Our 5 big SMB challenges
An interview with PIXERS
London-registered global e-tailer Pixers is a poster-child for the modern cloud-based company. Their Pixerstick interior stickers are more than just neat pieces of design; the database of a virtually unlimited number of images and the ability to add and remove stickers in just moments is a shift from thinking of interior design as a long-term project into a way of reflecting moods and trends at the drop of a hat.
Set up just 6 years ago by Maciej Bialek and half a dozen twenty-somethings, the company owes much of its growth to the youthful approach it brings to the market. CMO Mateusz Mentlewicz explains to us how early decisions—like focusing on visibility on Google rather than standard marketing techniques and developing customer service tools preferred by the milliennial generation such as live chat—were ahead of the curve and gave the company a competitive advantage.
Pixers started out as an interior design company but we found out that we don’t really fit that niche. We now think of ourselves as being pioneers of “interior personalization.”
Pixers seems to have gotten so much right along the way that it is strange to hear about the places where they missed the trend. Mateusz feels like they missed a genuine opportunity for even more explosive growth by not identifying the role of mobile a little earlier. With 60-70 percent of all social media interactions now being done using mobile devices, the company is now implementing a totally mobile-adjusted platform—but it could have happened sooner. Determined not to miss the boat again, the company is now getting in early with technologies like HoloLens and VR via the iStaging mobile app dedicated to the Tango platform.
If you are a small business that has big ambitions, here are five pieces of advice that Pixers can pass on to you:
1. Time is the most valuable resource
“Even after six years we are only just working out how the brand should be perceived. Time has shown that the clients we expected were not the ones who actually wanted the product. Pixers started out as an interior design company but we found out that we don’t really fit that niche. We now think of ourselves as being pioneers of interior personalization. People want to have fun with so many areas of their lives; we think that interiors can be used like fashion items. You buy new clothes as seasons change, or as new trends appear, or when you want to make a statement about yourself. Why not do the same with your home and change the walls like you change a sweater? This is obvious to us now but it wasn’t when the company was set up—time showed us the direction we needed to go.”
2. Pioneering is not easy but the rewards are worth it
“Not everyone is ready to consider interiors the way we do. Most people think about interior design as being about paint pots and wallpapers, whereas we envision a perfect world of interior design where you have white walls and furniture and you change the Pixerstick whenever and however the mood takes you. Not everyone has been convinced to ‘Pixersize’ their interiors but one percent of seven billion people is still a huge market if you can reach those people. Or perhaps the change will be that we will expand our niche to target ordinary people who are looking for extraordinary products. Again, time will tell us where we need to go.”
3. B2B and B2C marketing need to be separated
Individuals buy with their eyes; they browse the website, see a design, and fall in love with it. Businesses need to find the best way of communicating with people visiting their organization. Our B2B marketers now chat to businesses and offer them a more boutique service which becomes a ‘one-stop shop’ from the concept to the final fit on the wall or any other surface. This is all just part of the service—the real value to businesses is partnering with someone who shares a vision with them and can help bring it to life.”
4. Influencers are incredible
“Even with our growth, we cannot compete with companies who can spend hundreds of millions on TV spots. We need to be smart with the way we advertise and digital influencers are vital to getting our message across. We spend a lot of time building relationships with the right bloggers, YouTubers, programmers, and Instagrammers. The ‘right’ ones doesn’t mean the biggest ones; it means the people who are working hard to create great content. We thought it would be as simple as giving out a few free samples or digital content but we now know that a great relationship with an influencer is a lengthy process in which we talk to them about designs they like, work out what makes them tick, and deliver great product to them. And we don’t control what they say about us. So it is not just the product they are judging us on, it is our entire customer experience and all of our processes.”
5. Optimizing is essential
“We have millions of designs on our website and only 2-3 minutes to capture a client when they visit for the first time. We want people to feel like Pixersticks are solutions that everyone wants but, at the same time, give them a real personalized experience. The ultimate goal is to use things like machine learning to make sure that the first time someone visits our website they see a set of images tailored to who they are as an individual. It is a hugely ambitious goal but it is what our product is all about.”
Check out the designs at pixersize.com.
