Things Got Candid When We Spoke to 11 Interior Designers This Month. Here's What We Found Out.
We spoke to eleven interior designers as a follow-up to the recent trade survey to find out how they sourced products, their thoughts on Dering Hall and Chairish, what home decor brands they trusted and loved, and their impression of the state of interior design as we move into 2020.
The conversations were far-reaching and candid. While this was a very small group, it was made up of working interior designers across the country and we were able to find some general themes from the conversations.
Overarching Themes
Designers are online
Designers expect exceptional customer service and attention
Designers use Dering Hall
Time is very important to designers - price upon request or slow responses to inquiries will not only lose the sale, it will give a poor impression of your brand
They like areas online that feel exclusive to designers
Not afraid to go online
Every designer alluded to the fact that they source and often purchase items for projects online, though there was hesitation among some designers to trust websites to make a purchase.
“If I see something on Dering Hall, I know it’s a quality that I trust for my client.”
“I do not use websites to make purchases, but I often go online for inspiration.”
They Expect exceptional customer service and attention
When we dug a bit deeper, it was obvious that designers consistently expected outstanding customer service that goes beyond simple trade discounts. They often mentioned the quality of service of those brands they returned to and trusted.
“If we are going to purchase something from a manufacturer we receive wholesale pricing which means full retail MAP pricing
There is a Familiarity with Dering Hall
All designers we spoke to used Dering Hall as part of their sourcing process, though the frequency varied a bit. Some went to Dering Hall first, and some used Dering Hall only when working on a certain caliber of projects.
“Dering Hall is usually where I start sourcing.”
“We’ve known about Dering Hall for years and years.”
“I am a long-time user of Dering Hall - probably 13 years or more.”
Time is a commodity - there is a lot of wasted time for designers
The back and forth of invoicing and waiting for quotes was tedious for designers, but they still wanted the type of to-the-trade experience that lends itself to full-service (and often slower), support.
“The majority of my time is spent waiting for replies. If I can check a tracking number online - that is a game changer. If I can order samples directly online and have them sent to me. If I can see great photos, check stock, status - everyone is estimating shipping, I have to know what the shipping is. The places where I can go online and see the actual shipping charge is super helpful.”
“Price on request is a deal-breaker for me. If I don’t know the price, I’m going to move on. I don’t have time to go back and forth about an item without knowing if it’s in range.”
They like areas online that feel exclusive to designers
When asking specifically what designers looked for in online platforms, many had answers that alluded to exclusivity or a platform that was “hidden” from end users. Some spoke of meddling clients and clients that were digitally savvy, so they liked the idea of a space that they could call their own.
“I like online places will sell to us [the trade].”
“ I would use Dering Hall for sourcing more often if it was to the trade ONLY and clients could not shop it at all.”
Take-Aways for Members of Dering Hall
Dering Hall’s outstanding customer service and our ability to save designers time is a huge value to getting designers to more frequently use both Chairish and Dering Hall. The trade benefits seem to have a lot of value based on these conversations.
As a brand, having product information that is accurate, including measurement and lead times are really important for designers looking to save time. Make sure you list pricing and when possible have two-tier pricing, so designers understand they are getting a benefit from sourcing on Dering Hall.
Many of the designers we spoke to made an effort to seek out the smaller, more unique brands on Dering Hall. So don’t get discouraged if you don’t have a lot of SKUS on DH - oftentimes you are exactly the type of treasure designers are coming to Dering Hall to find.
If you are interested in learning more about how you can improve your performance on Dering Hall, contact your member experience representative today.