The furniture retail landscape is evolving rapidly, breaking down the traditional barriers that once separated B2B (business-to-business) and DTC (direct-to-consumer) operations. As these silos dissolve, a more interconnected ecosystem is emerging. Home furnishings retailers increasingly recognize the value of integrating these channels to create a seamless experience for wholesale buyers, individual customers, and interior designers or consultants who often serve as intermediaries. This unified approach enhances customer satisfaction and drives growth and innovation in the industry.
Shopify offers powerful tools in this evolution, delivering a robust platform capable of seamlessly managing B2B and DTC operations. This unification unlocks several key benefits for home furnishings retailers:
Enhanced Efficiency and Streamlined Processes
Eliminate the need for separate platforms and manual order processing. Centralized platforms manage B2B and DTC transactions efficiently, freeing valuable time and resources.
Data-Driven Insights
Retailers gain a comprehensive understanding of customer behavior across both B2B and DTC channels. A unified platform helps retailers make the most of analytics with insights into purchase patterns, preferences, and trends. Retailers can then personalize offerings, refine marketing strategies, and optimize inventory management.
Unified Customer Journeys
Consistent and intuitive experiences serve all customers, regardless of their purchase type. Interior designers sourcing furniture for their clients, individual homeowners seeking stylish pieces, and bulk wholesale buyers can all navigate the same user-friendly interface, fostering brand loyalty and customer satisfaction across the board.
Scalability for Growth
As a business expands, a unified platform scales with it. Flexible infrastructure accommodates growth into new markets and customer segments, regardless of order size or complexity.
Strategic Partnerships Based on Unique Buying Needs
Unified platforms also allow retailers to cater to the unique requirements of both interior designers and wholesale buyers. For example, retailers can forge strategic alliances with designers by offering competitive discounts and streamlining their B2B access.
Industry West: A Case Study in Unified Growth
Industry West, a prominent furniture retailer, showcases the transformative power of integrating B2B and DTC operations. Known for its meticulously curated furniture pieces, Industry West has become a staple in both high-end and everyday settings, from executive suites to public spaces like airports and hotels.
Initially, Industry West faced challenges with their previous platform, Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento). The need for greater efficiency and the ability to offer customized experiences prompted the switch to Shopify. This transition has led to remarkable improvements:
- 90% increase in B2B web order revenue
- 10% growth in new trade accounts
- 15% rise in average basket size
- 20% increase in average order value
By moving to Shopify, Industry West was able to consolidate their operations, eliminating the inefficiencies of managing separate systems for B2B and DTC. This integration allowed for smoother transaction processing and freed up resources for other critical business functions.
The unified platform provided Industry West with a holistic view of customer behavior. This comprehensive data enabled the company to tailor their offerings and marketing strategies more effectively, catering to both individual consumers and large-scale buyers.
Customers of Industry West, whether they are interior designers, homeowners, or wholesale buyers, now enjoy a seamless and consistent shopping experience. This uniformity has strengthened customer loyalty and satisfaction, encouraging repeat business and positive referrals.
Shopify’s flexible infrastructure has supported Industry West’s growth into new markets and customer segments. The platform’s scalability has been crucial in accommodating the company’s expanding operations without compromising on efficiency or customer experience.
Industry West has leveraged Shopify’s capabilities to build strategic partnerships with interior designers and wholesale buyers. By offering competitive discounts and streamlined B2B access, the company has enhanced its appeal to these key customer segments, fostering long-term relationships that drive growth.
Brooklinen: Streamlining B2B Operations
The benefits of personalized experiences also extend to wholesale customers, driving efficiency and growth. Consider Brooklinen’s shift from the manual, time-consuming process of taking B2B orders over the phone. The Brooklinen team says they have been taking B2B orders for as long as the brand has existed. By migrating their B2B operations to Shopify, Brooklinen created a self-service B2B portal that mirrored their DTC experience.
Nicolas Lukac, director of emerging channels at Brooklinen, explained before implementing Shopify, “The core of our B2B business is the hospitality business. Right now, all of that is handled offline. There’s no way for our customers to have a personalized experience like our DTC customers do online.” With Shopify, Brooklinen streamlined processes and provided invaluable data insights, propelling their brand forward.
Data-driven insights enhance personalized buying experiences as well. As Kelly Hallinan, senior vice president of emerging channels at Brooklinen, explains, “Now, we can see that a large hospitality group purchased from us six months ago. We know the average time between orders, and we can say, okay, we’re at that point where we can email them asking about placing a reorder. It’s much harder to do that without Shopify’s back-end system.” As a result of automation and analytics, their staff can spend 80% of their time working with customers while unlocking self-serve so that customers can manage their orders.
Embrace Unification for Sustainable Growth
Disconnected channels no longer define the home furnishings landscape. Instead, B2B and DTC are becoming seamlessly interconnected and powered by platforms like Shopify. By embracing unification, brands like Industry West and Brooklinen can craft exceptional customer experiences, forge strategic partnerships, and achieve sustainable growth in a dynamic market.
Ready to take your furniture retail business to the next level? Discover how unifying B2B and DTC operations can drive growth and efficiency. Download the Shopify Furniture Report to learn more.
