How Covid-19 is positively affecting our interior design startup.
It’s scary enough, it’s true.
As the impact of coronavirus continues to accelerate, times are very uncertain.
It feels as if any plans that we make (or have made) could soon be subject to delay or cancellation, and the situation is such that rather than coming together as communities to show solidarity, we must in fact isolate ourselves in our homes.
But every challenge hides a bigger opportunity.
Boredom is perhaps inevitable, but comfort and well-being should be also.
Since these difficult days began at Restylit.com we saw a strong increase in website traffic and sales, as people resign themselves to staying home for the foreseeable future and as we are fully committed to helping our customers as much as we can.
Here’s what we are learning:
People need to make plans for the future and talk
Our killer feature never seemed so appropriate.
We were born to let you easily get helped by talented interior designer and now people seems appreciate it even more than usual. Conversations on our live chats or whatsapp are getting longer, they are shifting from “Hey I just saw that blue sofa on your shop, what if I place it there (living room pics)?” to “Hey I just saw that blue sofa on your shop, I was thinking to buy it but can I call you to have 30’/1h of advisory with your interior designers? I may want to change everything here! I can pay for that…”.
We all have more time available in our lives so that’s the result, take care of what you usually ignore or postponelike the space where you leave.
We all need a dream home
Now more than ever our homes are turning into prisons, we cant’t get out for our health but the risk is losing our mind inside those walls.
So here’s the power of interior design! We said it years ago (despite any conspiracy theory), we all deserve a dream home and it should not cost us a fortune.
We hope that all this bad things happening will teach us, among many others, how caring about where we leave do worth our money, and we can do great things without spending a fortune! The power of living in a place which amaze us every evening when we come back home has definitely a strong impact on our minds.
People are getting familiar with online interior design
That’s a big win for us, especially thinking about our domestic market where we’ve struggled a lot to gain people’s trust about being delivered an interior design project by a…laptop.
Yes, with us you always talk with your interior designer, yes we have a great experience in the business and can proof you a successful track record of amazing projects delivered but we all know its not the same of having an architect sitting next to you.
Those days with people forced at home are helping them to get convinced that it’s possible. You can get a design project by a an online interior design company where talented interior designers are working for you to help you realize your dreams.
What does this all mean for our startup
We saw an increase of traffic to our online shop and Instagram page with the same marketing expense. We’re talking about a consistent +30% in sales and +40% in traffic on the last 4 weeks of Europe lockdown.
We’re now expecting a further increase in traffic but a lower conversion rate and lower incomes for the rest of the lockdown (depending on the geographical area) while the purchase impulse will be replaced by the uncertainty of the future as the Economical crisis will spread.
After that we expect a consistent growth by the end of this year with the hope and purpose to have consolidated and spread our business approach.
This mess will end up soon, with scars on our hearts but also the opportunity to jump into a new society, more fluid and more open to tests new things as far as they can help us evolving and feeling better. We deserve it.
Written by
Alberto & Mattea, Restylit co-founders confined at home in Italy trying to stand up to their running startup (restylit.com).
