How to Deal with Framebridge and Disruptive Innovations

FramerInTraining

MGF, Master Grumble Framer
Joined
Jan 10, 2014
Posts
989
Location
New York, NY
If your shop is threatened by online sales, then you need to stop trying to compete wioth bottom feeders.

I will not lose any sleep from any online sites selling common, boring, cheap framing, The people who would buy it there, would probably not come into the shop anyhow as, no matter what you show, it will be too expensive. Long ago, when I first opened, i decided I was never going to try to compete with cheap, big box stores or even cheaper online stuff. Not worth my time or what little money I might get by trying to match their low prices.

I have a really nice business catering to people who want quality and creativity. I can throw a poster in a metal frame but it will still cost them way more than from Walmart.
If it is too much, fine, go somewhere else.
 
Very good points. Larry comes from an industry where he work for a company and they were a big disrupter at the time in their niche. They disrupted IBM at the time which was a huge deal in those days. After a decade or two, they themselves were disrupted by Microsoft. It's a very interesting conversation. I encourage you to take a listen if you have the time.

If your shop is threatened by online sales, then you need to stop trying to compete wioth bottom feeders.

I will not lose any sleep from any online sites selling common, boring, cheap framing, The people who would buy it there, would probably not come into the shop anyhow as, no matter what you show, it will be too expensive. Long ago, when I first opened, i decided I was never going to try to compete with cheap, big box stores or even cheaper online stuff. Not worth my time or what little money I might get by trying to match their low prices.

I have a really nice business catering to people who want quality and creativity. I can throw a poster in a metal frame but it will still cost them way more than from Walmart.
If it is too much, fine, go somewhere else.
 
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Framebridge isn't a big scare for the local custom framer. Sure, they may steal a few low-end jobs. But anyone truly wanting custom framing will want to see the moulding and matting they're choosing (not just trust the pictures and colors on their computer monitor). Also, most people won't want to put true "valuables" into a mailing package to send to an unknown place far away. Too many risks, plus three shipping charges need to be accounted for - Framebridge sends you the shipping materials, then you ship your item to them in those materials, and then they ship the finished item back to you. Rather than worry about framebridge, we'd all be spending our time better by trying to figure out how to outsmart the local competitor or BB store.
 
I'm going to check this out if I can. I have questions like: when Larry's company was being disrupted by Microsoft, did they continue to buy materials at a much higher price point than the one that Microsoft was getting from the same supplier? Did they listen to peers and suppliers with a clear conflict of interest who told them that they weren't being disrupted despite what their numbers and experience showed them and put their head in the sand or did they take action to combat the perceived problem? This could be a very interesting topic.

Ed
 
Ha! In my opinion those being disrupted don’t know they’re being disrupted until it’s too late.

I'm going to check this out if I can. I have questions like: when Larry's company was being disrupted by Microsoft, did they continue to buy materials at a much higher price point than the one that Microsoft was getting from the same supplier? Did they listen to peers and suppliers with a clear conflict of interest who told them that they weren't being disrupted despite what their numbers and experience showed them and put their head in the sand or did they take action to combat the perceived problem? This could be a very interesting topic.

Ed
 
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