Zientte: Luxury Furniture Dealer and Manufacturer

Zientte is synonymous with high-quality, luxury furniture in Colombia. Renowned for its collaboration with international designers, Zientte consistently introduces new, trend-setting collections. Over its 40-year history, Zientte has developed a reputation for exquisite product design. However, like many furniture manufacturers, Zientte faces the dual challenge of managing both product development and retailing—what can be described as operating a "two-in-one company."

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The Two-in-One Company Challenge

In Zientte's case, the two-in-one company structure involves two primary business units: Product and Retailing.

The Product Business Unit comprises:

1. Production Department: This involves a warehouse with inventory, a production line with subcontractors, material providers, importers, and logistics.
2. Research and Development (R&D) Department: This includes a design team focused on creating new collections, testing products, and collaborating with international designers.

The Retailing Business Unit includes:

1. Store Experiences: Managing sales associates, setting sales goals, nurturing clients, providing customer service, organizing events, and attending fairs.
2. Marketing and Branding: Developing and executing marketing strategies, maintaining brand consistency, managing social media presence, creating promotional materials, and enhancing brand visibility through advertising and partnerships.

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Evolution and Growth

Initially, Zientte focused primarily on product development. Established in 1985 during the height of postmodernism, Zientte began by emphasizing design-first approaches and producing memorable, statement pieces that reflected success and social status. Initially named "Colombiana de Diseño Industrial," Zientte distributed its furniture through established furniture stores, leveraging their networks.

By the 1990s, Zientte expanded its operations to include retailing, despite economic challenges. Founder Lucy Gilchrist navigated both product and retail operations during a turbulent period in Colombian history, demonstrating remarkable resilience.

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Current Structure

Fast forward to today, Zientte remains a family-owned business with significant achievements in both product and retail operations:

Product Business Unit:

• 16 unique, yearly furniture collections, including the 2024 collection, "Anima."
• Rebranded as Zientte in 2002, achieving cohesive aesthetics and intent.
• 50-60 employees focusing on R&D and production.
• 5-10 in-house designers working on new collections, brand alliances, collaborations, and product testing.

Retail Business Unit:

• 5 Zientte-run stores in Colombia, with international distribution in Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama, and a partnership with Robert Allen in the USA.
• 10-20 employees focusing on client nurturing, distribution network, showroom experiences, branding, marketing, deal generation, and sales goals.
• New sales channels through Zientte Projects and Design Market.
• Annual revenue of $1M-$2M.

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Challenges and Disconnect

Managing a two-in-one company inevitably leads to a disconnect between the product and retail units. The retail team, driven by sales goals and KPIs, often needs immediate results. In contrast, the product team focuses on quality and innovation, leading to differing priorities and potential conflicts.

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Enter Prontto: The Solution to Retail Challenges

Prontto addressed the retail unit's needs by providing swift, precise visual materials. Before Prontto, Zientte's retail team often faced delays and inefficiencies when requesting assistance from the product team's in-house designers. This resulted in lost deals and frustrated sales associates.

Prontto's solution:

1. Reduced turnaround time for visual materials from 15 days to 48-72 hours.
2. Enhanced customer experience and engagement.
3. Improved sales conversion rates.

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Implementation and Impact

Prontto's streamlined process significantly boosted Zientte's retail operations:

1. Client Relationship Nurturing: The in-store team focuses on building and maintaining client relationships.
2. Request Submission: The in-store team submits requests to Prontto through a web platform.
3. Quick Delivery: Prontto delivers branded project presentations within 24-72 hours.
4. Presentation and Closure: The in-store team presents the project and closes the deal.

This process allows Zientte's retail team to generate new opportunities while Prontto handles design needs, ensuring consistency and quality in all client presentations.

See sample presentation projects here.

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Conclusion

Prontto's partnership with Zientte exemplifies how targeted solutions can address specific challenges in a two-in-one company structure. By providing rapid and high-quality design support, Prontto has enabled Zientte's retail team to focus on their strengths, leading to increased efficiency, better customer experiences, and higher sales. This case study underscores the importance of specialization and collaboration in achieving business success.

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We invite you to explore Prontto's plans and pricing to experience similar benefits.