D&B Tile Distributors is now partnered with DirectBuy, which is a savings club offering substantial discounts to their members on everything from home improvements, appliances, furniture, jewelry, travel and now . . . tile, marble and stone from D&B Tile. We sat down with Keith Gutterman, Business Development Director for DirectBuy to see how this alliance can benefit our D&B Tile customers and drive more business to our nine locations.
“This DirectBuy location is one of dozens of franchises throughout the United States and Canada. We carry 700 top name brands that give our members access to their confidential dealer prices. We carry everything for the home, including kitchens, bathrooms, plumbing, what goes in front and behind the walls, installation and design . . . it's all here. In addition, we also offer lifestyle products including travel, sporting goods, jewelry and many others. The biggest advantage we offer is that there is no traditional retail markup on anything we carry.
“Within the last 12 months, DirectBuy has changed their model of operation. A membership here previously cost around $6500. Now it's a subscription with a much more affordable price schedule. In the past a DirectBuy membership was most appealing only to those who were planning a major renovation. Those that joined DirectBuy felt It was worth their investment if they could save $10,000 or $20,000 on their project. The recent change to a subscription based model was designed to attract not only the consumer that is doing home remodeling, we can now attract the everyday shopper that just wants to feel confident that they are getting the best price for what they buy.
"Our subscriptions start as low as $39 per month plus a reasonable, one time, initiation fee to start. It isn't widely known just yet because we're not open to the general public and we are only just beginning to market our subscription model.
“Those that subscribe to DirectBuy enjoy the benefit of the industry’s strongest best price guarantee. Since we do not mark anything up it is pretty hard for any retail store to compete with our pricing however if a subscriber finds a better price for the exact item we will not just match the price we will beat it by a minimum of 10%.
"We also have an app called "I Want It" that allows you to go to a store, take a picture of the item you like, type in specific things like color, model number and where you saw it. DirectBuy will search that item through all the products we carry. If we carry that item, you will see a comparison of price we can offer to you. You can order directly through the app with a click of a button. It will be shipped directly to you. If we don't carry that exact item, we will show you a list of comparable products that you might like as well. Our home shopping concierge is available through an 800 number 7 days a week. They can call from a store and we will give them the price we offer on that exact item.
"I know D&B Tile is a recognized establishment serving customers for many years in all types of tile, marble and supplies.D&B has customers who walk in and leave without making a purchase. They may not even get a quote. Our goal is to get in front of those customers, retain them, and get them back into your stores since they are clearly planning a project and will more than likely be making a purchase decision soon.
“Our initial goal was to put someone into all the D&B Tile stores to speak with each customer. We wanted to get them into our showroom and then have them return to D&B Tile to purchase their tile. We tried that at the D&B Tile Sunrise location and tracked these people, we had good results.
"We're now offering a $100 gift card giveaway drawing. Basically, everyone is a winner. We realize that you can't physically accommodate every customer who walks in the door, so by giving them a $100 gift card, it brings them back into your stores. Everyone is a winner. All they have to do is take a tour of our store and we give them a $100 gift card for their next purchase at D&B Tile. That gets them back through your doors.”
Our management and sales staff is excited about the possibilities we have with DirectBuy and hope that this alliance will bring in more customers and give them an opportunity to save on additional items through DirectBuy when they buy from us. This offer is valid at all of our nine convenient locations and authorized dealers in south Florida.