Make your Interiors Work!
Local businesses Colourworx and Graphic Glass have just launched a Home Decor online business called InteriorWorx. This is a collaboration between the two companies, bringing together some of the best products in the range they manufacture.
Newly appointed National Sales Manager Emma Jarvie says she has been wanting the business to go online since she started a couple of years ago, however Covid-19 gave the two companies the push they needed. It was apparent that Colourworx and Graphic Glass weren’t set up to continue generating sales, and that they were only in the space of B2B with some residential clients for Graphic Glass. This wasn’t viable going forward as many clients put a hold on spending. The companies needed to look at different ways they could generate sales and reach a different target market.
The economic climate called for innovation and adaptation to change, and with a move by many businesses to offering online products and services, the teams saw an opportunity for InteriorWorx to be successful in this space also.
It was familiar territory for Emma, who started her own online business 5 years ago called Towelling. The biggest challenge was finding the time to put all the information together and finalising the pricing and designs while simultaneously looking after a 5-month-old baby that didn’t sleep!
Another hurdle was getting NZ artists to collaborate with them. InteriorWorx have finally secured one artist, and the hope is that they can get more on board. Then they can start selling more artist’s works on InteriorWorx products and help grow the business and following, as well as giving artists a share of the profits.
Emma’s original idea was to sell DIY splashbacks online, however the quote to set up an online shop for both websites was huge. At this stage, she was working partly from home with her new baby, and one day while driving home from a sales meeting inspiration struck.
“It hit me, what if we join both businesses together and create a home decor range that sells both products and call it InteriorWorx? Then it would still have a connection to both businesses and draw on the huge support network for NZ made products.”
Emma employed her stepsister, a graphic designer with Shopify experience, to set everything up at a fraction of the normal cost.
The logo was designed to represent New Zealand made, and incorporates the tui feather as it is such an iconic bird. The tui is special to the company, who now have a tui art piece which has been very popular.
The site is easy to navigate and includes products to appeal to a range of budgets. The wall art has the same design available on 3 different formats and price points - poster, wall decal and glass art.
As Colourworx are a printing company, they also wanted to offer something different where customers can create their own artwork using personal photos, including those taken on a mobile phone.
All staff were encouraged to be involved in the project, and they have contributed some great ideas. More designs and products will be released later this year, and the plan is to continue to offer something different to what is on the market.
This allows the team to be more creative and think differently. Clients and suppliers love the Interiorworx website and have given very positive feedback about the design and exciting range on offer.
Article reproduced from Wiri Link – Wiri Business Association Newsletter