How to win in this market
March 2025
Howdy folks! For this edition of the Recliner Club we’re talking about tariffs, furniture industry climate, and domestic production. There’s also a customer spotlight on one of my favorite rug manufacturers around — Obeetee!
I believe that in order to win in this market folks need to be very intentional with where they’re going and how they plan on getting there. Stephen R. Covey explains that you should “begin with the end in mind” in his best seller, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. At the center of everything you do within your company your outcome needs to be in mind. Put simply, does the thing I’m doing get us closer to where we need to be?
If yes, do it. And if no, ask yourself if it’s worth doing (…probably not).
Customer Spotlight: Obeetee Rugs
"We love Bear. They are the best—everyone should use it."
Huge thanks to Nate Svoboda, former head of ecommerce at Obeetee Inc., for these powerful words. Nate's extensive expertise in SaaS and furniture ecommerce makes his endorsement particularly meaningful. We're honored to partner with Obeetee Rugs, helping them create 15x more listings per month while significantly reducing overhead, unlocking substantial cost savings and efficiencies.
Obeetee created over 3,000 new skus within 90 days, across 4 channels, and with an ecomm team of one full-time employee.
Navigating a Soft Economic Climate: The furniture industry is currently facing a period of economic softness, challenging manufacturers to think strategically about growth. Consumer spending patterns have shifted, placing pressure on manufacturers to streamline operations, reduce costs, and invest in software that helps their highest value employees get more done, quicker. Now more than ever, efficiency is key.
Pssst…Bear platform can help you realize monster time & cost savings.
Tariffs Alert: Recent changes in US, Canadian, and international trade policies (AKA the introduction of new tariffs) pose significant impacts on furniture suppliers importing goods from abroad. With increased import costs looming, suppliers must quickly evaluate their pricing structures and sourcing strategies. To mitigate tariff impacts, folks should consider diversifying their supply chain and exploring domestic manufacturing opportunities.
The Growing Importance of Domestic Production: In response to trade uncertainty, furniture manufactures are rediscovering the competitive advantages of domestic production. Manufacturing domestically reduces lead times, enhances quality control, and lowers shipping costs—all while helping reduce exposure to tariffs. There’s also a growing movement to support US and Canadian made, making it easier to build and maintain brand loyalty.
The bear platform: create listings 10x faster and drive more sales — without the manual workload.
Our new platform, designed specifically for Furniture, Lighting, Rug, Bedding, and Home suppliers, is the THE smoothest way to maximize your catalog across retail channels like Wayfair, Amazon, Walmart, Houzz, and Beyond.
Many of our early adopters are adding anywhere from 10-40x more skus each month to their retail channels compared to doing everything manually prior to using our platform.
The impact? Significant time and cost savings.
If you like what you see, join the recliner email club to stay up to date with this kind of stuff. See you soon!
Sam Vlessing
CEO, CommerceBear
Love to see it 🐻