Monte Design Group originated from the need of co-founder and president Ralph Montemurro and his wife to furnish their son’s nursery back in 2005. “We couldn’t find anything in the kid’s furniture category we truly loved, so we opened a workshop in our hometown of Toronto Canada to manufacture high quality and design-driven upholstered furniture,” says Montemurro.
“We started with a comfortable, ergonomic glider chair that we designed to complement a modern aesthetic. Since then we have expanded into making upholstered beds and other home furnishings.”
Today the brand is found online and in more than 150 retail locations – predominantly independent retail stores with a focus on baby and kids – in the US and Canada. The target market means that customer experience is essential. “Safety is an obvious number one, but our customers also expect the best quality available to them, and customer service to match. They never want to worry about the quality and longevity of a Monte piece of furniture, and they want to receive it in a professional and timely manner.”
Adding touch points for the customer
Montemurro believes this attention to a positive experience has been lacking in the furniture retail market. “I feel customer service has gone a bit by the wayside, so we have added even more touch points to our buying process to add even more of a great experience,” he says.
“We have also noticed a race to lower price points, which only results in poorer quality. That motivates us to continue our goal of making the best-quality furniture a customer can buy for the kids’ rooms and the whole home. Quality, safe materials, sustainability, along with great design, are among the important values to our customers. We pride ourselves on heirloom-quality furniture that is built to last.”
The fact that its target customers are new parents or parents-to-be meant that, during the pandemic, consumers had no option but to trust in the online process when they couldn’t buy instore. “Our items are usually time-sensitive, meaning a customer has to have it within a timeframe. If they are unable to visit one of our retail partners, they now have the confidence to buy online site unseen, and trust the Monte brand and the values we work by.”
The importance of customisation
This is thanks to the company’s investment in the online experience, with detailed information and imagery to enable smarter buying decisions. Customers can customise products online to meet their design needs, as well as access tools to see such products virtually in their space. “This means the journey can be fun and engaging, resulting in a conversion,” says Montemurro.
It’s also essential for the customisation process. “The ability to see on screen what they have created is paramount. We are always adding new fabrics and options, and the speed at which we can make it available online is very important.
“Buying confidence is lost if a customer cannot see an image(s) of what they want to buy. And the image has to be exact in every way. What they see is what they will get.”
