08 Mar Defining ROI on Commercial Furniture for Bowling Centers & FECs
Calculating your return on investment for commercial furniture in a bowling center or family entertainment center can seem a bit abstract at first. Return on investment is usually a quantifiable number that’s derived from the profitability of a purchase, but furniture doesn’t come with performance tracking metrics. Or does it? We like to envision ROI on furniture with a three-pronged approach: We assess the interactability, durability, functionality of the furniture.
Interactability
Arguably the most important metric for measuring ROI on furniture is interactability. How are people reacting and experiencing the furniture? Word-of-mouth is a crucial advertising tool for a business. According to a Nielsen study, 92% of people trust suggestions from friends & families over advertising. We live in a time where selfies, likes, and shares on social media are essentially equivalent to dollar signs. When specifying furniture, try to think of what your clientele would want to see. Who’s the target audience for the business? Millennials and Gen Z are very in tune with the ambiance of their environments. Everywhere they go they are snapping photos, posting stories to Instagram, tagging businesses in food pictures, and taking selfies on elaborate banquettes. So, get fancy with custom designs, dream big and impress. People love a place with intentional, well-thought-out interior design. Build something jaw-dropping and you will see the ROI for your furniture materialize overnight. And, if you do a really good job of designing “Instagram-worthy” furniture, you’ll have social media influencers clamoring to collaborate with you.
Durability
Another metric for determining ROI is the durability of the furniture. This is an important factor for any highly-trafficked business –– bowling centers and family entertainment centers especially. Family-friendly hospitality settings are the most brutal habitats for furniture. Children spill drinks, adults get rowdy and furniture will inevitably receive wear and tear. Specifiers should ask questions like: How many double-rubs can this fabric withstand? How serviceable are these booths? Do these booths have spring seats or foam on board? Keep furniture in mint condition by following the cleaning guidelines for the fabric or vinyl. For example, our standard vinyl requires a 1:10 ratio of bleach and water for removing stains. Also, commercial furniture should always come with at least a 5-year warranty. A warranty will protect the end-user from incurring expensive damages and repairs. Furniture that lasts is furniture that guarantees ROI.
Construction of custom commercial banquette for a Bar & Distillery.
Functionality
The functionality of a facility’s furniture is a big factor for ROI. However, the small details that help elevate a customer’s experience are often overlooked by business owners. Details like dimensions and product components should always be taken into serious consideration so that you may maximize your sales. For example, you’re specifying furniture for an FEC that serves food to the lanes in the bowler’s settee area –– The height, size, and placement of the tables at the bowling sofas is extremely important. If a 16-inch tall coffee table is installed as a shared table between the sofas, the customer will have a hard time eating off of them because they are too short. The customer experience will be diminished and food sales will not be optimized if product dimensions aren’t specified correctly. The addition of drink rails behind sofas can greatly improve the functionality of the furniture package and have a significant impact on food & beverage sales. Adding drink rails behind a sofa can provide additional seating for spectators, a place for bowling parties to eat more comfortably, and create a space for staff to stage food being served to the lanes.
Drink rails and counter-height dining tables behind bowler’s settee at Seminole Lanes.
Commercial furniture for bowling centers and family entertainment centers needs to be interactable, durable, and functional to ensure return on investment. We like to design furniture that sparks conversations while being highly functional. Specify furniture that is photo-ready, constructed with care, and designed with the intent to generate sales. Start a quote with us today or learn more ways to improve your FEC.