Domain News & Press

As a both a leader and trendsetter in the home fashions industry, Domain has always received substantial press coverage. In addition to Domain Home Fashions, the charitable and entrepreneurial activities of the founder of Domain, Judy George, have won the company plaudits as a civic leader and as an advocate of women entrepreneurship. Below are just a few of the recent press releases and other articles written about Domain.

SOUP, SANDWICH, or SOFA

Domain Home Fashions announces an innovative "Daily Luncheon Special" promotion for its popular Internet Site

Norwood, MA - March 26, 2001 - You may be used to your local diner or deli running daily luncheon specials, but a home furniture retailer? To cater to its large and growing audience of lunch-time shoppers at its Internet site, the 22-store furniture retailer will offer a different daily special each day in April. On each day of April between the hours of 11:30 AM and 1:00 PM, Domain will offer a special savings coupon on its web site (www.domain-home.com) for one specific item in its stores. Visit the site at 1:01 PM and you're too late for that day's "luncheon special." If you have your heart set on a specific item, then you'll have to visit domain-home.com every day until your item is that day's "special." Judy George, Domain Founder and CEO, commented on her company's innovative marketing program. "I remember playing hooky as a child from school to go with my mother to special sales at Filenes Basement in Boston. Although we were looking for bargains, half the fun was the 'thrill of the chase.' We want to give that same sense of excitement to our Internet site. In addition, we think that it's a great way to get customers to return to our web site often." In looking at who is visiting the Company's web site, the retailer found that there is a large audience of working women dialing in between the hours of 11:30 AM and 1:00 PM. Instead of going out to lunch, these busy professional women are clicking through the furniture collections on Domain's extensive site. Although visitors to Domain's web site arrive from places like AOL and other Internet service providers, Domain discovered that corporate America was also high on the list of where visitors to its web site were logging in from. Among the top 30 Internet addresses were every major Wall Street investment bank, most of the major brokerage firms, two leading pharmaceutical companies, several Fortune 500 firms, and even a large government agency. How does Domain know these visitors are women? Many who visit domain-home.com also enroll for the company's email newsletter. Of those who enroll, 80% are women. This is not surprising, since women make 90% of all furniture purchasing decisions. In a study by Media Metrix/Jupiter Communications reported in USA Today (08/00/00), the number of women on the web has surpassed the number of men by a ratio of 50.4% to 49.6%. In addition, women and men use the web differently, the study found. "Women are really pressed for time and juggling many demands. For them, the Internet is really a productivity tool." "Although we are relatively new to the Internet," Judy George continued, "we are quickly learning how consumers behave. We discovered from answers to our on-line survey that many women walk through one of our retail stores in the week prior to visiting our web site. They go to our web site to look again at that sofa, table, or bed that they saw in one of our stores and really want to buy. They just need to build up the courage to make that large purchase. I remember my husband doing the same thing when he bought his last car. It was a week of researching and looking at the car on-line before he went back to the showroom." Commenting about furniture retailing on the Internet, which has seen several spectacular failures, Judy George mentions the word excitement again. "Most on-line furniture retailers had no sense of fun or excitement. Successful off-line retailers have always known that this was an important part of the retailing mix. Look at bricks and mortar furniture successes like Domain or Jordan's Furniture (another Massachusetts furniture retailer). People love to walk though these stores because they are fun. You have to recreate that on-line. On the day that one of our customers hits on the "daily luncheon special coupon" that she has been waiting for, I want her to stand up in her cubicle or office and do a little victory dance." Domain Home Fashions, founded in 1985, operates 22 retail stores in high-traffic, upscale malls and sites from Boston to Washington, D.C. Well-loved for its affordable decorator looks, fully accessorized displays and classic European-style furnishings, Domain has won numerous industry and customer awards, including Outstanding National Furniture Store Chain. Domain's Founder and CEO, Judy George, has also won many awards, is a best-selling author and has appeared on national TV, radio shows and in magazines.

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