Our Brand

Drag to rearrange sections
Rich Text Content
COMPETITOR ANALYSIS 1: WEST ELM
Web Page: https://www.westelm.com/pages/about-west-elm/Links to an external site.
West Elm is a furniture and household goods retailer with a presence in both brick-and-mortar store locations and online. West Elm is affiliated with Williams Sonoma, a retailer targeting the upscale/luxury household goods and furniture market. Although the bulk of its store locations are located in the continental US, West Elm does have an international presence, with both retail locations and international shipping options on its website.

West Elm's brand promise is to focus on “modern design, affordability and community,” with the goal of helping customers “express their personal style at home and in the world.” To achieve this, West Elm offers a product inventory of which approximately 90% of the items are exclusive and/or designed in-house, the inference being that the majority of these items are unique and not to be found elsewhere.
Provide several examples (images, videos, text, links, symbols, etc.) that portray for consumers the nature of the experience they can expect from each of these brands.

West Elm offers many items that are hand-crafted; this is generally limited to household decor and goods of a small scale. These items include artwork, such as canvas prints, that are produced on demand. While on-demand items cannot be returned, this implies limited distribution, thereby enhancing the brand promise of ability to personalize one's style. Some items are also available for monogram, further enhancing the potential for personalization.
Link to West Elm's web page for limited-run dimensional artwork:
https://www.westelm.com/products/canvas-print-shades-of-white-w2852/?
Links to an external site.

West Elm also offers "special order rugs" that are available in 12 patterns and 4 sizes, giving the customer an opportunity to customize their room finish appearance.
Link to West Elm's web page for special order rugs:
https://www.westelm.com/shop/rugs-windows/special-order-rugs/?cm_type=gnav&hvr=300100000000Links to an external site.

COMPETITOR ANALYSIS 2: HOUZZ.com
Web page: https://www.houzz.com/Links to an external site.
Houzz.com is a website and online community focusing on home improvement, featuring a collection of design ideas captured in photographic and essay (article) format, to serve as inspiration, ideas, as well as links to retailers for purchasing of select items showcased on the site. Particular attention is given to interior design, home décor, architecture, landscape design, and home remodeling. Current enhancements of the site allow users to find design professionals, ranging from interior designers to construction contractors. The name Houzz is a combination of the words "House" and "Buzz," implying a connection between “all things housing” and “current happenings.”

The brand promise behind Houzz is to offer “A place to browse and save beautiful home photos. A place to find the right design and construction professionals. A place to connect with others who have been there too.” Houzz maintains a very clear focus on both homeowners and home professionals, with the goal of servings as a platform for a community among its users. The option for consumers to make purchases directly through the Houzz website was added as a feature five years following the website’s launch.
The Houzz.com site allows users to save photos onto the site’s clipboard for future reference, but it does require that creation of an account to do so (creation of the account is currently at no monetary cost to the user). The site does utilize cookies and tracks items that are viewed or saved for use in targeted advertising. Houzz has recently established formal partnerships with several national trade associations representing the design and home building industries. This is an interesting strategic move, as it will allow greater reach to more facets within the design and construction industries, but it may blur the distinct branding of both Houzz and the various associations it has partnered with. 

Provide several examples (images, videos, text, links, symbols, etc.) that portray for consumers the nature of the experience they can expect from each of these brands.

Houzz.com features a community forum where users can share a "design dilemma" - and even upload photos of the particular issue - and open up the topic for public discussion and input.
Link to User Forum: 

Houzz.com offers a seemingly unending palette of photo ideas. For example, for the topic "bathroom," there are well over 1 million bathroom design ideas for users to browse among.
Link to Bathroom Design Ideas on Houzz:
https://www.houzz.com/photos/bathroomLinks to an external site.

OUR BRAND: CRATE & BARREL
The Crate & Barrel brand promise is to offer quality design at exceptional prices. Crate & Barrel promises to offer fresh, seasonal styles and a unique point of view on the latest trends,
Web Link: https://www.crateandbarrel.com/about-crate-and-barrel

Provide several examples (images, videos, text, links, symbols, etc.) that portray for consumers the nature of the experience they can expect from each of these brands.
In addition to the ability to simply view furniture and furnishings by room type, on its website, Crate & Barrel features and "Ideas & Advice" section with relevant information on decorating, gift ideas, and suggestions for simple entertaining. 
Web Link: https://www.crateandbarrel.com/ideas-and-advice

The website also allows customers to view items that are new offerings, making it easy to see not only new arrivals and items that are "trending."
Web link: https://www.crateandbarrel.com/whats-new/

rich_text    
Drag to rearrange sections
Rich Text Content
rich_text    

Page Comments