have been on pins and needles even since hearing that the Great Round The World Envelope Race has begun... and that an envelope is headed my way.

I'm the first stop on a round-the-world journey [I hope in less than eighty days] for Team Power Tac's envelope. We compete against Team Manila.

Some background: New Guardian - a British envelope company - believes passionately in the envelope and its importance. And, in conjunction with Pushing the Envelope, they have decided to organize an international cultural envelope race with the help of bloggers from around the world! The aim of this campaign is to challenge the perception that envelopes are boring.

Stop for a minute.

Do you believe envelopes are boring? I love envelopes. I love mail. I love stamps. I love the sense of anticipatory excitement when I get mail. Unfortunately, as I've evolved, matured, progressed up Maslow's hierarchy of needs, I've noticed that the envelopes I receive aren't as exciting as they once were.... Bills, invoices, requests for money, and other dreary and unexciting pieces of mail fill my mailbox.

Not so for this envelope!

The envelope will be sent from the UK - with details posted on the Pushing the Envelope blog along with companion posts on team member sites - and travel to the USA [me], Australia, Italy, France and Belgium before returning to the UK!

Here are the members of Brilliant Team Power Tac [in addition to me]...

In Australia - Jodi's blog - Lightening - captures marvelous detail on the intricacies of life. It's filled with detail and photos about travelling with her family and nuggets of interest that matter to her, and her readers.

In Italy - Simone is a talented web-designer who lives in Milan and blogs about Marketing Buzz, turning case studies into mini-adventures! Her blog is Da grande saro una pizzulata.

In France – Nicolas is passionate about the Internet, music, American TV series, and anything to do with the 1980s. His blog Je tube is considered ‘le must read blog for a nostalgic trip down memory lane!’

In Belgium – Vincent, who is at the forefront of Social Media and cutting edge technologies, is the ‘early-adopter’ extraordinaire – and has kept many an avid follower in up-to-the-minute information about all things 2.0. His blog is Le blog de Vincent Battaglia.

As the package travels, it will deliver the unexpected. As each recipient opens the envelope, s/he will be surprised by what the sender included, and then include a new item for the next recipient.

I'm still in Phoenix. I hope my envelope waits for me to return to New Jersey before arriving. I can't wait to receive my envelope. When I do, I will share with you the experience of opening the Great Round The World Envelope for a Race that captures both Web 2.0 and old world versions of conveying information.

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Thursday, October 23, 2008

Meet Suzanne Swenson, Karastan Territory Manager

Suzy Swenson knows flooring and, more specifically, carpet. Not just as an industry insider, but with an eye for design and how the product meets the needs of the carpet consumer and the retailers selling the carpet. I've heard it firsthand from retailers she calls on and experienced it myself when I asked Suzy for perspective on several Karastan carpet styles.

She brings passion to her role as Karastan Territory Manager as well as terrific focus on customers and consumers. Suzy is a Woman in Flooring.

CB: Suzy, tell me about yourself.

SS: I began in Sales with IBM many years ago. First, as a Marketing Representative and then as a Systems Engineer. I was responsible for selling, installing and educating customers about IBM Computers and Software. IBM is where I learned the basics of marketing and sales.

After 5 years I took on my most rewarding job, that of Mom to 2 kids. Kids, ha! They are both grown and have lives of their own now. Our daughter Amanda is married and living in San Francisco, CA loving life and living it to the fullest. Our son is on the swim team at USC - go Trojans! Kevin has been swimming since before he learned to walk!

We have moved extensively over the years. Where ever we went, I found part-time positions that ranged from Executive Assistant, to Marketing roles and Seamstress. All taught me organization, planning, marketing and outside the box thinking! I worked for a Milliner in Connecticut who had me restoring vintage clothes and accessories. I also created numerous embellishments that she used in her hat designs. I became adept at looking at fashion magazines and reinterpreting styles and trends.

