Page 79 - Lighting Magazine - August 2013
P. 79
Showrooms are speaking.
Suppliers are listening.
Numerous lighting suppliers have a link on their website that direct customers to buy
online. These suppliers are channeling sales away from traditional brick and mortar
showrooms in favor of national e-commerce distributors. It is estimated that brick and mortar
showrooms may be loosing as much as 15% of their potential sales to the internet.
Brick and mortar lighting showrooms are the backbone of our industry. They support
suppliers by purchasing product for their inventory as well as product to go on display in their
showrooms. These small businesses have made in investment and commitment to their
employees, community and suppliers, yet continue to loose as much as 15% of their potential
sales because suppliers are directing customers to buy online.
The number of vendors that currently have buy online links to national e-commerce sites
is on the rise. Competitive lighting vendors want to stay out in front, and many of them believe
that e-commerce is a gateway to additional sales. However, this strategy is flawed. These “buy
online links are simply channeling consumers that have made the decision to buy, toward a
specific distributor.
Lighting professionals are speaking out and asking lighting suppliers to reevaluate the
decision to direct online shoppers to buy online. Their hope is that these vendors will see the
value that brick and mortar lighting showrooms offer customers and lighting suppliers.
Brick and Mortar Lighting Showrooms are seeking two things. 1. Remove the link from
supplier owned websites that direct customers to buy online and, 2. Stop drop-shipping product
to customers that are outside a distributor s market area. Lighting showrooms believe that these
two policy changes, if made by vendors, will help define future partnerships.
Brick and mortar showrooms acknowledge that there are dozens of major lighting vendors
that DO NOT push sales away from their stores, and are grateful for those vendors support.
Spread the word about the concerns that brick and mortar showrooms have over the sales they
are losing to national e-commerce websites that are linked directly to lighting suppliers. Look for
vendors that support brick and mortar lighting showrooms.
Find out more at BrickandMortarLighting.com
Suppliers are listening.
Numerous lighting suppliers have a link on their website that direct customers to buy
online. These suppliers are channeling sales away from traditional brick and mortar
showrooms in favor of national e-commerce distributors. It is estimated that brick and mortar
showrooms may be loosing as much as 15% of their potential sales to the internet.
Brick and mortar lighting showrooms are the backbone of our industry. They support
suppliers by purchasing product for their inventory as well as product to go on display in their
showrooms. These small businesses have made in investment and commitment to their
employees, community and suppliers, yet continue to loose as much as 15% of their potential
sales because suppliers are directing customers to buy online.
The number of vendors that currently have buy online links to national e-commerce sites
is on the rise. Competitive lighting vendors want to stay out in front, and many of them believe
that e-commerce is a gateway to additional sales. However, this strategy is flawed. These “buy
online links are simply channeling consumers that have made the decision to buy, toward a
specific distributor.
Lighting professionals are speaking out and asking lighting suppliers to reevaluate the
decision to direct online shoppers to buy online. Their hope is that these vendors will see the
value that brick and mortar lighting showrooms offer customers and lighting suppliers.
Brick and Mortar Lighting Showrooms are seeking two things. 1. Remove the link from
supplier owned websites that direct customers to buy online and, 2. Stop drop-shipping product
to customers that are outside a distributor s market area. Lighting showrooms believe that these
two policy changes, if made by vendors, will help define future partnerships.
Brick and mortar showrooms acknowledge that there are dozens of major lighting vendors
that DO NOT push sales away from their stores, and are grateful for those vendors support.
Spread the word about the concerns that brick and mortar showrooms have over the sales they
are losing to national e-commerce websites that are linked directly to lighting suppliers. Look for
vendors that support brick and mortar lighting showrooms.
Find out more at BrickandMortarLighting.com
