AHFA Launches Enhanced Consumer Website

Furniture World Magazine

Shopping for furniture just became easier, thanks to an enhanced consumer website launched this week by the American Home Furnishings Alliance. Among the new features at www.findyourfurniture.com are a room planner and an expanded furniture locator that helps consumers shop for both indoor and outdoor furniture. The room planner allows consumers to enter the dimensions of the room they wish to decorate, then move around icons representing the furnishings they currently own, along with those they wish to purchase. “Once they have identified the pieces they need, they may want to review the latest styles available,” explains Jackie Hirschhaut, AHFA vice president. “Our ‘Style Finder’ has just been updated with new photos and descriptions of the five most representative style categories.” The most frequented feature on the website since its creation in 2002 is the “Furniture Finder.” Feedback from consumers who have used the site prompted AHFA to refine the database that supports the Furniture Finder. Now, consumers begin their search by selecting indoor furniture or outdoor furniture. “There has been so much interest in furnishing the ‘outdoor room’ in recent years,” Hirschhaut notes. “We decided to make it easier for consumers to shop the wide spectrum of products now available for making their outdoor living areas as comfortable as their indoor living areas.” When shopping for indoor furnishings, consumers can search the vast database by product, style or price. When shopping for outdoor furnishings, they search by product, material (such as aluminum, wicker or wrought iron) or price. Each search produces a list of companies that produce products that meet the shopper’s criteria. The list of companies includes a link to each manufacturer’s own website, where the consumer will usually find a dealer locator or a customer service number. Other features on the AHFA website include: Style Profiler – A quick quiz designed to help consumers decide which styles are right for them. Trend Watch – Reports on the latest home furnishings trends. Ask Jackie – An opportunity to email furniture-related questions to Hirschhaut. Shopping Tips – Checklists to help demystify the furniture shopping process. Furniture Care & Safety Tips – The latest care and safety information related to household furnishings. The American Home Furnishings Alliance – located in High Point, N.C. and Washington, D.C. – is the largest alliance of home furnishings companies in the world and represents more than 200 leading furniture manufacturers and distributors, as well as 225 suppliers to the furniture industry worldwide.