Kayla Koeller, a design assistant at Theory Design in Naples, Fla., works on the recently installed DB3D Design Station in the showroom.
Greensboro, N.C. —Intiaro, an industry technology provider, offers an assortment of 3D customization options at the retail level.
A visual commerce company founded in Poland and headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, recently installed DB3D Design Station in its Florida-based retail stores and design showrooms (Baer’s, Theory Design, International Design Source).
Company officials said they have simplified and customized endless aisles by introducing a single station with SKUs from multiple vendors with the ability to customize, print spec sheets and import 3D images. I’m here.
CEO and co-founder Pawel Ciach told Furniture Today: “Many times, manufacturers have found themselves setting up kiosks and stations in their retail stores. It’s hard, that’s the whole concept.By leading the digitization of the store, we’re offering something unique.”
Co-founder and chief visual officer Michal Stachowski said the idea to bring technology to the retail level came when he was shopping for furniture a few years ago. He said the customization process was very piecemeal and he felt there was a need for an easier way.
“About 8 years ago I was buying a sofa and you went to the store and the clerk was trying to help you and they showed me this fabric and that fabric. , put your arms in here and assemble it. “That endless aisle is very important to the end customer. Retailers know that.
Design kiosks are also becoming more common in stores, but many are tied to a single vendor, limiting the amount of customization customers can do. Intiaro officials say they have relationships with many suppliers, so their solution offers more and works the same no matter which manufacturer a consumer chooses. Companies already participating include Lexington, Durham Furniture, Norwalk Furniture and Century Furniture.
“The great thing about what we do is that we all have the same layout and design,” says Stakowski. “If you know how to configure Lexington, you know how to configure Century or any other company in our system. plug.”
Ciach says much of it comes from muscle memory, which is one reason Intiaro is focused on Florida. He said the state has a lot of retailers and the team is ready to help with any issues.
When a customer creates a custom order, a spec sheet is created that the retail salesperson can relay to the manufacturer to initiate. According to Stachowski, the way DB3D is set up greatly reduces errors in the final result and speeds up the process.
“One retailer said 40% of their custom orders were wrong in-house. They catch 40% of the orders. They said there is another 40% on our side that they don’t catch.
Additionally, vendors can plug in the latest intros and updates, reducing the time it takes for RSA to get up to speed, he said. “Many manufacturers understand this point. Creating a new line and entering retail means that salespeople are used to selling this or that and know exactly how to sell it. If there’s something new and they’re not sure, they’re not going to go in that direction.The advantage for manufacturers is that if they know this, they know At the end of the day, we have the correct spec sheet.”
Last month, a DB3D system was installed at Theory Design in Fort Myers, Florida. Shortly after receiving the technology, the company’s vice president, Chris Hensley, told Furniture Today that it didn’t take long for his staff to get used to it.
“It’s very simple. My team is a team of 22 people interested in design. They grabbed a mouse and jumped right in,” Hensley said. “I look at it and think that some companies have built a tool that they use on their site to allow the end user to build on the screen of his website for a common company. They has a history of designing and building, and we just put it all together in one place.”
He said having full SKU counts from several vendors helped streamline the custom creation process.
“We really think it will be very useful for our team. The more vendors we can add there, the more ideal it will be to have access to one source to build custom furniture on the same platform.” said Hensley. “Right now we go to multiple vendor sites and there are different tools to create and view the parts we want to order. Every site looks a little different. Here are the vendor details We have a curated site with all furniture items in one place from all vendors of the same builder that have already been approved by.”
And he sees it getting better as more features are added. I think there will come a day when we don’t have to do that anymore,” says Hensley. “If I could work with a design manager, I could save myself the whole process of printing a tear-off page, making a note, sending it to someone to check on the website, and then entering it into the design manager. Reduce and ensure accuracy.”
Ciach notes that retailers can use the Design Station for free, and in speaking with several vendors they see the potential for an all-in-one solution readily available. It said it would create a more robust platform as merchants endorse this approach.
“Retailers are excited. They’re excited about it because they have people working in the field, managers and owners, and they’re getting powerful sales tools and they’re not paying for it. is talking to manufacturers who aren’t on the platform, and it’s an opportunity for them to access a trained user base.”
