HIGH POINT, N.C. — When it comes to home furnishings purchases, the majority of Americans are omnichannel shoppers. They may visit a broad selection of retailer and manufacturer websites, focusing on recognizable brands, while also Googling product, room or style trends. Eventually, they end up in a store or on the website where they will make their purchase.

All along this journey they are collecting product information, making it an ideal time to provide home safety reminders.

“Retailers and manufacturers can become home safety advocates by providing simple safety tips within their product descriptions, where consumers will see them frequently,” advises Patricia Bowling, vice president of communications for the American Home Furnishings Alliance (AHFA), which, along with Alliance4Safety, sponsors Furniture Safety Week. “Top furniture brands already are making tip-over prevention information a part of the description for every dresser and chest they sell. Our industry’s goal should be to make this a ‘best practice’ that is so common, consumers notice when it’s missing,” Bowling suggests.

To encourage the proliferation of product safety tips in online product descriptions, where millions of consumers are scrolling and researching products and trends every day, the Alliance4Safety challenges manufacturers, importers, retailers and ecommerce sites to make these simple website improvements in 2026:

• Tip Your Hand on Tip Restraints. A tip restraint device is required by the STURDY Act with every clothing storage unit you sell. Why hide your compliance? Add a simple statement to your product description, such as, “Comes with safety-tested tip restraint device and instructions for installing it.”
• Go the Extra Mile. Take it one step further and explain why the tip restraint is included. For example, “To help prevent accidental tip-over, this item should be securely anchored to the wall.”
• Link to Anchor It. One prominent home furnishings brand has produced its own “how to” video explaining how to anchor furniture using everyday tools most people have at home. But the CPSC’s AnchorIt.gov website already has complete anchoring instructions, including a “how to” video. Providing a link to the Anchor It website ensures more families are reminded to anchor the furniture they already have, even while they’re shopping for new.
• Stay on Top of Bunk Bed Safety. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends that top bunks not be used by children under age 6, and for good reason. More than half of all bunk bed-related injuries involve kids under 6. Knowing that, can you think of any reason not to include this fact in your bunk bed descriptions: “Top bunks should not be used by children under 6.”

Be An Advocate! Start planning now for Furniture Safety Week 2026, October 5-10! Sign up as a participant today, so you’re sure to receive timely reminders, new graphics, and all the tools you need to make your brand a Home Safety Advocate in 2026!