When I talk to suppliers in the home and outdoor markets, one of the first questions I get is “Can you get my products on Wayfair?” The answer is a little complicated, but maybe not why you’d expect.
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First, if you haven’t heard of Wayfair, or haven’t checked in lately on how that company is doing, let’s just say that COVID-19 and the way it has accelerated eCommerce adoption has helped lead to absolutely massive growth for the platform. Wayfair’s Q2 2020 report showed revenue up 84% year over year to a total of $4.3 billion, and Q3 2020 followed with a total of $3.8 billion, up 67% year over year. And that includes a ton of new customers who had never ordered online before.
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Now that you can understand why suppliers are clamoring to get their products listed with the home and outdoor giant, let’s talk about how they can do it.
1. Fill out a request to partner with Wayfair
A quick Google search is all you need to find Wayfair’s handy link to apply to be a supplier. Wayfair has an incredible team of vendor managers and eCommerce experts; filling out that link will get the ball rolling and get you into their system. Easy, right? But it gets tricky from there.
2. Get insured
One of Wayfair’s partner requirements is product liability insurance. This might seem straightforward, but as you dig in, you’ll have lots of questions that an experienced eCommerce partner like AndMakers can help you answer proactively. Suppliers who work with AndMakers get annotated proof-of-insurance forms to help them understand exactly how to fulfill Wayfair’s requirements, without delay:
3. Find a drop-shipping partner (or say goodbye to your free time)
If you’re already set up with other retailers, you may have this step covered. If you aren’t, finding a true partner can remove a ton of obstacles to getting your business off the ground. A drop-shipping partner can provide lots of services, including warehousing, fulfillment, reverse logistics, and EDI/API integration into top platforms. Without all of those services, you’ll be left to develop your own solutions, build your own customer service team, lease or buy your own warehouse, and either purchase costly software or spend many, many hours a week on manual product and order entry. And that’s just the big top layer of services; there are many secondary but hugely valuable insights and solutions you should expect from your Account Manager if you’re working with the right partner.
4. Get the scoop on what’s selling
You can dedicate some serious time to market research to figure out what U.S. consumers are buying, where they’re buying, and why they’re buying. Or you can work with a partner with in-house retailer relationships and get real-time insights on product categories in demand. This does more than boost short-term revenue; it gives suppliers a roadmap on new-product development that will pay off for years.
5. Make sure you’re actually selling products once they’re listed on the platform
Seems important, right? But it’s important to note that even Wayfair’s massive audience won’t necessarily find or buy your products once they’re listed. It takes merchandising know-how (product details, info, images, and pricing) to truly get the sales needle moving. The right eCommerce partner has the experience and knowledge to help you position your products to move and can get answers to all the questions that pop up along the way.
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Want to learn more? We’re always available to chat; it’s our mission to help great suppliers bring their products to the U.S. market.