The best was restoring vintage clothing and accessories! Today I still spend time in my sewing studio coming up with new ideas. Right now my favorite is to give new life to cast offs. If a piece has good fabric and color, it becomes something new for the next season! I call it "rebirthing my used-to-bes". Today, colors, textures and elements from nature come alive when I visualize decorating schemes. All those years of being exposed to textiles and fashion have enabled me to help customers identify with trends and translate that into their design process.

CB: How did you get started in the flooring business?

SS: I answered an ad in Monsterjobs.com for a Marketing Representative in the flooring industry. The ad offered travel, fun and excitement! I really had no idea what I was in for! However, "Marketing" is like a magnet to me. Selling, whether a national brand or my own brand comes easy to me. I love being able to transfer my brand knowledge along with design elements to people wanting to learn more. It's always a win-win situation when I make my daily calls on customers.

I spent 5 years with Wear-Dated as a Marketing Representative in Austin, TX before becoming a Territory Manager with Karastan in 2006. I love selling Karastan! Karastan carpet and rugs are timeless! Everyday I learn more about the styles, the colors and the influences behind them. I'm a textile junkie!

Although there are differences between working for the oldest name in the carpet industry and the strongest name in carpet fiber, as a result I now have more in-depth knowledge of the entire carpet product. I feel more confident in selling design solutions than I ever have. I have collected and registered valuable knowledge from the flooring industry, and I continue to do so everyday. I share this knowledge daily with my customers and we all succeed.

CB: What do you like most and least about the flooring industry?

SS: Most - There are so many choices for so many styles, colors and combinations of both for completing any home decor. The industry just keeps on improving the technology for performance in durability, cleanability and liveability. The styling and colors of products is very innovative, keeping the home in pace with the rest of the fashion industry.

Least - There are so many choices... it's too hard to choose. It can take weeks to find what will be the perfect solution. I am in that process right now for my home -- and I have flooring knowledge and experience. Imagine what it's like for consumers.

CB: What 5 things would you do differently to improve the flooring retail experience for consumers ?

SS: Here you go...

1. Visualization -- With today's technology it would be great for a consumer to take a picture of her living room and bring it in to the store, upload it, and add flooring options to see the product in her home. Some retailers are doing this online, I'd like to see it taken to the next level and create a design room in the store using the same tools.

2. Vignettes -- Create the whole picture with textiles for windows, beds, furniture as well as flooring just for effect and ideas.

3. Education -- Many people really do not understand what all these choices really mean. Some may not care, but once they know what it all means, it could make a difference in their decisions.
4. Comfort -- When I am shopping and my feet hurt or am thirsty all I can think about is getting this experience over with!! I'd like to see more comforts of home available to me. Many of my customers have this environment, and their customers are comfortable and have energy to shop!

5. Showing the consumer how home fashion really does follow Haute Couture trends. Someday a runway show incorporating home fashion will be an element of marketing for the flooring industry. Hmmm, I wonder...

CB: What carpet trends - construction, style and color - have you seen are strongest?

SS: Color. Today it's all about color! If it is not the right color it could be so discouraging to the consumer. Today, styles are freshened up with new colors that actually follow the rest of the fashion industry. Custom colors are really big now! A consumer can bring in a swatch of fabric and have her carpet dyed to match or select from a huge color bank.

CB: What about blogs, social media, etc. How do you see them affecting how you do business?

SS: I haven't really gotten into those yet, but it is inevitable. It's the technology "GRAPEVINE" We used to depend on face to face interaction to learn about what's going on in our neighborhoods, schools and communities. When looking for recommendations on where to shop or what to buy, we used to ask our friends where they bought that fabulous piece of carpet. Today, people prefer to "GOOGLE" than to "GOSSIP". I am guilty of that one! So now the blogs, social media become our grapevine and the opinions are viewed by millions rather than by our next door neighbor! It's genius!!

Thank you, Suzy!

Other Women In Flooring posts include:
+ Meet Lisbeth Calandrino - Executive Coach Extraordinaire
+ Meet Jenny Cross: Sr. Brand Manager, Mohawk Residential
+ Meet Kim Gavin, Editor, Floor Covering Weekly
+ WFCA's Floor Talk! Blog: Meet Shannon Bilby

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