When Joybird Flies: Follow Him to the Doorstep | Spencer Musick

The process of delivering furniture to a customer is rife with potential pitfalls and pain points, and getting the delivery right can be just as important to the buyer’s experience as the quality of what they receive. Getting it right doesn’t guarantee satisfaction, but getting it wrong could lose you a customer for life.

After spending months writing about how technology is shaping the industry at Furniture Today as an assistant content editor, I’ve seen firsthand how e-commerce furniture retailers are tackling the final, crucial step in the logistical puzzle. I bought a Lewis sectional and a Joybird ottoman during the May 22 Memorial Day sale and have been documenting the progress as it arrives at my door.

The order update and tracking feature on the Joybird website is quite intuitive and provides a delivery time window that updates as I complete my work.

According to the information provided in the order confirmation, his delivery partner will contact me directly to arrange a day and time for what he calls his “white-glove delivery service.” (I plan to confirm the white-glove presence on the day of delivery in the interests of fair and comprehensive investigative journalism.)

One of the main challenges of e-commerce is keeping customers informed about their order’s progress after they make a purchase, which is especially important for large shipments that typically require the customer or another person to be present to receive them.

Joybird has been sending out fairly regular email updates since the order was placed, some of them with cheeky and naive taglines like “what to expect when you’re expecting: furniture edition.” (Am I expecting a sectional or a stork?) Jokes aside, this fits in with Joybird’s overall marketing approach, which targets a young, trendy, and “hip” audience.

Given that lead times across the industry are lengthening due to ongoing logistical challenges, a lead time of less than two months for a custom product seems quite reasonable.

More details to come as we see the Joybird fly to a waiting customer.

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