Chris Taheny is officially Cariloha’s new vice president of national accounts and business development. After a brief stint at King Koil, Taheny returns to a bedding niche he says he’s extremely passionate about.
Taheny has long championed the importance of including accessories with mattress sales. Now returning to the accessories side of bedding, he tells Bedding News Now that he’s excited about the opportunities it offers retailers to boost incremental revenue.
“As a competitor, I had been watching Cariloha from afar as they broke into the mattress retail industry,” says Taheny. “I knew then that they were destined to bring game-changing dimensions to retailers in our business, and it’s beyond satisfying to contribute to their growth.”
Taheny says the opportunity to work alongside Kristin Sugar stimulated his interest in the opportunity.
“Sugar’s track record of success in the industry stands to be seen,” says Taheny. “If you look at her career chronology, you’ll see she played key roles in helping moderately sized brands become gigantic. This was important to me because I always have things to learn.”
Cariloha, a Certified B Corporation, is a lifestyle brand that holds the benefits of sustainable bamboo central to its identity. They offer sheets, mattress protectors, pillows and mattresses, as well as bath towels, sleepwear, robes and apparel. Taheny says this is where the opportunity to amass substantial revenue comes in.
“With foot traffic as the No. 1 issue facing retailers today, they need to interact with their customers more often than they do,” he explains. “Retailers need to maintain ongoing relationships and create repeat clients, rather than regard them as one-off customers. They need to figure out how to create repeat purchase opportunities once a quarter, twice a year, however they can bridge that in-person visit gap and stay front-of-mind. Cariloha is determined to meet this developing need for the mattress retailer community.”
This approach particularly appealed to Taheny, who said he has often dreamed about how he could help retailers with a wider variety of accessories. He says he can see ways retailers can promote alternative categories, so they’re not continuously devaluing any bedding.
“As a person steps out of their shower, they’re going to use a Cariloha bath sheet to dry off with while standing on a Cariloha bath mat,” he says. “They can then put on a Cariloha robe or slip into Cariloha sleepwear and retreat to their Cariloha-dressed bed. It’s a whole lifestyle experience, and our retailers have pre-installed brand loyalty to build upon.”
Further, Taheny says that throwing low-cost protectors and sheets into a sale is losing retailers money and putting a sour taste in customers’ mouths.
“If you throw a free protector into a $1,000 sale, the RSA develops a poor habit. They then throw that cheap protector into the $2,000 sale, the $3,000 sale, the $10,000 sale,” Taheny explains. “Before you know it, you’re providing incompatible products that disappoint the customer. We believe sleep is too important to our well-being, so bedding essentials should not be devalued.”
While some retailers don’t put a large focus on selling accessories, Taheny says he has seen a difference in mindset and sales aggressiveness in recent years. “More dealers are starting to put KPIs on sheets, for example,” he says. “They’re starting to talk about them more. The more they do, the better the results they will enjoy.”
Taheny concludes that he’s looking forward to helping retailers expand their offerings with Cariloha products and that he’s excited to immerse himself in Cariloha’s community-driven culture.
