Page 21 - July 2021

Vivense is one of the leading furniture e-commerce companies in Europe, making over one
million deliveries last year alone and utilising a business model that combines online and
offline. Here, RLI speaks with Founder Kemal Erol about how the company has grown and
how it aims to grow further afield in the future.

All images are from the
Borough High Street Store in
London, UK

expansion journey. In the near future they are looking to have four Erol explains.
showrooms open across the UK. When discussing social media and its influence on the brand, the
In March this year they launched their e-commerce website with founder explains that they believe in organic growth on social media,
their own technology infrastructure and are currently offering around but that they also recognise influencers are becoming a major part of
a thousand products, with the plan to increase this product selection this medium, and that it is important for brands like Vivense to engage
to twenty thousand in due course. Within the next few months, they with them. They are building great relationships with influencers who
will be launching their e-commerce activities in Germany, which will have a natural affinity with the brand.
be a big step for them. As our time with Erol nears its end, we ask him what differentiates
Vivense is all about building an inspiration machine and they are the brand?
continually looking to improve this machine and their processes. As “We have a great selection of products with good prices, a
they do this, their customers become more loyal and more satisfied. good business model and an excellent team with fast execution.
“Our aim is to deliver a good experience to our customers through All of these elements combined work together to offer customers
this machine. Product selection, price, online experience, interior a good experience when they shop with us and separate us from
designer advice on our showrooms, and the fulfilment experience our competitors.”
are all very important in this machine. In particular, having dedicated Looking towards the future after a turbulent past 18 months in
interior designers in-store at this price point sets us apart in the the industry, Erol explains that managing the company’s fast growth
market – we concentrate on having a slick e-commerce presence is not easy, and it is a challenge to transform the organisation, the
backed up by expert, accessible advice on hand for when shoppers processes it goes through and the systems it uses with the pace of
need that proof point. A lot of the time customers will see a sofa growth they are seeing, but that it is a challenge they relish and look
online and come in to try it out – they will often then buy it on forward to working on each day as the brand continues to expand.
their phone from the store. This blended experience is crucial,”
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