Quarter-container commitments: Behind Porter Designs’ new buying option

PORTLAND, Ore. – Many furniture retailers today still find themselves flush with old product they can’t get rid of. The appetite is there for new and interesting items but only up until a point. If they can’t fit more product in their stores and warehouses, they can’t buy it.

One supplier aims to address these concerns by offering them a new, less committal way to do business: quarter-container orders.

“People want new product but not a lot of it,” said David Weiss, president of Portland-based furniture importer Porter Designs. “So we’re offering them new product but at smaller amounts at a time. We’re combining orders into a single container. All people have to do is commit to a quarter of a container.”

Pricing isn’t changed either, said Weiss. Buyers will get the true container price with no upcharge.

“Some consolidators produce goods from multiple factories, and sometimes multiple countries and send it to one warehouse,” he told Furniture Today. “Therefore, sometimes the entire line is in one place. But there’s significant cost to that process. What we did was consolidate our top selling groups from multiple factories into just a few. The ‘mixing pool’ from one factory will be large but not encompass everything that we make. We eliminate a ton of cost and still have a great pool of products from a single source.”

Porter began the strategy mid-May with a limited rollout to see if there were any issues. The program will be expanded further at the upcoming High Point Market.

“The reception was really strong to the accounts we offered it to,” said Weiss. “Most customers didn’t need goods right now anyway. So, the chance to plan for the fall season at container pricing for only 25% of a container was pretty darn timely, one of the few real wins at the moment.”

Business is still diminished overall, said Weiss, but the descent has stopped.

“We’re going through a cycle,” he said. “What goes down must come up. Business is getting better, but it’s coming up from a harsh low. People are still trying to figure out how to manage losing so much money on freight.”

The way forward lies in new product. “The only way through tough times is through product,” he said. “Our High Point showroom this market will feature 80% new product.

Leather upholstery continues to be a strong point for the company. Good Earth, the company’s sustainable upholstery lined produced totally in Mexico, continues to be a focus.

Porter will open its showroom at Centers of High Point|Hamilton for Premarket, Sept. 11-12.

The article can be viewed here.