DesignCliq Offers Content Subscription Service

April 6, 2015  by in Business Strategy, Industry   

The program is supported by software built around retailer-purchased credits that allow retailers to shop for and purchase design-related blogs and tips from a continuously expanding library. 

“We believe the key to success for retailers today is to move beyond cookie-cutter content on their websites, too often produced by writers with no understanding of our industry, to content that is truly helpful to shoppers,” said Fred Star, founder of DesignCliq. “Our goal in creating our new subscription service is to educate potential shoppers about the decorating process, and to position the retailers we partner with as authorities in their marketplaces. Consumers today don’t want to be ‘sold.’ They want to be engaged and empowered and to trust the retailers they buy from whether online or in-store. Frankly, that’s why they are online in the first place, researching as much as they can about the products they want to purchase. Yet the shopping process is about more than product and price. And too often, consumers online don’t get much of a feel for a furniture store’s identity, or the benefits they receive by shopping in-store.”

Led by creative director Lynn Courtade, all blogs and design tips in the library are currently produced by veteran industry writers Kimberley Wray and Kim Shaver.

“We have gathered the most experienced and talented writers and designers in home furnishings to create quick, easy and fun reads that invite consumers to stop, read, think and behave differently online,” Starr said. “We are not a news source covering industry product introductions or retailer activities. Rather, we provide retailers with an all-important element that is largely missing from their websites, the part that supports a brick-and-mortar store’s unique brand by educating consumers about living well in a space that is ideal for their lifestyle.”

According to Starr, pricing for blogs, e-mail blasts and newsletters is below average, and impossible to duplicate on an individual basis.

“Some retailers are lucky enough to have people on their teams who have the time and talent to devote to producing great content for their stores’ websites, but the pressures of the retail business mean that they are few and far between,” Starr said.