MOTIF Modern Living(R) / www.MotifFurniture.com Wins National Retail Prize

Contemporary furniture retailer MOTIF Modern Living® was the inaugural recipient of the ICON Honors for Innovation. End Quote

Austin-San Marcos, TX (1888PressRelease) July 24, 2010 - By unanimous vote of the judges, Austin based contemporary furniture retailer MOTIF Modern Living® (www.MotifFurniture.com) was the inaugural recipient of the ICON Honors for Innovation. MOTIF's owners accepted the trophy last Saturday at a gala in downtown Atlanta.

The ICON Honors are sponsored by the Gift & Home Trade Association, AmericasMart Atlanta and Home Furnishings News. They celebrate "extraordinary manufacturing, sales and retail achievement." A total of six retailers received awards. Retail winners in other categories included Anthropologie, Kirkland's and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). MOTIF Modern Living® was the only Texas company recognized.

At MOTIF®, innovation begins with an inclusive and progressive work environment. Over 84% of its employees are women and/or minorities. The company has a "re-use or recycle" program and its flagship store in San Antonio is 100% wind powered. MOTIF® even offers a monthly stipend to employees who choose to buy hybrid electric cars.

That innovative spirit extends to marketing. "The way that people shop has changed," said MOTIF's president, Steven Lora. "It's no longer enough to hang a shingle and hope that people find you. You have to be really creative to get their attention."

Lora says that customers tend to pre-shop more than they used to, and compare the offerings of different stores. For this reason, MOTIF® continually improves its E-Commerce web site, www.MotifFurniture.com. The site was completely redesigned in 2010, and the company is currently working with a native speaker to translate it into Spanish.

Globalization is a recurring theme at MOTIF®, where tweets are posted in at least a dozen languages. The company ships furniture and home accessories anywhere in the world. MOTIF® recently launched a successful email campaign in Mexico and has had sales from as far away as Norway, Saudi Arabia and Australia.

Today's retail environment is challenging and fluid, and Lora says stores must either adapt or die. "Innovation is key. We are constantly coming up with new ideas, implementing them and evaluating them. Successful ideas are incorporated into our processes and the unsuccessful ones are replaced with fresh ideas. Innovation is an integral part of our company's fabric, and we are honored to receive this national recognition for MOTIF® and thrilled to bring the trophy home to Texas."

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