In recent months, we’ve seen a number of online furniture stores such as Madedotcom going bankrupt as the sector as a whole has been slowing down after Covid 19 and its supply chain crisis, while dealing with soaring business costs due to higher import taxes, higher shipping costs and increased tariffs. This has led some of our competitors, such as made.com, to file for bankruptcy or close shop entirely.

Diiiz.com has also gone through very hard times these last 2 years but despite strong difficulties we have managed to stay afloat. We don’t take it for granted. Online shopping has gone down due to the economic crisis and inflation. We are sad for Made.com but we still believe in ourselves. This is the reason why we would like to reassure our customers. We still take orders and all the orders will be delivered to our customers!

As a smaller company, we believe that Diiiz should take the current economic crisis as an opportunity to reorient its business model and invest in a more local and European supply chain.

What makes Diiiz different from Made.com, even in such a tough industry?

One of the things that makes us different, even in such a tough industry, is our commitment to providing quality products at affordable prices. As a smaller company, we've always been focused on building long-term relationships with our customers and suppliers. To maintain this focus, we work diligently with the manufacturers and suppliers who produce our goods in order to provide the best product possible.

Long-term relations with our suppliers and stakeholders have so far helped us to stay afloat despite margin erosion. Reorienting our business model in Europe will also be key in this long-term strategy.

How did Diiiz survive the lockdown?

The Covid 19 lockdown was a major supply chain crisis and we were worried that our business would be affected. Thanks to some successful predictions, we started to reorient our business model in 2020. We have not been able to change our production plans as quickly as we thought, but in 2021 we already had many contacts on the European continent to reorient our production from Asia to Europe.

2023 will be the year during which we will fully implement this strategy and significantly increase our sourcing in Europe. Diiiz’s new focus is the sourcing of new suppliers in Europe who can provide us with quality materials and furniture.

How did we survive the cargo container price hikes?

At Diiiz, we have been using cargo containers to ship our products for a long time. When the price of these containers started to soar, we realized that it was time to find an alternative. We had been researching the possibility of developing a warehouse and land just outside of the United Kingdom.

Diiiz founders are originally from Belgium. The 3 founders decided in 2022 to reorient Diiiz’s business model in Europe, look for new suppliers in Europe, and develop a logistics centre in Belgium, in order to deliver to its customers faster and at lower cost. Brexit and Covid 19 have both accelerated this strategy. During this period, Diiiz also decided to stop the production of vintage and replica furniture. The new product strategy is to promote and source original European design only.

Still, a lot needs to be done: Diiiz is constantly looking for new affordable European designers and producers. Europe is full of very expensive luxury furniture brands. But, according to Roberto Mongiovi (Diiiz CEO), “we need to bring back affordable and mid-range furniture suppliers in Europe as well”. With the current economic crisis, “we are convinced that now more than ever, Diiiz should continue to supply affordable furniture to all”.

What does Diiiz’s future look like?

The future of furniture supply chains looks promising. The industry leaders in the UK and Europe still need to improve their logistics and retail know-how. Supply chains have to be optimized and ideas found to decrease delivery costs in Europe. Furniture retailers need to be able to operate both offline and online, which requires a diverse set of skills. The furniture industry has always been about making beautiful things for the home, but now it's also about using technology for efficiency and sustainability.

In 2023, Diiiz wants to:

• Improve its logistics costs and supply chain efficiency
• Be closer to its customers
• Be more present online and offline
• Become a European platform for affordable European furniture producers
• Better use technology and artificial intelligence to become more efficient

Roberto Mongiovi
Diiiz.com
CEO

If you have more questions about Diiiz, contact us at info@diiiz.com