Better strategic than sorry with home safety

DSN Retailing Today, May 9, 2005 by Meri-K Appy

In a nation fascinated with home improvement, the last decade has seen untold dollars channeled into everything from new kitchens and bathrooms to home theaters and offices. But home improvement is not just about new additions and updated decor--it's also about home safety. And for every dollar spent on improving the home, a growing portion is being directed into making the home a safer place to live and work.

Manufacturers have recognized this trend toward home safety and in recent years have been saturating the market with home safety products and introducing safety innovations to meet this demand. Smoke alarms have become more sophisticated, cabinet locks are more versatile to adapt to the needs of our homes and shower grab bars are also enjoying a face lift to make them more aesthetically appealing. Even the idea of making safer living spaces has spawned a new design technique called Universal Design, whose object is the creation of products and environments that can be used by people with the widest range of function.

The demand from consumers and the response from manufacturers have presented a tremendous opportunity for retailers. Retailers are responding by offering a host of home safety products on their floors--at times devoting entire sections of their stores to home safety. And while retailers are certainly feeding their customers' demands, it is important to ask if they are giving them what they really need: home safety education and, more importantly, education that is based on correct information that can be used to make informed decisions.

The amount of home safety information and the number of different home safety products on the market can be daunting to the average consumer. When it comes to the safety of their families, consumers want to make an informed decision and the uninformed consumer may walk away from a retail outlet overwhelmed, frustrated or anxious. For the retailer, this scenario could result in a missed opportunity to make a positive impact with their customer. Equally important, it could also cause the retailer to miss out on a credibility-building opportunity as a consumer resource and community partner. For the customer, this overwhelming feeling may cause indifference to buying an important safety product or implementing a proper home safety practice that may save their family's lives.

Retailers that are serious about building their home safety business, therefore, need to take a serious look at how they're taking their message to market. In order to get credit as a steward of safety that truly offers its customer the right home safety tools, retailers might consider a range of options to deliver safety messages in an effective way, including:

* Educational events around a specific home hazard or an area of the home using a safety expert as the media spokesperson.

* Home safety educational programs with the dissemination of home safety materials to schools and communities.

* Sponsorship of an educational mobile marketing initiative that can help drive store traffic.

* Coordinating in-store home safety clinics utilizing safety experts and home safety materials

One great example of a successful retail partnership that has helped raise home safety awareness nationwide is The Great Safety Adventure, a home safety "field trip on wheels." The program has toured the country for seven years, visiting schools, driving traffic to sponsor store locations and delivering consistent, accurate home safety messages for children and their families.

Each year, the number of outreach programs and initiatives to educate the American consumer on how to reduce the risk of unintentional home-related injuries continues to grow--but there's plenty more that can be done. Through adequate coordination with manufacturers and other experts in the safety industry, retailers can and should continue to reduce consumer anxiety and help make home safety a reality for families nationwide.

Meri-K Appy is a veteran of the safety industry and an internationally-recognized expert in fire and life safety education. As president of the Home Safety Council, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to helping prevent unintentional injuries in the home, she advises retailers and manufacturers implementing home safety programs.