In search of a new revenue stream for the expert
Introducing The Expert
At Sudolabs, we’re proud to have The Expert as our top client and long-term partner. From the initial idea, we built their product and helped them achieve unprecedented success in their industry. Three years later, we continue to work on The Expert as their sole technical team. Let’s dive deep into the story.
The Expert was founded by LA-based celebrity designer Jake Arnold, who has designed homes for Chrissy Teigen and John Legend, Rashida Jones, Aaron Paul, Sophia Bush, and many others.
Jake Arnold and his high school friend, Leo Seigal a tech entrepreneur who has helped launch startups in Silicon Valley and beyond, came up with the idea of The Expert - a video consultation platform linking top interior designers with clients globally. A few years later, after rising popularity, The Expert launched an e-commerce platform.
In search of a new revenue stream
The Expert’s 1:1 online consultations have gained popularity and have been featured in high-profile magazines. The company earned $5 million in total revenue in its first year in business alone. With over 150 design studios and $15mil. funding, the team wondered how to scale and grow the product further.
Recognizing the significant spending potential of clients seeking consultations, Leo Seigal identified expanding into e-commerce as the logical next step for The Expert. This expansion aims to transform the platform into a comprehensive one-stop shop for home goods.
At Sudolabs, we formulated a hypothesis based on this opportunity.
People who wanted to consult on interior renovations are naturally interested in purchasing furniture. Additionally, customers will follow a famous interior designer's recommendation and buy the product.
Our product approach
Validate fast and with the least effort
To get started with the validation of the product hypothesis, we began with a post-consultation recap and sent out emails with lists of recommended furniture to gauge user interest. When a client placed orders, The Expert's procurement manually assisted in the purchase and ordered the products.
We were blown away by the results! In just two weeks with barely any development effort, we achieved a staggering sales volume. This successful validation led to the expansion of The Expert's platform with a new revenue stream - e-commerce.
Keep calm and test on
We launched an e-commerce platform called “Showroom” in January 2023, and it was just the beginning. The pipeline has been slowly filled with other functionalities since then. Product design is a continuous process of understanding user and business needs and finding ways to solve them. To make informed decisions based on user and data insights, we have started incorporating A/B testing and continuous discovery.
Designer-curated furniture right at your fingertips
The Expert has expanded its offerings of 1:1 online consultations with the launch of The Expert Showroom, a curated multi-brand e-commerce experience. The showroom showcases collections from highly sought-after designers such as Arnold, Brigette Romanek, Mark D. Sikes, Heidi Caillier, and Jenna Lyons.
With over 4 000+ unique pieces from over 70 luxury brands, the showroom boasts a diverse range of furniture and textiles. It features rare vintage pieces, designer reissues, and made-to-order items, with each creative imprinting its unique touches. All that you can order from the comfort of your home.
Do you want to know more about the expert? Check out our Case Study.
Unlock the full potential of your startup or business venture with our end-to-end product building approach. If you need a ready-to-go & dedicated team of product managers, designers and low-code or traditional engineers, we are ready to help. Drop us a line at [email protected] and let’s turn your product idea into a successful product!
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