DESIGN RAPID FIRE
Successful furniture portals who fulfill the needs of its customer
How did you come up with this idea? The idea was born out of a personal experience that I faced while ordering furniture for my home. The entire experience of interacting with a carpenter was not at all satisfactory, including the quality of the products that were delivered. That’s when I sensed an opportunity and teamed up with my college mate Vikas, to launch Stitchwood. How has the experience been so far? The experience has been exhilarating. The feeling that you get when you receive positive feedback from satisfied customers is just unexplainable. Stitchwood, so far, has delivered furniture to over 1000+ homes across Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Delhi and we are looking forward to reach more locations in India. What are the difficult aspects in the business? The most difficult aspect of any business is to simplify an existing consumer buying process. For us, the most difficult aspect was to develop an interface that would make it easy for customers to customise furniture in terms of finish, material and size by just a click. Another difficult aspect is to convince clients to buy furniture online, but with a strong positive reference from existing clients, we see it slowly changing. How does the process of ordering customisable furniture work? Let’s assume that a customer visits our website and likes a particular bed design. He can then customise that bed, using our online Furniture Configurator, in terms of size, material, and storage. We also send across the wood finish/ upholstery samples home to finalise. What are the global trends in furniture design? Designs with a smaller profile, sleek designs, multi-functional furniture and technologydriven furniture designs.
How did you come up with this idea? Furniture is an inevitable part of our home, but the rising issue of compact spaces has made every online furniture purchase doubtful. We started Woodenstreet.com in May 2015; our idea was to technically bridge that gap and provide a platform where endto-end customisation is made easy. Not only custom made furniture, but the focus was on optimsing the limited space in homes with a new range of multi-utility and innovative furniture. How has the experience been so far? We have served more than 5000+ custom orders so far and the experience keeps growing with each new project. We love customising furniture and as a team, we aim to craft one-of-a-kind pieces that people would want for their homes. What are the difficult aspects? Initially, we faced difficulties with our logistics, due to furniture being over sized and bulky, resulting in breakage. However, we worked upon the knock down mechanism to overcome the issue. How does the process of ordering customisable furniture work? When we say customised furniture, we made sure to set a process that every customer feels involved in. You only share your basic requirement with us and our furniture designers work upon suggesting the best possible solutions.
How did you come up with this idea? We had been in the business of manufacturing high-end furniture for the uber rich for a number of years. What the elite section looks for in their furniture is unique designs, superb quality, excellent finish and customization. We strongly felt that such furniture should not only be available to a particular section but to everyone else as well that too at a fair price. One solution that seemed pragmatic was to go online. How has the experience been so far? It has definitely been an enjoyable experience. We knew that providing furniture online across India and that too with an option of customisation was never going to be easy. There have been many obstacles, but none that could not be overcome with great passion and some innovative thinking. What are the difficult aspects in the business? One of the challenges is to clearly understand the needs of the client and ensure that there is little or no divergence between what the client had in mind and what was ultimately delivered. Another challenge is the logistics bit. For example, delivering a seven seater sofa from Delhi to Bengaluru and making sure that it arrives unharmed is a challenge. How does the process of ordering customisable furniture work? Our customer can choose an existing design and can get it customised according to his/her needs. In case he does not prefer any existing design, he can send images or sketches for reference. Our team then prepares a questionnaire for the client after a detailed discussion with the client. The final design is hand sketched or an autocad drawing is sent for the client’s final approval. What are the global trends in furniture design? Globally, furniture is going to become a form of art plus utility. Man made material is replacing wood and space saving furniture is also going to be big. Moreover, customers are extensively looking for the ability to customise furniture according to their own specifications.