ComfortChannel.com Blog

What would a blog be without a top ten list.  As we move closer to the Holiday season, I figured it was time to open the database archives and review what sold well last November.

1. Theracane Back Massage Tool:  This is always near the top for us, but it becomes a hit during Christmas because it is an affordable, yet unusual massage gift for almost any adult.
2. Obus 92 Obus Forme Heated Seat Cushion with Heat and Massage: Another massage device with a key attribute for Winter: Heat and massage while driving.  Probably people just want to have a warm car seat.
3. Stamina Pilates Exercise Magic Circle Equipment and Video:  Probably a good gift for the wife, or friend interested in the Pilates method to strengthen their core muscles.
4. Obus Forme Natural Sound Therapy Machine Relaxation System: Another inexpensive gift that will make the gadget lover happy.
5. Hitachi Magic Wand Vibrating Massager:   A great massager for the money and it has been covered by Oprah.  Oprah Speaks highly of the massager and then Magic Wand sells like hotcakes, just like her book recommendations.
6. Warmrails Regent Hard Wired Wall Mounted Electric Towel Warmer:  A good entry level towel warmer and the style is very classic.  The towel warmer will work in almost any bathroom.
7. ConAir Hot Lather Machine Shaving Foam Dispenser: The fall back gift for men.  Since most men shave daily, it adds a little luxury into their shaving routine.  The Conair lather machine now works for both lather and gel.
8. Thunderhead High Pressure Rain Shower Head:  Another gift idea that brings luxury to the bathroom.  Why take a normal shower when you can feel like standing in the rain. 
9. Lafuma Recliner Chairs:  Everyone that I have sit in the Lafuma chair find it cool to lean back into a relaxed position and very comfortable.  As an ecommerce leader for the Lafuma recliners, Comfortchannel.com sold the most chairs online in 2006 according to the US Authorized Supplier.  The Lafuma chairs are imported from France.
10. Warmrails Wonderbar Chrome Free Hanging Electric Heated Towel Warmer: Another Towel Warmer from Warmrails, an inexpensive gift to give to someone.

 So there you have it. It will be interesting to see how 2007 compares to 2006 when it comes to the top ten selling items based on orders. All of the items on the list retail for between 30-150 dollars, which seems about the range of Christmas gift budgets. 

Comfortchannel.com has been a leading retailer of portable car seat cushions and massagers aimed to support the lower lumbar region or heated massager car seats that knead away the stress of a long commute. The heated car cushions can be strapped or placed on any car seat and can be powered by the ciggarette adapter (do people still use these for lighting up while driving?).  Massage settings are controlled by a remote, which can be a hassle while driving (Who wants to fumble for the remote while dealing with 65mph traffic on either side?).    Some of the products just vibrate, rather than knead so expectations should not be for a deep tissue massage.  Our best selling heated car seat massager is the Obus Forme Car Heated Car seat cushion. These heated back massagers and seat supports can be toted to any chair, not just the drivers seat, including home and office settings.

Heated Car Seat Cushion - Obus Forme by Conair Car Seat Cushion with Heat and Massage

It is a tradition at our company to request feedback from customers about their experience shopping with us.  We don’t have any fancy surveys, or technical gizmo flash programs to push on our shoppers, just a simple email with a couple key questions.  The replies from customers are forwarded to all our staff to get a sense of what is working and where we need to improve.  As I work through the emails tonight, the feedback on our customer service has been positive, and in most cases the product met expectations.  An interesting suggestion from one customer was offering a product suggestion tool similar to Amazon that points you in a direction, i.e. “Some that bought the Picnic Gift wine tote also bought the Franklin Chef under counter wine refrigerator“.  This is intriguing because I love to crunch the numbers and data mining can be revealing to show trends that may not be obvious, however, most of our orders are for one item only.  Thus, any results from crunching the multiple item carts would not be statistically reliable, but, we could review repeat customers.   A second purchase and so on are just another way that our customers communicate to us.  Another voice for us to listen to and learn.

Google Trends is an interesting tool.  Looking through the list that is now updated daily, micro RC helicopters are in the top 100 and probably will climb further when we get closer to Christmas. We carry the Megatech RC helicopters, but they may not be small enough.  Do customers really want a helicopter that can fit in the palm of your hand and weigh only a few ounces?  They may be along the trends of the micro RC cars that cost under $30. We will soon find out.

Zero Gravity Recliners help relieve back pressure and lower body pressure that you experience while seated in an upright position. The spine will decompress when your lower legs are extended above your heart. This tilted position has several health benefits including:

• Reducing pressure on your spine and lower back
• Reducing stress on your heart
• Helps to relieve muscle tension
• Helps to expand your lung capacity so you can breathe deeper and clearer
• Increases circulation and boosts your blood’s oxygen levels

The Origin of Zero Gravity Recliners can be traced to Nasa’s Space-Age Technology.
NASA developed the idea of using a zero gravity position from the experiences of astronauts who spent many hours while in orbit. During take-off, astronauts recline with their feet raised higher than their hearts. This zero gravity position reduces the amount of gravitational force exerted by the extreme acceleration it takes to achieve orbit. When you are in an upright standing or sitting position, gravity places pressure on your spine causing discs to compress and the back muscles to tighten to maintain balance. When you are suffering from back pain, this can be extremely uncomfortable. By neutralizing the effects of gravity, your back muscles can rest and your discs can return to their usual normal size and shape. Because of the effects of gravity, this explains why you are taller in the morning than you are at the end of your day. Overnight while sleeping, your back’s spinal discs are relieved of the pressures of gravity and the weight of your body.

The Two Primary Health Benefits of Zero Gravity Recliner Chairs

The back’s spinal discs have unique viscoelastic properties which compress when weight is added and expand when the weight of your body is removed. Conventionally known as ‘Spinal loading’, studies have shown that normal daily activities will cause shrinkage in your stature, sometimes up to nearly 1/2-inch a day. This promotes feeding and supplying nutrition to your body’s discs via a transfer of spinal fluid in and out of the discs. As spinal discs are not connected to your blood supply, the osmosis and diffusion generated from this ‘Spinal Loading and Unloading’ helps to maintain your back’s overall health.

Since degenerative spinal changes occur at a young age in western societies and these changes occur only at older ages in primitive societies, it’s quite likely that you may need more spinal unloading and/or exercise to maintain a healthy back. Loads on your lumbar spine are reduced in neutral lumbar postures such as the zero gravity position. This position can be defined as being near the mid-point of the available range-of-motion in that body location. The other zero gravity chairs available from Comfortchannel.com include the Massagenius chair.

LaFuma Recliners
Zero Gravity Massage Recliners

Faulkner Zero Gravity Recliners
Lounge Lizard Zero Gravity Recliners