The Marketplace of Maisons du Monde
21-12-2022
For more than 20 years, Maisons du Monde has been a European leader in original and affordable collections of furniture and decorative accessories (€1.2 billion in 2020). Its unique model combines the physical network, e-commerce, paper catalog and marketplace, each of which has a specific function and range.
Nearly 50% of sales are made through digital channels, of which one-third come from in-store orders.
In 2020, Maisons du Monde launched its own marketplace. Like any marketplace, it is supposed to increase the offer for customers, drive website traffic, establish a dominant position in the sector and make money.
But Maisons du Monde is also a brand, and it considers the consistency of its collection crucial. It has created (with Mirakl) a carefully curated marketplace, managed by a large team of 25 people who carefully select each vendor and each of the 25,000 additional references. CEO Julie Walbaum likes to say that the level of selection, control and quality of service is as good, if not better, in the marketplace than in the 1P model.
Our opinion:
Highly curated marketplaces are one of the new frontiers, increasing brand power without sacrificing consistency.
While regular marketplaces bring greater reach and market presence, curated marketplaces bring precision and allow the brand to focus on what it does best. Maisons du Monde has been able to improve its category management thanks to its new marketplace by withdrawing from direct sales of loss-making products, such as lighting.
This case, among others, can be found in the report "Estrategias del canal de distribución para marcas y retailers", prepared by Ebeltoft Group and KISS Retail, which you can download here:
Nearly 50% of sales are made through digital channels, of which one-third come from in-store orders.
In 2020, Maisons du Monde launched its own marketplace. Like any marketplace, it is supposed to increase the offer for customers, drive website traffic, establish a dominant position in the sector and make money.
But Maisons du Monde is also a brand, and it considers the consistency of its collection crucial. It has created (with Mirakl) a carefully curated marketplace, managed by a large team of 25 people who carefully select each vendor and each of the 25,000 additional references. CEO Julie Walbaum likes to say that the level of selection, control and quality of service is as good, if not better, in the marketplace than in the 1P model.
Our opinion:
Highly curated marketplaces are one of the new frontiers, increasing brand power without sacrificing consistency.
While regular marketplaces bring greater reach and market presence, curated marketplaces bring precision and allow the brand to focus on what it does best. Maisons du Monde has been able to improve its category management thanks to its new marketplace by withdrawing from direct sales of loss-making products, such as lighting.
This case, among others, can be found in the report "Estrategias del canal de distribución para marcas y retailers", prepared by Ebeltoft Group and KISS Retail, which you can download here: