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> It’s a moment of reckoning for Wayfair, which has been on such a hiring blitz over the past several years that its employees often wait in line for the escala

by aazaa 7y ago

> It’s a moment of reckoning for Wayfair, which has been on such a hiring blitz over the past several years that its employees often wait in line for the escalators up to its offices in the Copley Place mall. The company, which expanded into a second office building last summer, now employs 17,000 people worldwide selling furniture and home decor. > Yet Wayfair has still failed to turn a profit. Its executives have long argued that despite a long track record of losses, the company has been in growth mode, investing heavily in its supply chain infrastructure and European expansion efforts. More often than not, its board members and leadership team will point to Amazon as their model, which for years funneled its revenues back into growth and failed to turn a profit. That model worked for Amazon because there was no Amazon to compete with. Why anyone would want to invest in a profitless Amazon competitor is beyond me. The effort seems like a cargo cult.

basch 7y ago
It would help if Wayfair was a little more technically solid. The website and webapp are somewhat glitchy. Browsing their selection gives you a much more curated feel than Amazons endless selection of random Chinese factory output, but everytime something refreshes wrong, it just makes you want to go back to something more solid. I know these types of apps are hard, but Wayfair, Target, and Costco all have ways to go on their mobile apps. Amazon and Walmart are lightyears ahead. Target is catching up but man are some parts of it cumbersome. That all said, Wayfair does have a good value add proposition; curated sets of design, and tools for home decoration businesses to us to manage their clients requests. That sort of "tool for the middle man to utilize" and project management feature set sets it apart from simple shopping experiences.
- ttul 7y ago
  I hope they don’t crater. Amazon needs some competition. Way fair may not be perfect, but they offer the magical experience of receiving giant furniture pieces within days, which you can painlessly return if you’re not happy. That should exist in the market, yet I fear it won’t if they go away and Amazon fills the space.

by aazaa 7y ago

basch 7y ago

It would help if Wayfair was a little more technically solid. The website and webapp are somewhat glitchy. Browsing their selection gives you a much more curated feel than Amazons endless selection of random Chinese factory output, but everytime something refreshes wrong, it just makes you want to go back to something more solid. I know these types of apps are hard, but Wayfair, Target, and Costco all have ways to go on their mobile apps. Amazon and Walmart are lightyears ahead. Target is catching up but man are some parts of it cumbersome. That all said, Wayfair does have a good value add proposition; curated sets of design, and tools for home decoration businesses to us to manage their clients requests. That sort of "tool for the middle man to utilize" and project management feature set sets it apart from simple shopping experiences.

ttul 7y ago
I hope they don’t crater. Amazon needs some competition. Way fair may not be perfect, but they offer the magical experience of receiving giant furniture pieces within days, which you can painlessly return if you’re not happy. That should exist in the market, yet I fear it won’t if they go away and Amazon fills the space.