The winners of Snowfire Awards 2023
Meet the brothers who early on understood the potential of dropshipping a niche quality product on the web. With an updated brand and website, they are now advancing the frontline.
A bold website, plain and simple!
We've traveled to the furniture kingdom in Småland. Here, we meet the brothers Adam and Fredrik Svanbring at their factory in Rydaholm. Stenexpo has been manufacturing furniture since 1984 and is celebrating 40 years this year.
Stenexpo introduced the concept of home delivery long before it became a market standard. They began with dropshipping in 2012, a successful move that marked a significant change in the industry's operations.
Quality in the detail
We have a flow with flat packages, which makes logistics good, shipping becomes efficient, and ultimately, it results in a good price level.
– Today, we are a wholesale company that primarily sells coffee tables to furniture retailers and internet customers, Adam explains. To get a feel for the vibes and to keep up with what's happening in our industry, we travel a lot to trade shows.
The importance of the right coffee table
It is with coffee tables that Stenexpo has primarily found its niche. While a competitor might offer ten different types, Stenexpo has over a hundred options. Their extensive collection includes tables made of glass, laminate, wood, and marble, satisfying a wide range of customer preferences.
– Coffee tables need to complement the sofa; it's important," says Fredrik. "We have a different culture here in Sweden than in Southern Europe. Here, we have high coffee tables, and we like to eat at our coffee tables.
You are the winners of the year
Adam, it was you who submitted your website to the competition with the motivation "Bold website," and then this year's jury selected your website as the winner in the Snowfire Design Awards. How did that happen?
– They must have also thought it was bold, laughs Adam.
Yes, why... maybe because it's easy to find what you're looking for. This categorisation into round or square tables has simplified things for our retailers. But I think it's the pictures that do it. Something happens with these close-ups; that's what I mean by bold. The coloring is also good," adds Fredrik.
The renewal of the brand and the new website were created by Giggi Sundler at Becc Designstudio AB
– Yes, we knew we needed to do something about our website, and then we met Giggi at Ica. Here in Rydaholm, everyone meets in a corridor between the bread, milk, and coffee," Giggi explains with a smile.
– We had mutual acquaintances who had websites made by Giggi, so we became a bit curious to know more. After a few meetings, we gave Giggi free rein to update not just our website but the entire brand," says Adam.
- We started from scratch, says Giggi. There was probably a bit of resistance at the beginning to changing their logo, but they realised it was necessary to build a brand to grow with.
I often think much bigger when I do brand profiling for my clients, as I've worked abroad and traveled a lot in the world and can see all the fine qualities and values we have in Sweden. Here, I wanted Stenexpo to have the conditions to be able to sell worldwide.
We took a number of pictures to create the feeling of manufacturing and genuine quality. It was also important to include images that give an authentic feeling because it's around the coffee table that meetings and conversations happen. People should recognize themselves and relate to it.
Choose a Swedish platform
– A structured website means everything, says Giggi. Stenexpo's website and product catalog are the hub of their wholesale business. The website is designed to make it easy for retailers to find, as well as to download important materials in the form of pictures and texts.
– I use Snowfire as the platform for the websites I create. It's user-friendly and easy for my clients to continue working with. It's a completely Swedish platform, and I believe more people will soon understand how important it is to choose Swedish and to have proximity to designers who can help them. There's an authenticity in Snowfire that I like.
A eye for details
Adam, what is it about Giggi that makes him, for the second year in a row, take home the 1st place of the Snowfire Design Awards for his clients?
- He's cool and has a terrible eye... well, for details. He's simply bold," concludes Adam.
These are all the winners of the Snowfire Design Awards 2023
View all the winning entries and read the jury's justifications.