Online furniture business model

No need for a spacious facade or a grand showroom... online interior design business is a new investment for some young people studying architecture.

For large furniture brands, in addition to opening showrooms and stores, investing in introducing products online is also developed in parallel. For individuals who are not qualified to open their own stores, accepting online design is the first step, with many difficulties. Quy - a former student of the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Construction has dared to challenge himself in this potential but challenging field.

Currently, Quy has about 30 online orders each month through his own fanpage, with a revenue of 10-20 million VND. However, because he is both working and running his own business, he also encounters many difficulties, sometimes staying up all night to meet deadlines, and sometimes having to run back and forth to the factory continuously. When tired, Quy encourages himself: "Doing business is not easy at all, but I still try because I can do it according to my passion. If I fail, it's good because I will receive more lessons and experiences."

The familiar working corner of two young architects.

In the early days of business, it was normal to have no customers. Both of them studied architecture, so their knowledge of economics was zero, so Quy and Nam had to learn marketing, online marketing... on their own, then approach each customer one by one. The young architect shared: "To be more precise, I asked customers to make furniture at a much lower cost, the labor cost was very little, mainly material cost, to create trust from users. If customers don't know, they won't accept, there must be proof. If we can prove it to them, then we will have a chance." At first, the two of them took on designs for acquaintances to see the general reaction, then expanded the scope.

Quy was also lucky to know a friend who worked at a wood workshop, where the designs were completed and handed over to customers. Thus, the process that Quy and Nam had to go through included: approaching customers, making contracts, sketching designs, getting confirmation from customers, after the customers agreed, handing over to the wood workshop to make products and finally transporting and installing.

A product designed by Quy and Nam for a customer.

The first order the two of you received when doing online business was to design a bed worth 6 million VND. The first sketch was not approved, Quy spent more time studying the second drawing. This time, the customer nodded in agreement, the guy happily brought the drawing to the workshop and asked someone to make it. 2 days later, the product was delivered to the owner. After deducting all costs and materials, processing for the workshop, the two young people received about 1 million VND. For each design, Quy only took a very small salary, about 1/7 of the total value, the rest was paid to the wood workshop. Up to this point, the largest order the two of you received was more than 100 million VND. This contributed to affirming the development ability of Quy and Nam in the field of interior design.

For each ordered product, the customer will hand over 50% of the contract value as a deposit in advance, and after receiving the product, they will transfer the remaining 50%. However, there are also cases where Quy and Nam do not pay the deposit in advance for customers, and the consequences they receive also make both of them laugh and cry. The most memorable time was when the customer asked for the money "five or seven times", and without the "shameless face" to get it back, Quy and Nam affirmed that this time "they lost everything". However, luck still smiled on the couple because nearly 2 weeks later, the customer called to ask for the account number to transfer the payment. "When selling online, the most important thing is trust. Furniture is not like shirts, pants or cosmetics that can be easily returned or exchanged. It cannot be broken down and rebuilt. Making customers feel comfortable and satisfied with the products they order is the top priority of this online store. Because I am new, I only dare to charge the lowest cost while ensuring quality and effort," said Nam.

To maintain the business model, the two of you have to constantly change your plans, even while you are working, if you see a problem, you change it immediately. E-commerce changes every day and every hour, whatever idea you come up with for the store, Quy and Nam will immediately implement it. Design is an industry that requires creativity, aesthetic sense and a lot of intelligence. Each customer has a different taste, the architect must ensure that it is suitable for the room and also follow the customer's wishes. After the first days of searching, now some people who ordered designs from Quy and Nam have helped you promote and advertise to many other friends and relatives. Perhaps, the product quality, affordable price and the open-minded attitude of the two young men are the reasons why customers trust you to hand over the design of their home.

According to VNE