Furniture.com offers extranet for store networks
By Clint Engel -- Furniture Today, February 4, 2007
Waltham, Mass. — Furniture.com has launched a "dealer extranet" that will give e-commerce capability to manufacturers' dedicated store networks and retailers with a mix of corporate and independently owned stores.
Launched in November, the extranet is now used by 21 independent retailers affiliated with Toronto-based Leon's Furniture, a Furniture.com client. The system enables the Leon's retailers to be geographically specific on what they offer online. It allows them to select items to sell online from Leon's online catalog, as well as set local pricing.
From the consumer side, shoppers enter a postal code and are directed to product from the closest stores on both Leon's Web page and the Furniture.com site. Carl Prindle, Furniture.com president and CEO, said this gives the retailers online access to existing and potential customers.
There's no extra cost to Leon's or its dealers, Prindle said, noting that Furniture.com gets paid a percentage of completed online business.
He wouldn't disclose the percentage or say how much online business Furniture.com's existing retail customers are doing.
In addition to Leon's, the company's customers include Top 100 players The RoomStore, based in Richmond, Va.; Harlem Furniture in the Chicago area; and New York-based Levitz.
Leon's is the only client with independent retailers using the new feature, but Prindle said Furniture.com is marketing it to others now, including manufacturers' dedicated store networks and other retailers with a mix of company and licensed or franchised stores.
With the extranet, the independent dealers are able to manage online orders through Furniture.com's systems.
"Essentially that independent dealer has all of the benefits, in terms of reach and communications, as the parent company, but doesn't have to invest in building the system for themselves," Prindle said.
The Leon's dealers have been "delighted with the functionality," he said. "It's simple and easy to use and I think they have been quite pleased with the incremental sales this is driving for them — both online and in their stores."
"This is a win for our retailers, their independent affiliates and consumers," he added.
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