In Conversation with Andrew Haltom, Director of Customer Success at Rugs.com…

If you go back over 50 years, it started with the patriarch of our family business brokering deals for area rugs in bazaars. That entrepreneurial spirit followed through the family tree when our e-commerce business began with his children selling vintage hand-knotted rugs on “eBay” 25 years ago. From that point we took our experience in the area rug business and started to take traditional designs to power looms, making them more accessible for the budget-conscious consumer. Seemingly every penny that has been made has been re-invested in the company to scale while providing more and more people with a means to do something they are passionate about and of course, to provide for their families. An obsession with customer satisfaction and how to continue growing led to great choices that built the foundation for what is now Rugs.com. That same obsession and passion for service continue to fuel our growth and expansion into different markets like hospitality.

Of our core values, there are two that really stand out:

First, is understanding that diversity matters. With a diverse, multinational team – we collaborate on developing fast-fashion floor coverings. We not only look to fill identified style gaps but we obsess about anticipating trends and being nimble enough to hit the market with in-demand products quickly. What is interesting is the way we crowd-sourced feedback on product samples. We employ anyone in our office interested in providing feedback on selections for new collections. The diversity in tastes and perspectives helps us curate outstanding product lines.

The other core value is possessing an entrepreneurial spirit. You do not have to be in “product development” to share ideas for new product designs, ideas for new product qualities, or to innovate using existing products as a basis. In the last few months, we have taken product ideas and developed prototypes from team members in Digital Media, E-Commerce, Marketing, Customer Service, and Operations departments. It is inspiring to see something that begins with casual idea sharing “snowballing” into a full-blown product launch.

Our most popular products are rooted in traditional designs and qualities. While we are on the cutting edge of product design, our core business thrives on aesthetics and quality fundamentals of area rugs that date back hundreds of years. I think what makes us unique in this regard is the laser focus on making the customer experience excellent, from the yarn we manufacture to the processes we employ to deliver these high-quality products as quickly as possible.

I think we’ll see customisation becoming more and more popular, with customers having countless options that are a “perfect fit” for their space. Our direct manufacturing experience will play a major role in that evolution. While we are pioneering the customisation of floor covering products, we are realising our potential to deliver the customers exactly what they wish (quite literally).

Quality and colour variation is something that we work tirelessly on, which fits into that evolution of customisation. There are so many different materials that can be used to fit one’s space so we are dialling into our capabilities to meet the individual needs of customers.

Beyond this, our expansion into hospitality is something we are very excited about. We understand that there is an opportunity to provide value in this market, for projects of any size. Every day we are learning more about the needs of the interior design in these spaces and with that same customer experience obsession I referred to, we are confident that we can meet and exceed the expectations of the hospitality community.

Of course, we are always working on product innovation – but we’ll keep working on those recipes until they are ready to delight our customers.