How happy customers helped grow this global interiors business
Shopping for furniture online was originally considered risky, but luxury furniture and interiors retailer House of Isabella has turned it into a positive, practical and pain-free experience.
Co-founder Rick Curry’s top tips for running an online interiors business:
- Customer service counts
Courtesy, communication and support will go a long way in gaining and retaining customers.
- Offer five-star shipping
If you sell breakable or big-ticket items, delivery is as important as the product itself.
- Keep your overheads lean
In turn, you can pass on your savings to your customer and stay competitive in the market.
You only have to look at House of Isabella’s customer reviews for proof that this bespoke interiors business puts customers first.
“The customer service was fantastic,” reads one glowing appraisal. “Super business model with good communication, product price point and delivery,” reads another.
In fact, House of Isabella’s customer service is so focused that on global review platform Trustpilot, the business scores 4.6 out of 5 stars (July 2022).
“We try very hard to maintain that [star rating] and offer first-class customer service,” confirms Rick Curry, who founded House of Isabella with his wife, Stephanie, in 2009. “One of our main Google searches is ‘House of Isabella reviews’ – so [it’s clear] people want to read these reviews and get that confidence before they purchase [from us].”
"People want to read these reviews."
Keeping the customer happy has been pivotal to the business’ success, says Curry. After all, for an online retailer, where customers don’t have the opportunity to touch and feel products or meet the staff, reinforcing trust in the products and service is crucial.
A focus on customer service has also helped House of Isabella grow from a humble furniture shop in Durham, to an international e-tailer with head offices in both the UK and Australia.
Today House of Isabela sells furniture and homewares from 40 suppliers across the globe, and has more than 50,000 products in stock at any time, from plush padded headboards to Art Deco mirrors and elegant modular lounges.
“Next we’re exploring the option of expanding into the USA, and we’d like to expand our Australian operation into New Zealand,” says Curry. “We want to increase our product range so that customers have an even bigger choice – there’s more to come!”
Offering access to unique products
When the couple launched the interiors business in 2009 while renovating their home in Durham, e-commerce was still relatively nascent, especially in the furniture and homewares space.
“While renovating, we found the product selection in run-of-the-mill stores uninspiring,” says Curry. “And we came across some cool brands that didn’t sell to the public – only to interior designers. We spotted a gap in the market to grant people access to these beautiful, unique products that you can’t find in store.”
"We want to grant people access to these unique products that you can’t find in store.”
The business initially launched as a ‘travelling shop’, selling pieces direct-to-consumers at trade fairs. When the products started flying off the shelves, they decided to open a store, then set up an e-commerce website.
“A lot of suppliers were against the idea [of e-commerce],” recalls Curry. “Initially there was also some [customer] reluctance to buying those bigger ticket items online, especially [from] some of the lesser-known brands.”
Yet thanks to the business’s stand-out selection of pieces, efficient shipping and impressive customer service – as relayed in its online reviews – consumer confidence steadily grew.
Moving from bricks to clicks
Soon, the online store proved more profitable than the bricks-and-mortar shop, and in 2013 Curry decided to close its doors and pour all his efforts into the digital side of the business. “The online store was allowing the business to expand at a faster rate, opening the market up nationwide,” he explains. “[Being exclusively digital] allows us to offer a large range of quality products at the best possible price.”
Five-star shipping
For an online interiors business, delivery is as important as the product itself, says Curry. In fact, a seamless shipping experience can make shopping for a sofa or dining table online a major drawcard.
"It’s actually convenient to have these massive items delivered.”
“It’s actually convenient to have these massive items delivered not only to your home, but to the room of your choice,” says Curry. “In the UK, we offer free delivery on everything. You could buy a £2000 sofa and you’ll get it delivered with white-gloved delivery service men – they’ll unpack it and polish down the furniture too. They then take all the rubbish away.”
Not that coordinating couriers is without its challenges. Curry points to occasional instances where a delivery is lost or smashed, or the driver is rude. “All those things will taint the customer experience,” he says, adding that his business goes above and beyond to eliminate pain points for its shoppers, using the following strategies:
How to offer seamless shipping
- Find the right courier for each job
“In the very early days we didn't know the difference between the different carriers. The conventional couriers all send parcels down on belts that get smashed around,” he recalls. “We quickly worked out that we had to send [fragile items] with a specialist company who manually handled everything with a two-man team.”
And it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. House of Isabella uses a variety of courier partners and services, depending on the product, job and location.
- Communication is key
“It’s very important that we keep customers informed throughout the delivery process, so they know exactly when their item is arriving,” explains Curry. “If a customer takes a day off work [to take the delivery] and the courier doesn’t turn up, that will obviously infuriate them. It’s essential that we’re very organised and keep everything running smoothly.”
- Ship anywhere
House of Isabella has also expanded its customer base by offering global shipping. “We ship all over Europe; we’ve shipped to Dubai and Singapore. We [can] ship anywhere our customers are.”
Centre the customer
“When my wife and I first started House of Isabella, we were very particular in selecting [pieces] we liked – particularly the mirrored Venetian style that was on trend back then,” recalls Curry. “That was probably detrimental to us, because not everybody shared our taste.”
In time, they started to stock a wider range of styles, noticing that some of their least favourite pieces became bestsellers.
Similarly, when the business expanded into Australia, it became clear that the southern hemisphere audience preferred a more coastal aesthetic to the British customer base. Again, Curry tried channelling his target audience’s preferences rather than his own – and saw sales soar.
Centering the customer, however, is not purely about product selection, but customer service, pricing and payment methods, too. For House of Isabella, putting the shopper first at every turn has been key to retaining loyal and happy customers.
Provide service around the clock
A key part of House of Isabella’s customer-centric approach is round-the-clock customer service – and the beauty of having head offices in different time zones is that the House of Isabella team is always available. “Because we run two offices, in Australia and the UK, customers can get an answer pretty much 24 hours a day,” says Curry.
"Customers can get an answer 24 hours a day."
The website’s live chat feature, he continues, offers a personalised service. “We’ve always steered away from automation like chatbots, which drive people crazy. When you go on live chat, you can always speak to a House of Isabella employee and get answers.”
Offer alternative ways to pay
House of Isabella utilises Clearpay, too, which allows customers to pay for their daybed or dressing table in instalments. “It offers our customers a convenient way to spread payments on big-ticket items,” says Curry. “Clearpay is a trusted brand, and I would recommend it for ease of use, good technology and improved conversion rates.”
Keep your overheads lean
Curry has one resounding piece of business advice: “Keep your overheads lean so that you can pass on savings to your clients and make your business more competitive.”
“Keep your overheads lean so that you can pass on savings to your clients."
It’s a strategy that’s meant that even during Brexit, pandemic lockdowns and, now, an inflated economy, the House of Isabella customer has been minimally impacted by price rises.
“Material costs, freight and shipping have all increased,” he says. “[But] to keep overheads lean, we try not to [invest in] any extra services that aren't really required; we don’t have a call centre or a showroom. We try and focus all our costs [on] getting the customer great customer service and a great delivery experience.
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