Union & Scale

Driving Innovation Through Insights Platforms for Market Leadership

Driving scalable product innovation in a competitive private equity (PE) environment required a data-driven understanding of customer needs and market dynamics. Insights platforms and comprehensive buyer journey data empowered Union & Scale to optimize product offerings, enhance customer satisfaction, and improve operational efficiency.

With a goal to reach $185 million in sales by 2024, Union & Scale aimed to transition from a chair-centric brand to a holistic provider of modern workspace solutions. Strategic investments in ergonomic chairs, modular desks, and collaborative furniture systems, combined with a focus on design and consumer-driven innovation, positioned the brand as a leader within the commercial furniture market.

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Leveraging Buyer Journey Insights and Qualitative Research for Innovation

Union & Scale’s approach demonstrates how aligning product development with detailed customer insights from the buyer journey, supported by qualitative research, drives meaningful results.

Insights-Driven Market and Product Strategy

  • Understanding the Buyer Journey: Union & Scale’s in-depth buyer journey research revealed key touchpoints and decision drivers in the furniture purchasing process. This included insights into customer preferences for ergonomic designs, workspace productivity tools, and easy-to-use digital content like AR-based visualization​​.

  • Targeted Product Development: By analyzing qualitative data, Union & Scale identified high-value features such as adjustability, comfort, and aesthetic appeal, which shaped their collections, including the Workplace 2.0 and Essentials lines. These offerings met specific needs uncovered through consumer feedback loops and usability studies​​.

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Phased Insights Strategy for Effective Implementation

  1. Consistency and Standardization:

    • Research Application: Union & Scale used power dots and standardized research briefs to prioritize product concepts and streamline insight integration​. This allowed for the rapid incorporation of customer feedback into new designs, such as ergonomic enhancements in the Carder and Traymore chairs.

    • Buyer Persona Development: Buyer journey research segmented customers into personas, such as "Innovative Solvers," guiding the development of tailored marketing and product strategies​​.

  2. Framework for Decision Making:

    • Idea Screening and Qualitative Feedback: Product concepts underwent rigorous qualitative testing, including consumer feedback on aesthetics, comfort, and usability​. This iterative testing ensured that Union & Scale’s offerings aligned with customer needs and market trends.

    • Content-Driven Engagement: The brand employed content strategies such as AR visualization tools and detailed product imagery to enhance the digital shopping experience. Buyer journey insights emphasized the importance of digital touchpoints in influencing purchase decisions​​.

  3. Meaningful Customer Connections:

    • Interactive Digital Content: Union & Scale leveraged qualitative research insights to create engaging digital content that resonated with target personas. This included “Shop the Look” features, interactive dashboards, and inspiration galleries that addressed key decision drivers for furniture buyers​​.

    • Customer Communities: Building insight communities allowed for continuous feedback loops, enhancing product relevance and user satisfaction​.

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Performance Metrics and Results Attributed to Insights Research

  • Revenue Growth: Union & Scale achieved a $33.2M increase in sales due to strategic product expansions informed by buyer journey insights and qualitative product feedback​.

  • Customer Engagement: Enhanced customer satisfaction and higher conversion rates were driven by digital content strategies tailored to buyer journey preferences, such as AR tools and product configurators​​.

  • Market Impact: Focusing on "brand-defining" categories like ergonomic chairs and coordinated workspace collections, Union & Scale captured significant market share and established itself as a leader in modern workspace solutions​.

Summary

Union & Scale’s success underscores the power of combining buyer journey insights and qualitative product research with a structured, insights-driven strategy. By aligning product development and marketing efforts with customer needs and preferences, Union & Scale achieved significant business growth, enhanced customer engagement, and positioned itself for market leadership. This demonstrates how insights platforms can deliver customer-centric solutions that enhance operational efficiency, drive growth, and create value.

Author

Author: Daniel Reilly
General Manager, Konsidr

Daniel Reilly is General Manager of Konsidr, a strategic consultancy specializing in aligning business objectives with impactful design and innovation. With over 25 years of experience in consumer goods and strategic planning, Daniel has led initiatives that drive sustainable growth, operational excellence, and brand innovation. He has built and executed strategies for billion-dollar portfolios, developed transformative go-to-market plans, and fostered high-performing teams. As a champion of data-driven insights and customer-centric design, Daniel continues to deliver value through creative solutions that amplify brands and fuel long-term success.