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THE BIG REVEAL
Live exhibitions have finally returned, and many have welcomed the ability to trade face to face with open arms – but what if that show experience was accessible at all hours, 365 days a year? Jordan Evans, digital content manager at Clarion Retail, introduces Reveal …
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OF THE YEAR?
By JORDAN EVANS www.retail-reveal.com
As I sit here writing this piece, half of my team are in Harrogate, with the rest of us heading there in the coming days—because events are back! This is a moment that we know visitors and exhibitors of Manchester Furniture Show and Home & Gift have been eagerly awaiting just as much as we have – to see the industry reunited on the show floor is a milestone we’ve been counting down the days to reach.
By the time you’re reading this, though, the shows will have already passed – four days of sourcing, selling, networking and shared learning, gone in a flash – so what’s next? How do we keep the thrill of trade show discovery alive every day of the year?
These are the questions that we at Clarion Retail have been asking ourselves for the past 18 months. At a time when the ability to run live events was removed, we realised that, whilst our shows will always sit at the heart of what we do, ultimately, our job is to provide you in the industry with opportunities for connection – in any and every format that is most useful to you and your business needs. So now, for every day in between our shows, there’s Reveal.
Reveal is our brand-new digital wholesale platform, which brings the UK’s largest network of sought-after buyers and sellers together, all under one roof – yours. From wherever you do your best work, Reveal is the space for buyers to source the products their customers don’t know they need yet, and for sellers to place their designs at eye level for the industry’s most coveted retailers.
With online purchasing continuing to boom, it’s of little surprise that professional buyers are turning to marketplace models at a similar rate consumers are. In fact, a study by Oracle Commerce Cloud and WBR Insights found that 73% of professional buyers are using online channels to source.
But Reveal has been designed to be about so much more than just buying and selling – putting inspiration at the core of the platform. As it continues to evolve, it will be a place where both buyers and sellers across the network can continue to do great business, but also discover fresh designs and new perspectives every day, learn from some of the industry’s most knowledgeable experts and, ultimately, be united in their passion for interior, retail and design.
Capturing everything Reveal is, Stoller’s Lee Stoller summed it up best when taking part in the platform’s development stage, saying: “The best thing about having a marketplace is actually having a proper trade hub. Clarion Retail events epitomise the whole of the industry, and this is 365. I think it’s absolutely essential that we have one. How have we lived without this for so long?”
IS AT THE CORE OF THE PLATFORM
INDUSTRY PARTNERS
THIS MONTH, WE’RE ASKING …
Mike and Karen Rowley, Core Products Nothing. We’ve learned over the years the need to go to a trusted retailer, where the advice will be personally relevant, and we’ll spend what is necessary
Mike Murray (Land of Beds) Customer reviews
Adam Ashborn (Reborn Marketing & Design) The technology of roll-packing units within the mattress manufacturing process has been around for a long time. In the last few years, the likes of Simba, Emma, Leesa etc coming to the online market space has caused traditional business to see these new start-ups as market disruptors – who have now changed the perspective of how to buy a mattress. Consumers’ confidence in these brands has been impressive from the start, and it’s been down to the marketing presentation. The general marketing message has been the same for years, as this is a mattress, but the approach of selling the benefits of owning an online mattress with the convenience of delivery and installing makes the product more desirable to purchase. The quality of the mattress in the box still remains pristine and the comfort qualities still remain intact, so the only factoring decision to purchase would be the price and individual comfort. Whenever I purchase a mattress, the ultimate decision is based on the comfort and feel – having the ability to test the mattress first or a free trial with an easy return would be the deciding factor for me
WHAT WOULD INFLUENCE YOUR DECISION TO BUY A BOXED MATTRESS?
Emma Leeke (Leekes Retail) I just wouldn’t!
Gavin Boden (Rhenus Home Delivery UK) The quality of the product
Henrik Pontoppidan (S2U Design Containers) Whether I needed one or not!
Lee Ness (Global Upholstery Solutions) I’m not sure. I’m not in the market for a mattress
Rob Scarlett (Scarlett Design) Price
Peter Harding (Fairway Furniture) Price, availability and longevity Adam Hankinson (Furniture Sales Solutions) Customer review scores are always my first consideration – I want to understand the benefits to me and my wife, and the product’s value for money
Andy Stockwell (Gardiner Haskins) If I could try it before I bought it
Royce Clark (Grampian Furnishers) Nothing personally, as I wouldn’t buy a mattress without trying it. I can understand those short of time buying boxed blind, as the various sleep night guarantees mean they can send the bed back if they don’t like it – but the amount of these that are sold worldwide still amazes me
Anne Davies (Room to Grow) The ease of delivery would be a factor for me. Large, bulky deliveries and lugging mattresses upstairs is never fun!
Robert Bianchi (furniture retail veteran) It would be a commodity purchase led by need rather than want – the combination of price and lead time would be the big influencers
Steve Adams (Mattress Online) Answering with my purchasing hat on, we now list many of the boxed mattress brands, and they have proved very popular. Their clear messaging, simplified product choice and the brand awareness they have created are resonating with our customers
PICTURE PERFECT
Sit pretty with Orbital’s award-winning CGI
#383 August 2021
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