How Infinity uses stealth to get customers to try its massage chairs - Furniture Today

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SEABROOK, N.H. – Infinity Massage Chairs has developed a strategic program for its dealers to get customers who might ordinarily say “no, thanks” when presented with a massage chair to finally say “yes.”

By placing massage chairs in unexpected slots in showrooms, the result has been a boost in chair sales for the dealers deploying the strategy, according to Infinity.

“We found that consumer trial is driving sales for us. We strategically placed the chairs adjacent to our finance area,” said Jordan Storey, vice president of Wichita Furniture. “The placement allows our guests a convenient spot to relax and try out a new product during any wait they may experience, which greatly enhances our shopping experience.” Wichita is a second-generation, family business preparing to open its fourth brick-and-mortar store with a 105,000-square-foot showroom.

Retailers carrying its massage chairs have been seeing a spike in sales, despite the chairs’ typical retail price of $5,500 to $7,500, according to the company.

“We’ve found that placing the chairs near the bedding area worked well because many consumers will place their massage chairs in a bedroom. In other cases, we found that displaying them in areas where consumers naturally congregate, like counter areas, drove up sales as well,” added Tom Kovash, vice president of Furniture Mart USA, a Top 100 retailer with 50 stores located throughout the Midwest.

According to retailers, by placing the massage chairs in customer waiting and operational areas, shoppers are able to interact with and experience the product, even if they were not intending to shop for a massage chair when they entered the store.

“Product placement is extremely important in encouraging high-involvement purchases. By placing the products in ‘unexpected’ places in the store, we have found consumers are more apt to try the chair,” said Michael Milone, vice president of retail sales and business development for Infinity. “The strategy is much less in-your-face and that is less threatening to many consumers. The fact it that it is working really well for our dealers.”

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