NEW CASTLE, Del. -- Igor Yakovenko of Airbase Carpet & Tile Mart will travel to the Atlanta International Area Rug Market next week to keep up with the latest rug trends--a task he says is one of the most important aspects of his position as rug buyer for the 10-store chain.
Rugs make up more than 10 percent of the retailer's approximately $51 million in annual sales, and though Airbase Carpet & Tile Mart has provided area rugs, carpet, tile and hardwood flooring to customers in Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey for more than 35 years, Yakovenko says rug trends are now changing more quickly than ever before.
The rug business "changes very rapidly today," Yakovenko said. "It's much more dynamic than five or 10 years ago. In the old days, you'd create a line and get 10 years of solid sales out of it. Now, if you get three years of good sales before you have to cut it, that's a huge success.
"More and more, I think we are in the fashion business," Yakovenko said. "If you don't follow trends, you're going to miss a lot of sales. You'll fall behind. If you show customers old merchandise, you're going to miss out.
"You have to be a surfer on top of the wave all the time."
Technology a Double-Edged Sword
The broad assortment of area rugs at Airbase Carpet & Tile Mart stores includes more machine made rugs than ever before.
Airbase--like most rug sellers--has seen a major shift toward lower-priced rugs.
"We sell a lot more machine-made rugs now," Yakovenko said. "Technology has gone so far: The fiber, the dyeing techniques and the textures have gotten so good in machine-made rugs.
"But technology is a double-edged sword. The rugs sell much faster, and it brings fashion to the masses. At the same time, it's killing the upscale business. I think, as an industry, we've created a good looking, disposable product."
The Need for Speed
Yakovenko cited another major and relatively recent change in the area rug industry. He dubbed it a "segregation" between the companies who do business in a new way, and those continuing older, slower practices.
"Some of the older-minded companies still show you a sample in January and gauge your reaction," Yakovenko said. "They'll make a decision whether to order it, and you might see it in June. Other companies show it in January, and say, 'Yes, I have it in stock, and I'll send it next week.'" The second type of companies are the ones that are making it happen right now, and the first kind are really falling behind."
Yakovenko says consumer color choices at its 10 Airbase Carpet & Tile Mart bricks and mortar stores differ from those shopping its national website.
Monitoring Trends Online
Another way that Yakovenko stays on top of the trend wave is to monitor rug sales on Airbase's impressive website, shop.carpetmart.com. Online, Airbase simplifies rug shopping by breaking area rugs into style categories including: transitional, casual, shag, modern and more, from a selection of name brand rug suppliers.
In contrast to Airbase's brick-and-mortar mid-Atlantic region customers, shop.carpetmart.com, is shopped by consumers across the country. The nationwide customer base provides Yakovenko with a quick and easy snapshot of what's selling throughout the United States.
"Color choices and trends are different in Texas than in Pennsylvania and Delaware," Yakovenko said. "With our website, I can see what's trending nationally. It gives me another opportunity to see what customers really want."
A bold exterior at Airbase Carpet & Tile Mart reinforces the chain's value proposition as a supercenter for all categories of floor covering.