How to Succeed Selling Furniture to Australia’s Hospitality Industry
October 17, 2017Australia is paradise for the hospitality industry. With its colourful multi-cultural society and rich national heritage, Australia offers diverse attractions, amenities and wonderful opportunities which tourists, travellers, students, diners, shoppers, entrepreneurs and people from all walks of life find hard to resist.
Owing to this diverse range of revenue sources, it didn’t take long for the hospitality industry to become one of the most important drivers for economic growth in Australia.
So if you’re in the furniture reselling business, you can leverage this information and start reaping business benefits. The key to your success as a distributor of furniture for the hospitality industry lies in knowing how or where to find the right furniture products that meet the specific needs of your clients.
What you’re about to learn could open up a world of success opportunities for you in the mid-market hospitality furniture business. Read on.
Safe and Appropriate for Purpose
When supplying furniture for restaurants, bars, resorts, cafes, apartments and hotels it is crucial to ensure that the products’ safety and performance levels are at par with industry and regulatory standards.
Problems faced by many resellers of tables, chairs, bar stools, lounges and other furniture for restaurants, hotels, bars, cafes, nightclubs and similar establishments often revolve around their failure to comply with relevant regulatory rules such as:
- Product Safety
- Fitness of furniture for its intended use
- Durability of the furniture
- Quality of furniture finish
- Durability of cushions and upholstery on chairs, stools and lounges
Commercial furniture such as those intended for hotels, cafes, bars and restaurants must be designed to withstand a certain degree of abuse.
If the finish on tables, chairs and stools easily chips off even with normal use, then that could reflect badly on the hospitality business, which in turn could negatively impact your business as furniture reseller.
As a supplier of furniture and fixtures for the hospitality industry, your role is to provide your customers with tables, chairs, lounges and stools that are appropriate for use in hotels, cafes, restaurants, bars, resorts and other public areas, thus helping to avoid customer complaints.
Help Your Customers Get the Best Furniture for their Hospitality Business
In order to meet the needs and win the loyalty of your clients, oftentimes you need to go the extra mile of helping them find the perfect fitout solutions for their café, restaurant, bar, resort or hotel business. You need to share with them your insights and expertise on how to set up their commercial establishments in such a way as to prime them up for success.
Suggest Furniture Items That Complement the Café’s, Restaurant’s or Hotel’s Aesthetic Design
Don’t just let your customers choose random furniture items that don’t complement the space where they are to be used. Instead of letting them select a heap of mismatched items and fixtures, help your customers choose furniture designs, colours and features that address the unique needs of their establishment.
This isn’t exactly an easy thing to do. But, whether you like it or not, your clients expect you to be an expert in your niche. So be one to them.
Put Quality Above Everything Else
Even if your customer or client is on a tight budget, resist the temptation of offering them subpar products or services. Instead, suggest commercial chairs, tables, lounges, barstools or furniture items manufactured by a reputable brand and made from high quality materials.
Never compromise on quality. Always make sure the tables and chairs you’re supplying your clients in the hospitality industry are structurally solid and safe for use in their hotels, bars, cafes or restaurants.
Each Customer’s Needs are Different
The one-size-fits-all principle has no place in the hospitality furniture resale business. As a distributor of quality furniture for the hospitality industry, the key to building a successful business relationship with your clients is knowing and understanding their particular needs.
Study your clients. What demographic or market segment in the hospitality industry are they catering to? Are they able to ensure that children and the elderly will be dining in a safe and comfortable environment? These are just examples of things you need to consider when helping customers obtain the best furniture for their restaurant, hotel or other types of commercial establishments.
Where to Source Your Inventory of Chairs, Tables, Barstools and Other Commercial Furniture
If you’re a distributor or reseller specialising in furniture for the hospitality industry, a vital thing to consider is finding a furniture importer or wholesaler that is going to provide you with a steady stream of high quality inventory to sell.
As a distributor of commercial furniture, you have your own base of loyal customers. And because you’re trying to maintain good relationships with them, sometimes you are forced to get furniture items for them that are not found in your inventory.
That is why partnering a reputable commercial furniture importer and wholesaler is an indispensable part of your strategy.
Important Considerations When Choosing a Hospitality Furniture Wholesaler
In today’s cutthroat economy, it pays to partner with a company that can help you gain a tremendous advantage over your competitors. Use these criteria in finding that perfect business partner today:
- An exclusive range of quality, stylish, functional furniture products that includes chairs, barstools, tabletops and table bases
- Professional marketing support, technical information, weekly stock updates and brochures so that you can brand yourself and sell more
- Direct shipping to your clients with your documentation
- Next Day Dispatch
- A two year commercial warranty on all products
- Full support to help distributors like you sell more
Furnlink is a leading importer and wholesaler of hospitality furniture in Australia. We import quality commercial grade products from Europe and South East Asia.
We service distributors in New Zealand, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea and Australia, particularly in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Northern Territory, Western Australia and Tasmania.
We also offer Next Day Dispatch and FREE shipping to Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
At Furnlink, your success is our priority.
Call us today!