Welcomed Thoughts from a Fellow (Jeff Valles): Design Professionals are Purchasing 47% Online

Did you know design professionals are purchasing 47% of their project materials online?

Anna Brockway, co-founder and president of Chairish, shared the following data in her presentation at Business of Homes’ Future of Homes 2019 conference in New York.

• 84 percent of professional designers start their sourcing online
• 81 percent of designers buy high-end items after first viewing them online
• 47 percent of all products in a typical design project are purchased online

After sharing the data, Ms. Brockway reflected, “Considering that furnishings are the third-largest spend after the household itself and cars, the shift to online should come as no surprise.”  I would venture that any significant purchase somehow involves the Internet. 

Before you start looking for a buyer for your showroom, let’s dig in a bit.  These statistics do not say where the designers spend a majority of their time shopping, nor what type of website the purchases were made.  Were they purchased from internet-only sites or the internet site of their preferred showrooms?  We continually hear that customers want to buy when and where they want.  In a showroom, on the phone, by email, or online.  Your DPH showrooms must be where your customers are. Your showroom and team are the most knowledgeable in your market and it is time to investigate a digital expansion. I think it is time for DPH showrooms to better understand their target customers and what they expect.

I suggest meeting them individually, starting with the key interior designers in your market.  Please do not only select designers by dollar sales.  Quite a few designers use a DPH showroom to make or confirm their specifications and then send the specification list to the homeowner or the builder or the plumber.  You know who I am talking about.  

Here are some helpful questions to get what you both need to work together effectively:

• How can we improve our brick and mortar showroom to make it easier for you to work with and without your clients?
• How can we improve our website to make easier for you to work with and without your clients?  Many “A” designers ask their clients to visit specific websites and note what they like.  It is a big time saver.
• Do you want access to your quotes online?  If so, what information do you need?  
• What information would you like us to send you in a monthly product DPH update?  New Products? Best projects finished? Top salespeople selections and comments? 

Take all that glorious information (data) and save it. 

Then repeat the process with the builders that build what your top designers specify and might be purchasing.  This is not about only your good builder accounts.  Talk with those that are in your target market even if they do not buy from you.  You will learn a lot. 

Now you have a lot of data that you need to work through and decide what your next steps will be. 

This is not the simple path but, I strongly feel, an important opportunity to grow your business.  It would be a shame to let this business go to another just because your brick and mortar business is missing sales that you could capture on the Internet.  The Internet is not going away and it will continue to gain market share. 

If you would like to discuss this, please email me at jwvals@gmail.com.  

P.S. I believe the site  Business of Home and its podcast are a must reference for the DPH industry.  We have a tendency to separate ourselves from the “other” decorative showrooms but they are fighting many of the same battle you encounter every day.  They cover smart, talented, design industry leaders who share their issues and discuss and detail their next steps.