As times change, so do people’s needs for the home. What was once a static piece of furniture has evolved into something more. For many, the guest room served as the home office and the living room transitioned into a space where people spend even more time with friends or loved ones.
As brick and mortar doors shuttered, it opened the door to internet brands. Those who thrived had substance and innovation. In the midst of the pandemic, Zelong Zhao, launched a high-end modular sofa company called Homebody.
Founder and CEO and a second generation furniture maker, Zelong had a vision for a contemporary modular sofa that could fit in any space in a range of ways.
As the buzz for Homebody spiked on social media, so did their sales.
“I just remember when I was researching the company and scrolling through their Instagram – every post had comments where people would tag their spouses,” said Jessica Hann, Chief Marketing Officer of Homebody, during our interview.
Husbands often looked for the recliner while their wives were searching for a sofa.
“See, we can have both,” they’d say.
I reminisce back to the late 90s where Joey from Friends in his traditional brown, leather recliner with cupholders. These are not the recliners from the past.
First off, you can configure the number of seats to fit your space. The user experience on the website makes it as seamless as customizing your iPhone purchase. There are six different colors and multiple fabric options. The linen fabric is popular in warm climates and the velvet in cooler ones for a cozy feeling. They’ll mail swatches of fabric to your home in case you’re not located near one of their showrooms. If you’re on the fence I would recommend the swatches.
Their new Luxe Collection makes it even easier to fit in a space because it requires zero clearance to recline. Most require a few inches behind for clearance so you can’t place them directly on a wall. Besides having easily accessible remotes and other high-end features, they’re completely modular.
Imagine you have a five seat l-shaped sofa and certain times of the year you want to rearrange your living room because you have company. You have the option of taking for example, two of the seats and placing them across the room. All you’d need is an additional arm to complete the couch. Their website also offers up to 5 recliners so you can decide exactly where you want them placed.
As the demand for Homebody grew, so did the importance to better understand their customers’ wants and needs. Jessica and her marketing team undertook a significant customer research study which unveiled key learnings.
“Most of the upgraded features of our Luxe Collection came from the feedback from our customers. For example, our former product needed a 2-inch clearance to recline. Many customers needed to fit it into smaller spaces which is why the new model has zero clearance.”
Homebody’s mission is to blend functionality and practicality with style. Upwards of 90% of customers are buying a couch with a recliner included – and the fact that it doesn’t look like your grandpa’s recliner makes it stand out.
“The biggest misconception about Homebody?” I solicited Jessica.
“People often miss all the functionality it already has. They’ll be surprised to learn that it has a remote or phone chargers built-in. Or that they just think it reclines but they weren’t aware that we have dual cushion options for firmness preference. They just don’t necessarily know until they receive it.”
As I pressed her on the competitiveness of selling online she said that nobody was going to just stumble across their website.
Jessica knows a thing or two about direct to consumer online marketing. She previously served as the SVP of Brand Marketing at Avocado which has a reputation of being category leader in the organic, non-toxic mattress space.
Jessica, too, is second generation in the furniture business. She witnessed her father, first hand, running a furniture shop during her youth.
“Seeing my dad as an entrepreneur was interesting to me – both good and bad. On one hand he had more control over his lifestyle and business. On the other hand, I could also see some of the stress it caused. It definitely inspired me to give entrepreneurship a shot as well.”
As we concluded our interview, we half-joked that the competition in this market is both the couch and the recliner. Nonetheless, a small company in an ever-changing environment can present a lot of challenges. As Jessica reflected on some the traits of the best leaders she’s been around — people were at the center of it.
“The trait that I always want to embody is calm leadership. Facilitating a safe environment. Especially when you’re in a startup or an environment where things are constantly changing. You’re trying new things and failing often. And so having that calm leadership that really prioritizes the people in it — is most important to me.”