We're Wayfair marketplace partners 🤝
June 2022
Alright folks, it’s been a while since the last one. But boy oh boy has a lot changed in furniture. I recently held office hours with a bunch of our customers to learn more about the challenges everyone’s facing and there’s much to unpack. So buckle up, here’s what I’ll dig into this edition:
Our Wayfair partnership 🤝
Market dynamics 📊
Softening of demand 🍦
Changing of the guard 👶
Bonus: some cool new features
The ticker: Very relevant reads 🔥🔥🔥
Are inventory levels too high? (Real Economy)
Wayfair to take over dead JCPenney Store (Philly Voice)
La-Z-Boy stock jumps after 'record' sales (Market Watch)
(BIG NEWS) We’re a Wayfair Marketplace Partner now, which means that the CommerceBear platform received the stamp of approval from the commercial and technical teams at Wayfair as a trusted solution for >23,000 Wayfair suppliers. You can check us out LIVE on the partner portal, here (only Wayfair suppliers have access).
Market dynamics. The way people are buying has shifted and furniture manufacturers and retailers are all trying to figure out how to navigate the digital landscape. For manufacturers to win in 2022 and beyond, we’re moving to a world where they have to successfully sell omni-channel, online and offline.
Softening of demand. As demand has recently softened in the category, there are record levels of available furniture right now, resulting in the need to find more channels to sell. These headwinds are also resulting in more open mindedness in an old school industry among manufacturers looking to evolve their business. Many folks are re-evaluating and future proofing their supply chain & internal stack in the second half of 2022 📦🔗
Changing of the guard. The younger millennial generation is taking over family businesses from their predecessors and are looking to go digital first. This changing of the guard is a generational shift happening to manufacturers and retailers across the board. In fact, many of my friends (aged 25-40) have recently taken C-level roles within their family furniture businesses. It’s our time to shine.
✨New feature highlight ✨ → We launched Orders Export, which is a feature I wish I had when I was working in my family’s furniture business a few years ago. It’s so simple and our customers absolutely love it.
Download all orders across all channels in whichever format you desire. There’s also a bunch of intelligent filtering to help your team work faster, more accurately, and ship on time🔥
Here’s a short video (~2min) about why I love it. If you want me to personally walk you through it, click here.
It’s all about the people → Check out our new careers page. We’ve built a remarkable team here at Bear over the last year and we’re continuing to grow rapidly. I’m also incredibly proud of our strong culture, diversity, and glassdoor track-record.
Personal update: I made the Home Furnishings 40 under 40 this year, and although I have never been a huge fan of vanity lists, this one is special because my family has been in this industry for 85+ years. I'm humbled and honored to be here alongside other leaders who will continue to define our category. It's a true testament to the entire Bear team and our beloved customers. We're just getting started, folks.
If you like what you saw, join the recliner email club to stay up to date with this kind of stuff, every month. I also choose one lucky subscriber each month and give them a $100 Snackbox to enjoy 🎉
Thanks for being a free subscriber to The Recliner Club. Hopefully this has been valuable to you. I am a big believer that knowledge is power and sharing information leads to better results for all. A rising tide floats all boats.
Enjoy the long weekend!
Sam Vlessing
CEO, CommerceBear
Huge congratulations on the Home Furnishings 40 under 40!