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Tuukka Leppänen became the entrepreneur behind Interface at only 22-years-old. Leppänen embarked on his journey around the same time as Ikea launched in Finland. There was widespread concern in the furniture business that the Swedish giant would kill furniture production, but the end result was the complete opposite. An interior boom took place in Finland, which benefited everyone in the furniture business.
“Everything developed in a positive direction at the beginning of the 21st century,” Leppänen says. Interior design suddenly became trendy - new interior shows and magazines popped up everywhere.
Vision: Sustainability
Sustainable design and durability has for years been the core of Interface’s operations. Conscious consumerism and environmentally friendly thinking are hot topics. “The usage and longevity of the sofa are subjective. We can’t come to people’s homes and influence how the sofa is being treated. Hence, we assist the longevity by choosing appropriate materials and technical solutions”, Leppänen explains.
The vision of Interface is that the sofa is a durable and static element at home, since it is a long term investment. Other elements may change according to trends, but the lifetime of a sofa is much longer. You can create variation at home by changing other decor elements.
Digitalization as a Challenger and Enabler
Digitalization has changed the furniture business. Daily electronic tools were not at hand when Leppänen begun as an entrepreneur. “We hardly had internet pages and emails, and in the end, it is not very long ago,” he laughs.
Digitalization has enabled new ways of presenting products and opened up new paths for informing and marketing. New tools can bring challenges as well. How can you present products in a clear and understandable way online? Especially the wide variety of options offered through tailoring are challenging to present to the consumer on the internet. Ready-made combinations are a helping factor for the consumer to get a better picture of the finished product. Tailored products almost always require personal contact between customer and salesperson.
Renewing the Website
Interface renewed their web services in 2019 with the lead of Kaksio Labs. The website got a new look in line with the brand identity. The needs of different customer target groups were carefully identified and the structure of the website was built accordingly.
Interface reduced the amount of tools they were using on a daily basis by taking HubSpot into use. “The work can be divided equally among employees, when everyone has access to the same information” Leppänen concludes. Marketing automation has brought more sales potential with little effort, and communication with customers is easier in many ways.