Tradeyard debuts new selling concept for small, and online, retailers

Susan Dickenson -- Home Accents Today, 11/20/2012 10:13:12 AM

ONE OF THE NEWCOMERS at the October High Point Market was a Los Angeles-based company called Tradeyard, a new online B2B marketplace where home furnishings retailers can order merchandise at wholesale container Tradeyard staff members apply final touches to the company's debut showroom in High Point, where eight furniture collections were showcased, along with the Tradeyard website and purchasing concept.pricing and have it shipped to its final destination without having to handle inventory or fulfillment needs.

Tradeyard operates as a separate division of parent company Luxeyard, an online flash site for the retail sale of luxury lifestyle products that launched in January 2012. Unlike Luxeyard, which is open to consumers, only retailers and designers may purchase product from the Tradeyard site and showroom.

"We're an online store with our own collections, but we're geared toward smaller retail stores that can't afford to ship a whole container of furniture," said Alana Rietdyk, Tradeyard's lead product designer, who was at the company's soft-launch at the summer Las Vegas Market and in High Point for Tradeyard's debut there.

Braden Richter, Luxeyard's CEO, said the Tradeyard concept also simplifies the online retail process. "Obviously, online furniture is selling. It's eclipsed brick and mortar - Furniture Today reported that two years ago. Prior to Luxeyard, I spent 20 years as a manufacturer, where I saw more and more online stores wanting to do business, but it's complicated - the process is quite different than selling to retail (brick and mortar)," he said.

"Tradeyard is what I would consider to be one of the first vendors at the show that is positioned to sell specifically to online retailers. They have something like 40,000 SKUs ready to go, and build sheets, and they have a distribution network through Luxeyard. Let's say you're an online retailer, and you see something you like on the Tradeyard website or in the showroom. You could have it on your site tomorrow and start taking orders instantly."

In addition to providing information about the site, the High Point debut showcased eight introductory collections of furniture and accessories in a new showroom on the fifth floor of the IHFC. In High Point, market buyers could purchase from the showroom collections, which include furniture for bedrooms and living rooms, or as a member on the Tradeyard website, and have the merchandise shipped to their end customer without ever handling inventory.

"In Las Vegas, we literally launched the website the day of the show, but we've had a really good response so far. Bringing the furniture here gives buyers a chance to see the product in real life," Rietdyk said. "Right now we're pairing a lot of Old World with new modern upholstery - really clean lines and great accent pieces with tons of personality. It's not so much about matching and being perfect, it's about making your space unique and true to yourself."

Membership in Tradeyard is free, but potential members must go through a qualification process to help determine eligibility. Interested retailers and interior designers can find more information at Tradeyardusa.com.