For its new series of webinars on May 27, the French Design by Via gave the floor to furniture brands positioned in design. Silvera, Made.com, Delamaison.fr presented their complementary use of e-commerce and point of sale, and their strategic options which can feed into the thinking of the entire distribution.
The Covid-19 crisis could well accelerate certain trends already at work in the distribution of designer furniture, but not only. This is the meaning that Christophe Gazel, Director General of IPEA, gave to his introduction to the webinars organized by French Design by Via on May 27. “The market is dominated by the logic of price, at least for mass distribution, he explained. It’s a downward spiral that is not good for anyone. “ In this context, the distribution strategies of designer furniture, which can be high-end but also mid-range, can inspire the entire market. “Containment, which has been very favorable to e-commerce, must be an opportunity to bounce back and reinvent the point of sale, by telling a story, by creating a relationship with the customer, by bringing differentiation, which is what allows to make, among other things, a design positioning, he adds. What is certain is that the crisis will be beneficial for the players who will create value. “ Distributors must also focus on knowing and supporting customers throughout their life journey – one of the strengths of GAFA – what a good CRM tool allows: knowing when to replace the bed of a child who has grown up, or when they move, or when they go to the garden with the return of the beautiful days, are advantages for the actors who have a digital strategy and a presence on social networks. However, we must not neglect the quality of service, ensuring quality delivery and good after-sales service … “The period of confinement showed the French all the shortcomings of their habitat, and gave them plenty of ideas for planning… let’s take advantage of it! “ concluded the speaker.
Silvera: the complementarity of stores and the web
Co-director with Paul Silvera of the eponymous distribution brand, Brigitte Silvera first reported a partial recovery in store visits, with the return of cautious and masked visitors, made up mainly of individuals with jobs. in progress at their home, while the restart of contract projects is slower. For more than 30 years, Silvera has offered a global distribution concept including designer furniture and an interior design service for the home and development for the tertiary sector, with luxury brands and others more accessible, but always creative.
“As digital becomes increasingly important, we have created an e-commerce site and a point of sale dedicated to“ click and collect ”located on Avenue Niel (Paris XVII) , she explains. However, physical stores remain essential in the high end and for large purchases, we take great care in the scenographies, the choice of fabrics, colors, objects, accessories, because the design furniture must be associated with the visual pleasure and the touch of objects. “
The brand now has 10 Parisian showrooms, in addition to those opened more recently in Lyon, Marseille and London, all of which are characterized by the diversity of the brands on display (except the Poliform single-brand showroom rue du Bac in Paris VIe). Among the market trends, the speaker confirmed the rise of hybrid furniture, which finds its place both in a habitat increasingly influenced by teleworking, and in tertiary spaces where decision-makers increasingly want of “decorative” products which give a soul to their offices.
Made.com: the journey of a pure player
For this second case study, Julien callede , co-founder of Made.com, reviewed the creation and career of this pioneer among pure furniture players, created in London in 2010, and arrived on the French market a few years later. “When we arrived in France, customers had the choice between buying functional and inexpensive furniture in the young habitat, or buying furniture of big brand and expensive. Made.com’s project was to create an intermediate, original and affordable offer while saving the store. “ With hindsight, the speaker recognizes that there have been many difficulties, particularly in terms of services to reduce delivery times which were initially 14 to 16 weeks … When you are not selling at a high price, you must in any case pay attention to the cost. service which should not deter the buyer. How to do ? It must be “subsidized”, by integrating it in part into the face value of the product, or even by offering it as part of a promotion.
“One of the major challenges has been to create traffic on our site, without spending too much on keyword buying and marketing. , adds Julien Callède. For that, there is a solution: to have satisfied customers, who say good things about you, and who come back, in other words to have the customers that one deserves and not those that one buys. “ The speaker concluded by indicating the path traveled: “Ten years ago, we thought it was impossible to sell quality products in e-commerce, but things have changed, thanks in particular to 3D tools that make it possible to present products in a meaningful way, and also because of customers who do not no longer want to waste time going to the store. “ This did not prevent Made.com from opening 8 showrooms in Europe, including Paris and Lyon, in response to numerous requests from those who wanted to see and touch the products.
Back to basics for Delamaison
After an eventful history, the web distributor Delamaison, created in 2005 and then acquired in particular by the ADEO group in 2012, changes hands again with a new duo at its head made up of Lydwine de la Morandière and Florian Carrère, who have decided on him. give a new direction. “After having been a reference brand in its origins, in particular for interior designers, Delamaison has been repositioned by multiplying the references on the mass market where it has lost its way, explains Florian Carrère. Our project is a return to its original DNA, a decoration concept store. “ To do this, the new team decided to reduce the catalog to a selection of a few dozen products, produced with designers, architects and influencers. Above all, Delamaison will now publish exclusive and premium collections which use noble materials such as marble, wood or brass, and artisanal techniques… A first collection has just been created in collaboration with designers Amandine Schira and Olivier Oksman, which will soon be live on the brand’s new website. “Our project is to create iconic products that revisit design classics, adds Florian Carrère. We are also going to offer accessories with our partners, all of which is set to music in a qualitative way on our website. “ An example that shows the ability to totally reinvent oneself on the Internet.
