Exploring Alcove: The Procurement Solution for Interior Designers

Did you know that interior designers may be grappling with a staggering 1,500 emails solely pertaining to procurement for a single project? This statistic, calculated by Greensighter, the UX Design agency behind Alcove, underscores the pressing need for a more efficient and user-friendly solution. Alcove was born from the desire to simplify and optimize the procurement process not only for interior designers but also for builders and purchasing agents. And let’s face it, we’re always keen to find out more about potential solutions to pain points in the workflow. So, here are the main points to know about Alcove:

1. All-in-One Product Information Hub: Alcove centralizes crucial product information, bringing together details, orders, status updates, and communications in one accessible platform, streamlining your design process​​.

2. Financial Management Made Simple: Navigating the financial aspects of design projects is simplified with Alcove. Easily set purchase costs, markup calculations, and resale pricing, alongside accurate tax and shipping estimates, ensuring your projects remain both beautiful and budget-friendly​​.

3. Efficient Order Tracking: Integrated with top shipping companies, Alcove simplifies order management, offering clear insights into payments and balances, and ensuring timely product delivery for seamless client experiences​​.

4. Streamlined Communication: Alcove's Gmail integration declutters your email communication, keeping all project-related discussions neatly organized and easily accessible​​.

5. Web Clipper and Customizable PDFs: Import product details and create bespoke PDFs for sharing with clients and collaborators, enhancing the ease of information exchange​​.

6. Pinterest Integration for Inspiration: Seamlessly sync your Pinterest inspirations directly into Alcove, integrating your creative ideas into the project workflow with ease​​.

As you can see, Alcove actually goes beyond just managing procurement; it's designed to help designers channel more of their creativity and less of their energy into the mundane admin tasks that often occupy far too much space.

While Alcove offers extensive benefits, adapting to its system may require some adjustment. It's a good idea to evaluate its compatibility with your existing practices and consider any necessary team training to harness its full potential.

Curious to try it out? Exploring Alcove's capabilities and seeing how it can transform your interior design business is easy and risk-free. You can schedule a personalized demo to check it out firsthand. Additionally, there's an option to try Alcove for free with a 14-day trial–no credit card details required–allowing you to experience its features without any commitment.

The pricing for Alcove starts at an accessible $39.00 per month, with the cost varying based on the plan's comprehensiveness and the number of user seats needed. This flexible pricing ensures that you can tailor the service to your specific business needs, ensuring value and efficiency.

xx, Danae

A Breakdown of 7 Software Solutions for Your Interior Design Business

Navigating the business of interior design often feels like an ongoing journey of trial and error. Perhaps you've found yourself switching between various programs and platforms, seeking that elusive efficiency. The nagging feeling that there must be a resource out there to help you avoid redundant work and prevent important details from slipping through the cracks is all too familiar. Well, good news – I've done some of the homework for you. In this article, you'll find an overview of the most promising players in the realm of project management software. Let's dive in!

1. StyleRow

• Who it's for: Interior designers and design professionals

• What's great about it: StyleRow offers a seamless platform that combines project management with sourcing and procurement. Its powerful integrations with industry suppliers and manufacturers make it a one-stop solution for managing projects from conception to completion.

• Considerations to note: The learning curve for fully utilizing all features can be steep for beginners.

• Pricing: StyleRow offers a free version with limited features, and premium plans start at $49/month. Try their 14-day free trial.

2. Dubsado

• Who it's for: Service-based businesses including interior designers

• What's great about it: Dubsado is renowned for its customizable forms, contracts, and automation features. It enables designers to streamline client onboarding, track project progress, and manage payments, all in one platform.

• Considerations to note: The user interface can be overwhelming initially, and some users might find the design customization options a bit limited.

• Pricing: Dubsado offers a free trial with limited features, and plans start at $20/month or $200/year.

3. Monday

• Who it's for: Teams of all types, including interior design teams

• What's great about it: Monday is a highly visual and versatile platform that helps teams manage tasks, projects, and workflows. With customizable templates, it's easy for designers to tailor the platform to their specific needs.

• Considerations to note: The pricing can be relatively high for smaller design firms, and the learning curve might be steeper for some users.

• Pricing: Monday offers various pricing tiers, starting at $0 for 2 seats or $24/seat per month for unlimited seats. You can try most of their plans with a 14-day free trial.

4. Materlog

• Who it's for: Interior designers and architects

• What's great about it: Materlog is designed specifically for design professionals, offering procurement tracking and supplier communication services to take those tasks off your plate.

• Considerations to note: Some users might miss more features such as visual presentations of selections by room.

• Pricing: Materlog starts at $45 per month, and they currently have a waitlist. You can also contact them for a tailored pricing plan.

5. Alcove

• Who it's for: Interior designers, builders, and purchasing agents

• What's great about it: Alcove combines project management with visual collaboration. Designers can create mood boards, gather feedback, automate tracking, and manage orders and financials seamlessly, all in a visually appealing environment. It even offers Gmail integration.

• Considerations to note: It’s a newer platform and, consequently, not as tried-and-true as some others.

• Pricing: Plans start at $75/month. Try their 30-day free trial.

6. Gather

• Who it's for: Mid- to large-size interior design teams

• What's great about it: Gather is designed to streamline the procurement and tracking of FF&E. It helps designers manage specifications, documentation, orders, and tracking in a user-friendly way. Gather includes useful features like a clipper tool and messaging with team members and clients.

• Considerations to note: It may be cost-prohibitive for smaller design firms.

• Pricing: Gather’s plans start at $165/monthly (annual commitment) for 5 seats, and they also offer custom pricing for teams larger than 10. A free trial can be requested.

7. Gold Star Pro

• Who it's for: Interior designers and design firms

• What's great about it: Gold Star Pro offers an all-in-one back-end business management solution for everything from social media content scheduling to Facebook and Google ads to email communication. Its interface makes it easy for designers to stay organized and keep clients informed. Basically, it takes care of the essential tasks that are furthest from actually designing.

• Considerations to note: While this software effectively aids in managing various backend aspects of business operations and promotion, it doesn’t include many of the features that design project management programs often do include, such as product libraries or order tracking.

• Pricing: Gold Star Pro offers a 14-day free trial, with plans starting at $97/month.

As you can see, a diverse array of programs is emerging, aimed at alleviating the operational demands of the business facet within the realm of interior design. Fortunately, you can take advantage of the free trials that these offer and find the program that is most aligned with your own firm. Discovering the perfect match has the potential to be transformative for your interior design business!

xx, Danae