Localized Solutions Simplify Global Logistics for Vintage Home Furnishings Marketplace
As the vintage home furnishings market moves online, bespoke luxury brands are driving growth.
In fact, today’s vintage furniture sellers are tapping into demand for high-end, one-of-a-kind pieces and are using online marketplaces to reach a global audience.
What’s more, in the clogged-up supply chains of post-pandemic international commerce, “having something that is right there and ready to meet your needs is incredibly compelling,” Gregg Brockway, CEO and co-founder at Chairish, a curated online marketplace for high-end vintage home furnishings, told PYMNTS in an interview.
Read more: Chairish CEO On How COVID-19 Is Redesigning Home Design
Despite launching in the U.S., Brockway said they recognized from the beginning that the high-end design market was a global opportunity as “design buyers want access to the best things from all over the world, and designers and brands want more access to design lovers.”
That international mindset led to the acquisition of U.K.-based eCommerce platform Pamono last year, a deal which has given Chairish more exposure to European buyers. At the same time, the acquisition has created opportunities for the firm’s U.S. customers to access European dealers and brands.
Related: Chairish CEO Says European Acquisition Provides ‘Next Big Step’ For International Expansion
As Brockway noted, the merger has brought over 2,000 European sellers to the platform and added about 250,000 new items to the Chairish marketplace, all while growing its audience by millions.
On top of new transatlantic commerce opportunities, the Pamono deal has been critical in localizing Chairish’s proposition for the European market. As Brockway noted, the acquired firm has “got a technology platform that is regionalized for a range of languages and currencies to address the international audiences [alongside] a really sophisticated shipping and logistics network.”
Read also: Home Furnishings Marketplace Chairish Designs Its Future; Focuses On Customer, Payments Experience
That on-the-ground logistics capacity has helped overcome what he said is one of the biggest challenges of selling furniture online.
“Most people don’t know how to do it across town, let alone across countries around the world,” he pointed out, adding that getting shipping right is even more important when it comes to valuable, fragile items.
See also: Chairish CEO Sees Payment’s Place in Décor Decisions
But even with Pamono’s localized expertise, international logistics is still fraught with challenges.
For example, Brockway referred to taxes and custom duties as “a thorny problem” which complicates the issue of estimating shipping costs. “Where we are most challenged today is to [...] get taxes and duties and shipping fees correct,” he said.
Trends in Vintage Home Furnishings
With its new exposure to consumers in Europe, Chairish has witnessed first-hand how European consumers’ tastes diverge from their U.S counterparts.
According to Brockway, the U.S. audience gravitates more towards traditional pieces such as Chesterfield sofas in the antique category and 20th-century landscape paintings in art, while European customers tend to prefer contemporary and postmodern pieces.
However, when it comes to sustainability and protecting the environment, the tastes of consumers on both sides of the Atlantic seem to align.
In fact, Brockway said the rising interest in sustainability has been a “strong tailwind” driving Chairish’s growth and that of its fashion peers in the luxury recommerce space.
Learn more: Third-Party, White-Label Solutions Boost Luxury Recommerce Growth
And as Chairish’s vintage marketplace continues to meet the need for an alternative to the high emissions and unsustainable business practices of many mass market manufacturers, growing its customer base will not be an issue moving forward.
“What we’re doing with vintage is keeping furniture out of the landfill, out of the junkyard and helping beautiful items find a second or third life — people appreciate that,” Brockway said.
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