A Look at How Top Retailers Offer Trade Programs to Designers

Interior retail is an integral part of many designers' work. A large part of the industry look towards furniture and furnishing shops in filling in a project or even complete one. Being one of the major options for designers, top retailers have found a way to complete their end of the bargain by offering trade programs ranging from discounts, editorial contents to exclusive privileges to their designer clientele.

One of these retailers is William Sonoma Home which distributes Pottery Barn, PB Kids, PB Teens, West Elm, Rejuvenation and Mark and Graham. William Sonoma Home’s trade program started in 2006 and currently has 50,000+ designers registered in their offerings. Designers get discounts of up to 20% based on their tiered-discount level. Members registered in the program receive exclusive previews of products, trade fair invitations, exclusive pricing and services for online and in-store products. William Sonoma Home also offers dedicated support in terms of customer service.

The 10,000+ designers registered in the Wayfair Rewards program are getting their part of the deal, too. Members get to earn 3% back in Wayfair.com, Allmodern and DwellStudio. They can also purchase exclusive products which are only available to registered members. In addition, members can also get 5% to 25% on purchased items. The sweetest part of the bargain is that they have the opportunity to showcase their completed works in Wayfair’s online gallery which receives 16 million unique visitors every month.

Ethan Allen, which started its trade program in 2009, is offering their 5,000+ registered designers with seven to ten percent referral fee depending on the sales volume. The furniture retailer also handles the processing, preparation, delivery, customer service, warranties and logistics of every order of their clients. Members can also receive exclusive monthly newsletters and are invited to exclusive events conducted by the company.

And there’s Lillian August which grants their 500+ registered members with 20-40% discounts on retail. Members also get access to more than 100 vendors with huge discounts without minimum volume or buy-ins. Designers can also access the company’s in-house workroom and upholstery shop. The company also provide professional support when it comes to ordering, logistics, receiving/warehousing and coordinating in-home deliveries. Exclusive invitations to trade events are also a part of the program’s perks.