DTC POD: How The Best Brands Are Built

How Industry West is tackling both DTC and B2B to be an 8-figure company (with Ian Leslie, CMO of Industry West)

Episode Summary

Ian Leslie, CMO of Industry West, joins the POD to share a little bit about the eCommerce furniture company’s growth and marketing strategies. Industry West is a furniture retailer with bold designs for modern living that started off on the B2B side. However, the founder and CEO saw the need for an eCommerce play in their industry. This allowed Industry West to connect directly and quickly with interior designers to support B2B furniture needs. Stay tuned as Ian discusses how Industry West has grown in a traditional B2B space as a DTC eCommerce platform. If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Episode Notes

1. “The more you’re able to provide DTC type tools on a B2B scale, you’ll be better off and have a leg up.” @irleslie #DTCPOD
2. “Where we differentiate is a lot of small things that add up to people wanting to be a part of our brand.” @irleslie #DTCPOD
3. “What makes us unique is that we really don’t have to segment by “office-desk chairs” because we’re not traditional office furniture.” @irleslie #DTCPOD
4. “We never have a lack of data. I think what's tough for us is to really extrapolate what's the important data and what's the actionable data points.” @irleslie #DTCPOD
5. “If you have good people and the position is not working, recognize if they bring value to the company, then figure out how to make it work in another position.”  @irleslie #DTCPOD

We Speak About:

• [01:00] Ian introduces himself and Industry West
• [02:10] How Industry West became grew a DTC channel after focusing on B2B
• [04:06] B2B verticals versus eCommerce
• [06:00] How Industry West stands out with quality, curation, and sales support
• [08:00] Curating the catalog with the CEO for cool, cost-effective products
• [10:10] Importance of retaining acquired customers
• [12:20] Insight into traditional versus eCommerce sales cycles in the furniture industry
• [14:45] How Industry West targets customers online
• [18:00] The data, tools, and metrics used to track financials of advertising and sales
• [21:00] Value of having the right people and an eCommerce director
• [24:30] eCommerce tools that improve conversion rates
• [27:15] Future of Industry West and its growth
• [28:25] Where to find Industry West, Favor, and Ian Leslie online

Bringing a B2B furniture store to eCommerce

Ian Leslie, CMO of Industry West, joins the POD to share a little bit about the eCommerce furniture company’s growth and marketing strategies.

Industry West is a furniture retailer with bold designs for modern living that started off on the B2B side. 

However, the founder and CEO saw the need for an eCommerce play in their industry. This allowed Industry West to connect directly and quickly with interior designers to support B2B furniture needs.

Only five years ago, Industry West became more residential and consumer focused, which has heightened because of COVID.

Ian recognizes that B2B is a legacy vertical overall, but doesn’t tend to be eCommerce friendly. If the verticals adapt well, companies that are able to provide DTC tools on a B2B scale will have a leg up.

Industry West’s differentiation and eCommerce tools

Industry West stands out, not only as an eCommerce furniture company but also due to its quality of products, customer experience, and curated catalog. 

The process of choosing products starts with the CEO and is then collaboratively developed with the product development team. This is how Industry West finds quality products that are cost-effective. 

These products are typically sold in the furniture industry’s vertical through emails and customer calls. Industry West receives a large percentage of their business this way, and Ian understands that this segment of the market will always exist.

Nevertheless, Industry West has seen growth in online sales as a result of digital tools and website development. 

Three tools that Ian Leslie recommends to measure KPIs are Nosto for e-Commerce personalization, Magento for business intelligence, and Google Analytics to track daily website traffic. 

Stay tuned as Ian discusses how Industry West has grown in a traditional B2B space as a DTC eCommerce platform. 

If you’d like to learn more about Trend and our influencer marketing platform for influencers and brands visit trend.io. You can also follow us for tips on growing your following and running successful campaigns on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Mentioned Links:

Industry West’s website: https://www.industrywest.com/

Favor’s website: https://infavorof.com/

Ian Leslie’s Twitter account: https://twitter.com/irleslie/