TrescoLife Internship Project
B2B Furniture Sourcing
Presented by
Lavanya Arya
Email
lavanyaarya55@gmail.com
Project
Overview
Company
TrescoLife
B2B Luxury Furniture Sourcing
Project
Duration
Duration: 4 months
Project
Scope
Globalizing B2B Furniture Sourcing
Deliverable
High-fidelity screens for B2B web application
Double Diamond Design process
Steps Involved:
- Secondary Research
- Primary Research
- Define Problem
- Strategy
- Structure
- Solution Ideation
- Sketching
- Wireframing
- Prototyping
- Design Testing
About Company
"To create transparent B2B furniture sourcing, global eco-system"
- Deals in import of luxury furniture in India.
- Has a chain of retailers, manufacturing units and independent design houses.
- Expanding the business to global level.
- Targeting to simplify and globalize B2B furniture sourcing.
Problem Statement
To create a system that will globalize the B2B luxury furniture sourcing for traceable and transparent management of the supply chain.
Store Retailer
Online Retailer
Sustainable Sourcing
3PL
Third party Logistics
Global Brands
Existing Eco-System
The luxury furniture sourcing ecosystem refers to the network of companies and individuals involved in the production and distribution of high-end furniture. This includes manufacturers, designers, wholesalers, retailers, and suppliers of materials and components.
SUPPLIERS
MANUFACTURERS
DESIGNERS
Suppliers of materials, such as wood, fabric play a key role in the ecosystem. They provide manufacturers with the raw materials to produce the furniture.
Manufacturers are responsible for producing the furniture using various materials, techniques and design.
Designers create the design for the furniture and work closely with manufacturers to ensure that their designs are produced to their specifications.
Problem Areas
Labour Exploitation
Environmental Impact
Transparency
Labor standards are not enforced, leading to exploitation of workers in terms of wages and working conditions.
The production of luxury furniture can impact the environment, particularly in regard to the sourcing and usage, and waste disposal.
Luxury furniture industry is known for its secrecy and exclusivity, which makes difficult to know the true origins of a product.
Stakeholder Trust Linkages
# Transactional Trust Linkage (1,4,6)
Stakeholders depending on the corresponding stakeholder to make a transaction in exchange of
product or service.
# Brand Trust Linkage (2,3)
Verified brand that can be trusted with process, service and products in terms of quality and assurances.
# Traceability Trust Linkage - Non transactional (5,7)
Trustworthy sourcing and certifications which can be tracked back to its origins.
User Research
Stakeholder Analysis
Stakeholder Impact
- Retailer: Will directly source products from us
- Manufacturer: Global brands whose products will be listed on our platform
- Customers: Retailers' customer will create product demand
Stakeholder Product Usage
- Retailer: Product search & purchase
- Manufacturer: List brand, product & delivery information
Retailer
Source Products
Manufacturer
List Products
Customer
Create Demand
Product Search
List Brand
Product Purchase
List Product Information
List Delivery Information
Primary Research Plan
Research Aim
- Identify target problem areas
- Find opportunity areas
- Identify features for the solution
Existing Customer Database
Screening User base
Telephonic Interview
TrescoLife already has an offline network of Indian & international retailers & manufacturers.
Screener criterion:
- Retailer: Sourcing requirement
- Manufacturer: Growing exporter
- Customer: Unconventional product requirement
- Introduce and ask starter questions.
- Identify user archetype for persona classification.
- Note user insights.
Interview Insights
Retailers
Manufacturers
Loses customers when product unavailable
Doesn't always know the market trends
Needs to individually reach out to global manufacturers for importing
Cannot display product information publicly and giving access to each information is time consuming.
Wants an easy way to establish trust
Customers
Can't find precise product in catalogues, only have inspiration images
Decision making fatigue, too many options
Can't be assured of product origin
Story-
boarding
Retailer
Scenario:
B2B Luxury
Furniture
Sourcing
1. Low sales figures
Retailer discovers that furniture sales are going on a loss.
4. contacting supplier
Retailer contacts the supplier and the product is available.
2. Unique customer requirement
Customer comes with a unique imported furniture requirement.
5. catching up with negotiation
Retailer has a delayed negotiation on price & customization.
3. Online Supplier research
Retailer finds a supplier with only contact details.
6. ORDER delivered
The order is delivered but now customer needs have changed with new trends.
User Stories
Main User Story
Impact on main user
Manufacturer
Scenario:
Products to be imported, given that they are reliable & within requirements, when all the product & delivery information is available, then the product can be purchased.
Retailer
Title: Importing Luxury Furniture
As an importing retailer, I want to stock my collection with globally trending items, for easy and increased sales.
Scenario:
Inventory to be restocked with imported products, given that they are trending, when the products are ranked & categorized, then the sales tendency increases.
Impact on main user
Customer
Scenario:
Right product to be found, given that they are in stock & matches inspiration, when the product availability & inspiration can be searched, then the product choice can be presented.
Retailer Persona
"As an importing retailer, I want to stock my collection with globally trending items, for easy and increased sales."
Raman
Age: 45
Location: Pune, Maharashtra
Occupation: Furniture Retailer
Level: Mid-size business
SCENARIO
Raman is an importing retailer from India. He wants to restock trending items however finds it difficult to understand customer needs and negotiating with manufacturers.
