Taking interiors online

Shopping for home decor items has now gone virtual. Companies are offering you complete solutions — from customised designs to installation, at the click of a button, discovers Ruth Dsouza Prabhu.

People setting up their new homes have a major grouse — their interiors. Of course, they know exactly what they want, considering the number of magazines and websites they browse through. But translating this into reality always proves to be a nightmare, especially in today’s fragmented market of service providers. Add to that, the fact that most interior decor seekers lack the ability to actually visualise what their final homes will look like after all their chosen elements are added. Also, there’s a massive gap between what is hoped for and what is finally achieved.

For an individual residence, the scale of the project doesn’t make it monetarily feasible for most people to hire an architect or an interior designer. This lacuna in the industry has been spotted and a few companies have come up with a way to try and bridge the gap. Technology is one way of being able to do something interesting.

The main thought behind moving interiors online was the fact that people are already buying apparel, groceries and meals online. So, why can’t they do the same for interior decor? The main issues to be addressed was the creation of a standard model for common elements of home such as wardrobes, bed, cupboards and the like. Also, there was a need for customisation of design to suit individual needs and aesthetics with help from experienced interior designers.

The sourcing and installation were obvious issues as well, and of course, all of this in a budget that makes sense to the mid-range customer. Here is how some businesses took on this challenge.

The e-players

Livspace, among the first players in the segment, offers a full home design experience, where every little element, from artefacts, to flooring to wall finishes and soft furnishing as well as installation, is taken care of. A complex back-engine system of certified, standardised vendors and protocols is in place to get things done.

“Standardising the catalogue is done on the basis of an extensive research of the market to understand the kinds of demands in terms of furniture, materials and finishes,” explains Anuj Srivastava, CEO and co-founder, Livspace. “While the company employs supervisors to oversee the execution of a project, the actual installation is done by turnkey service providers as well as modular brands.”

Design Cafe, an architecture and interior design firm, has a systematic online approach in place. An exclusive website that carries predesigned models of beds, wardrobes, kitchen units and the like (which are available in a multitude of variations), here customers also have the option to customise the design, in case things do not match their layouts or the vision they have in mind.

Designs are fine-tuned, right down to the last wall finish and once done, the company commissions the work to their factories. The installation is then done under supervision. “Democratising good design is our model. We advise you on designs for your space, material selection, customising the selected look, and then our professionally trained team installs everything from artwork to furniture for you with quality checks at each stage. As a customer, you no longer have to worry about going from store to store selecting lights, artwork, furnishings, checking quality etc,” says Gita Ramanan, chief operations and design office, Design Cafe.

Mygubbi, an interiors solutions firm, offers fixed interiors such as modular kitchens, wardrobes, TV, crockery units and more with their expansive online catalogue. Customers browse through a range of design options and consult with designers for further customisation. Once the design is finalised, it is manufactured at a dedicated facility and an internal team takes care of the installation process. “We also have an experience centre where clients can get a realistic idea of the materials and textures that they see online,” says Umesh Sangurmath, CEO and co-founder of Mygubbi.

But who are these customers shopping online for home decor? Mostly homeowners who want to make specific areas such as the kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms and other living spaces look better. It also works well for people who invest in second homes with the intention of renting it out or leasing it out for some additional revenue.

Gita explains that their model allows for such homes to be furnished and used in the shortest time possible. “Though we have a 45-day stipulation for handing over of projects, we were once able to execute a project in just 22 days — from start to finish. A week later, the owner was able to rent the home out.” Such models also ensure that if the repetition of a design is the ideal solution for a client, then it will be offered. This often does not happen when a designer is approached directly and he wants to satiate the creative aspect of his personality with every new project.

Through the processes, one of the biggest benefits for the customer is to see real visualisations of different rooms with a range of elements, before they even start on their design. It boils down to finding a concept that they like and customising it with help from
company experts, to bring it to what they truly want. Additionally, they do not have to worry about getting out there and searching for each of the elements that go into the making of the design. Earlier, clients would get to see only parts of their home at a time and never the exact look beforehand. Here, it is instant.

The customer also enjoys a high level of flexibility with such interior purchases. “Either the customer likes the image and buys everything outright or he interacts with designers, specifies the images he likes, builds a personalised catalogue, uploads images of his home layout, discusses personal and family likes and dislikes and then creates a unique setting,” explains Anuj.

Backend designers get all this information and then tweak the design. All interaction happens over a Customer Relations Management (CRM) system, with such service providers, allowing for real-time interaction for approvals and changes.

More to come

Urbanisation and global exposure have influenced design tastes of the Indian consumer. An increasing number of people are buying products online and have an expectation of high-quality service delivery. “Online players will be the first ones to bring out the much-needed design personalisation by creating a design-first business model,” says Umesh. “Online players will also push the change in unorganised furniture manufacturing and adopt the efficient processes to meet the higher levels of service delivery.”

The size of the interior market today is about $20 billion annually, with over 90 per cent of it being unorganised. Such online models are just scratching the surface of the market. “As more and more people understand the efficiencies and benefits of trusting one of their largest investments with more organised and professional players, it is only going to grow,” maintains Gita.

With interior decor going online, it is easier for businesses to tie up with good brands in the space, making execution of projects easier. Technology has brought in secure communication systems that allow the company to interact with a client who may be based in another city or country. Availing of complete, end-to-end solutions from design to execution managed by one nodal agency is now a reality.