Conforama advances with new marketplace in Portugal

With the new digital platform, Conforama expands its presence in new categories such as textiles, bath, babies, sports and pets.

Conforama, a home equipment and decoration company, transforms its digital e-commerce platform into a new marketplace, with the aim of continuing to expand its range of products, under its commitment to focus on products from different ranges and of different styles, and in becoming the largest shopping center for home products.

David Almeida, CEO of Conforama, explains that “the launch of the marketplace is fully aligned with our growth strategy, focused on offering our customers the widest and best range of products for the home, in addition to continuing to grow solidly and around digital, from which we already receive more than 115,000 requests per year throughout the Iberian Peninsula, around 44,000 in Portugal”.

Opening up the use of Conforama’s digital platform to third parties, which meets the trend of consumers who increasingly rely on e-commerce for their purchases, will not only allow for a wider and more varied range of products, but will also allow that the company has the opportunity to enter new product categories.

For the first time, and gradually, products in the textile, bath, baby, sports and pets categories will become part of Conforama’s portfolio, in order to reinforce its position as a reference company.

In this sense, the forecast is to reach 100 thousand products in the first year of launch, with products from more than 300 brands, and reach one million in five years, with a showcase of more than 2 thousand brands.

This volume of products, which will increase at a rate of over a thousand products per week, contributes to Conforama’s differentiating proposal of offering the trends of the moment in a wide variety of products and styles for the home, guaranteeing a competitive price-quality ratio and adjusted to every need.

digitization strategy

The launch of the Marketplace is part of the digitalization strategy that the retail company has been implementing and which accelerated in the last year. For Marta Gil, Marketing Director at Conforama, “while maintaining our hybrid sales model, with 56 stores in Spain and Portugal and our own e-commerce channel, we want to boost the platform”.

Currently, in an online environment, Conforama already receives 115,000 orders per year, and by 2023, it is estimated that 10% of total online sales will come from the marketplace. A number that in five years is expected to reach 25 to 30%. Furthermore, with this big bet, Conforama hopes that the Marketplace will represent between 30 and 50% of the company’s turnover.

“Our experience and brand awareness, as well as access to safe and efficient technology, represent a great opportunity for different external suppliers who wish to join our market”, stresses David Almeida. With this new space, Conforama wants to continue with its commitment to boost the local market and intends to have a network of suppliers in the marketplace composed of 50% of national companies.

In a first phase, the Conforama marketplace launched in the Spanish market with more than 15 thousand products available. This month, it starts in Portugal with 5000 products available at https://www.conforama.pt

Conforama’s digital services make it possible to complement its physical stores, where personalized and professional advice from specialists is maintained. In 2022, several digitalization projects have already been carried out, such as the launch of the App and the e-commerce service, which currently includes services such as Click&Collect, Drive&Collect and Home Delivery, as well as telephone sales.