Question

Topic: Branding

Start Up Furniture Consignment Branding Ideas

Posted by Anonymous on 9/15/2008 at 7:00 PM ET 125 Points
My husband and I have researched the market and found what we hope will be a good location with good demographics and foot traffic to open an Upscale Furniture Consignment Store. We want to make the biggest impact as possible upon opening. Mainly, we are looking to create a brand. I have experience with furniture design and interior design, and will have a workroom in the back for making signature pieces that we will sell along with consignment pieces. What is your best suggestion to create good brand recognition for a company with NO Branding yet??
I basically want to be THE place for people looking to furnish their homes with a designer look for less. As of now, we have no name and no tag line either - so I'm wanting to come up with our branding ideas first and let that dictate where we go with the name....I may be doing this backwards - but my thought process is this - once the name is out there - it is out there - like it or hate it - unless you want to start "branding" all over again. Thanks for any help!
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 9/15/2008 at 8:28 PM Member
    "Designer Look For Less" means different things to different people. So, before you start with a name & tagline & other branding-related tasks, focus on your target market first (even though you found a "good location"):

    * Age
    * Location
    * Price point
    * Competition (both local & Internet)
    * USP - What makes you unique?

    For example, you could place all your consignment pieces on your website and allow people to subscribe to your site to find pieces that match what they're looking for. That would help both consumers and designers. Or, maybe you offer free room design consultations (bring in a photo and designers can show how to use the pieces you sell to "make" a room). Or even, rent out furniture to home-stagers.

    Before you start spending money on branding, spend your time & money on your marketing strategy & plan. It'll save you lots in the long run.
  • Posted on 9/16/2008 at 8:26 AM Member
    Oh my gosh...Furniture Revisited is brilliant.

    And Jay's right...when you come up with your unique selling proposition, many of your questions will be answered. Don't get yourself into brain-lock though and try to overthink everything. Retail is HARD and it will be OK to make changes along the way. In fact, it's a good thing as it keeps your store fresh and attracts different sets of customers.

    Anyway, have you consulted with any interior designers for their ideas? Can they use your workroom or store for free to meet clients? Consider creating a "Designer Only" office or space. After you open, hold a meeting of the local interior design association at your store. Hold a monthly meeting of the local Chamber of Commerce at your store.

    If you'll be creating and building your own furniture, hook up with local artisans and learn how they promote their wares. If your location if truly excellent, you'll probably be in the midst of some other creative folks. Consider a regular Friday night walking tour (or we use trolleys and call them Trolley hops). Each participating store offers cocktails or snacks and folks visit, then go to another store. It's wildly successful.

    Can you share what things you'll be offering to set you apart from the competition? Who is your competition?

    Claudia
  • Posted by kevin.shoesmith on 9/16/2008 at 9:23 AM Member
    I, too, like Furniture Revisited. Here's another thought to play with ...

    Fresh Ideas in Furniture (This might allow your customers to create the brand however they see it. It would be whatever they want in "Fresh" Ideas.)

  • Posted on 9/16/2008 at 9:24 AM Accepted
    One thing is a name and other thing is to create a brand. The first is a good push to be known but the latter takes more than the initial impact of the name. A brand is the tip of the iceberg as below there are things such as: relations with the community, value for money, customer service, relation among share owners, dependability, post sales service, advertising, technology, etc. You need a positioning statement. In which category are you going to compete (all type of furnitures?), define your target (young couples, singles, large families, students?), what will make you different to your competition (facilities, state of the art, help in decorating, international design -Swedish, English styles-). Once you have that set then you should advertise perhaps on the web, perhaps in the neighborhood, perhaps having a cocktail to launch your store, etc. All activities always connected with your target. Hope this helps,
    Juan
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