MSI taps hybrid potential with Smithcliffs line

Waterproof hybrid rigid core flooring. It might be a mouthful but it’s also chock-full of features that tap directly into the wants and needs of today’s consumer. Namely, superior performance at an exceptional value—and design prowess to boot. That’s exactly what you get with MSI’s Smithcliffs collection.

“This is the next big thing in the resilient industry,” Sam Kim, senior vice president, product, told FCNews. “Demand of this category continues to intrigue consumers, and nearly every major big box now features the hybrid resilient category—making this a truly mainstream product category that no dealer should miss out on.”

The Smithcliffs hybrid rigid core flooring series is billed as the next big thing in worry-proof flooring. Featuring MSI-exclusive engineering, Smithcliffs features an extra-thick solid core construction with a pre-attached, 2mm closed-cell comfort and acoustic pad. It also features MSI’s patent-pending DryLuxe technology offering 100% waterproof protection.

These features may sound familiar but with Smithcliffs they are achieved uniquely. “First, and foremost, Smithcliffs is a wood-based hybrid rigid core product versus a LVF (vinyl) product,” Kim explained. “Second, Smithcliffs becomes ‘waterproof’ with non-PVC resins and polymers; so, it is quite different from LVF products. Lastly, Smithcliffs is waterproof through a process called Dryluxe, which is a treatment of the wood-fiber core, making it waterproof right out of the carton—not based solely on installation.”

Waterproof, Kim noted, is a category unto its own in today’s world and should be approached by retailers as such when it comes to not only merchandising its product offering but educating its customers.

“Waterproof is a category, even if only subliminally, so the retailer should offer different choices to their consumers,” he said. “There is a part of the consumer base that prefers—even greatly prefers—wood-based products but do not realize that there are waterproof wood-based products on the market. They assume waterproof products are all LVF products. If the retailers are asking open-ended questions, qualifying their consumer, when they find a lean toward wood-based products, they can capitalize on that preference by displaying Smithcliffs, understanding Smithcliffs and being able to walk through all the benefits of Smithcliffs.”

A major piece of that benefit package is the product’s CrystaLux Ultra protection layer. CrystaLux Ultra is the premium version of CrystaLux, MSI’s original finish layer technology. It combines a minimum 20-mil wear layer with a UV-cured urethane finish coat—containing additional additives in the urethane—creating CrystaLux Ultra, the best finish layer system MSI has offered to date. “The exceptional value [of Smithcliffs] begins with CrystaLux Ultra,” Kim explained. “If you want the premium performance against wear and scratch resistance, you want CrystaLux Ultra.”

But that’s not all. MSI also provides its retail partners with both merchandising and marketing support. “Smithcliffs merchandising offers a very affordable, space-saving display that allows more-than-normal sample reveal, so the consumer can see more of the on-trend design of the Smithcliffs samples,” Kim explained. “Smithcliffs merchandising also includes hand-set size samples, as well as full planks.”

As far as marketing, expect thorough access to the products features and benefits that should be shared with the consumer to close the sale. “Smithcliffs marketing gives the retailer and CSR the needed bullet points to sell Smithcliffs through Dryluxe, an easily explainable process that makes Smithcliffs waterproof; CrystaLux Ultra, which leads to best-in-class performance in wear and scratch resistance; an almost 8-inch width, which is wider than the best-selling LVF products; and embossed-in-register (EIR) texturing for a realistic hardwood visual that consumers love.”

The post MSI taps hybrid potential with Smithcliffs line appeared first on Floor Covering News.

MSI taps hybrid potential with Smithcliffs line Posted First on https://fcnews.net