Personal Characteristics
- Detail-oriented
- Impatient
- Independent
BUSINESS
OVERVIEW
- Physical store
- Website & e-catalog
- Walk-in customers
- On call bulk orders
Buying Roles
- Hot seller restocking
- Requirement based restocking
Goals
- Restock inventory
- Increased sales
- Connect with trustworthy manufacturers
Challenges
- Unaware of trends
- Product not in stock
- Can't match inspiration
- Time-taking negotiation
Buyer's Journey
Requirement, Discovery, Negotiation & Restock
Needs
- Trending products
- Product & delivery information
- Inspiration browsing
MOTIVATIONS
- Transparency
- Matching customer inspiration
- Market trend prediction
Retailer Journey Map
Scenario:
Raman is an importing retailer from India. He wants to restock trending items however finds it difficult to understand customer needs and negotiating with manufacturers.
About:
Age: 45
Location: Pune, Maharashtra
Occupation: Furniture Retailer
Level: Mid-size business
requirement
DISCOVERY
NEGOTIATION
RESTOCK
- Receives product inspiration image
- Wants to stock trending item
- Finds global brands to import
- Finds as much information online
- Has to call or email and ask all queries
- Negotiating prices on call
- Purchases and tracks shipment
- Restocks on order arrival
activities
TOUCHPOINTS
Inventory Restocking
Browsing, brand website, social media
Call or Email
Payment & Shipment tracking
emotions
Opportunities
- Image search
- Trend analysis
- List verified global brands
- Brand Page
- Chat-based negotiation
- Documented conversation
- Order grouping
- Manufacturing process image updates
Competitor
Benchmarking
⭐ Competitive Edge
Molteni&C | Minotti | Poltrona Frau | Edra | Giorgetti | |
⭐ Trend Analysis | |||||
⭐ Chat-based Negotiation | |||||
Order Tracking | |||||
⭐ Process Update | |||||
⭐ Fair-trade Certifications | |||||
Sustainable Products listed | |||||
Digital Catalogue | |||||
Order Customization |
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Value Proposition Canvas
Task Card Sorting
Task Prioritization
Task Flow
Task
Order a global furniture product
Task Performer
No. of Steps
No. of Screens
Retailer
14
12
Frame 1
See Frame 2
Task Flow
Frame 2
See Frame 3
Continued
Task Flow
Frame 3
Continued
IA
Navigation Levels
P: Primary Level
S: Secondary Level
T: Tertiary Level
Medium Fidelity Screens
Medium Fidelity Screens
Medium Fidelity Screens
Medium Fidelity Wireframe
Design Feedback
Contributors
T
Tech Team
T
R
Retailer
D
T
Design Team
Feedback
The dummy text context is not clear.
New features are unknown and don't know how to use
Section purpose should be known
Abbreviations are
not oblivious
New section change goes unrecognised in a task flow
T
R
R
D
D
Changes
Change Lorem Ipsum to placeholder context
Add Step-by-Step User Guide
Add short intro to every new section
Use full form of abbreviations
Direct user first to new section then inside page
Visual Design
Moodboard
Keywords
- Vintage
- Minimal
- Regal
- Dark
- Tan
- Beige
- Warm
- Wood
- Earthy
Visual Design
UI Board
Key Areas
- Dashboard
- Charts
- Message Bubbles
- Product Card
- Sidebar
- Progress Steppers
- Dark theme
- Light theme
Colour Usage
Guide
Colours
Styleguide
Colour Palette
Icons & Typography
Icon Grid
Size: 10px × 10px
Padding: 1px
Grid & Spacing
Grid
Desktop column layout: 12 column
- Screen width: 1216px
- Variable Gutter sizes: 32px & 24px
Mobile column layout: 4 column
- Screen width: 343px
- Gutter size: 16px
Buttons
Sidebar, Footer, Header, Cards
Charts
Message Bubbles
High Fidelity Screens
Dashboard: View business analytics & trends for growth
High Fidelity Screens
Products: Browse Products from the product categories
High Fidelity Screens
Raise for Quotation: Enter product requirements, needs and raise for quotation
High Fidelity Screens
Quotations: Find the newly added quotation.
High Fidelity Screens
Chat-based Negotiation Guide : Learn about the new feature through the guide.
High Fidelity Screens
Negotiate or Accept: Negotiate or accept the quotation with a simple click.
Negotiate means to revise the pricing or other terms by editing the recent quotation.
Accept means to raise the quotation for order.
High Fidelity Screens
Track Order: Get directed to the track order section to view where the order is in the process.
High Fidelity Screens
Make Payment: Get phase-wise updates of the order.
Each phase has it's own set of steps which are updated.
High Fidelity Screens
Order Completed: Get after order services like Order history and Help center for invoice and assistance respectively.
Key Learnings
1
Design-Business Strategy
- Along with user needs, business needs also need to sync with design strategy.
- The phase of business and design need to align for implementation.
2
Development Consideration
- Design elements should be designed with feasibility of development.
- The file should have the necessary documentation for developers.
3
Continuous Feedback Loops
- Many details are bound to be missed during one feedback session, hence constant feedback loops help in keeping track.
Thank You
TrescoLife Internship Project
Resources