How Pole to Pole turns new retailer connections into repeat business

Pole to Pole has always been built around relationships. Founded as a family business in 1996, the company grew from its roots in retail into a B2B interiors brand supplying furniture, home accessories and lifestyle products to retailers.

Today, the next generation is helping take the business forward. Romy Poolman has been part of Pole to Pole for eight years and is responsible for areas including Orderchamp, other wholesale platforms, trade fairs and purchasing.

As the business has grown, so has its focus on making wholesale more digital and efficient. Pole to Pole now uses both the Orderchamp Marketplace and our Dropshipping Automation, with ChannelEngine forming part of the connected commerce setup.

Those digital retailer relationships are becoming increasingly valuable: 53% of Pole to Pole’s Orderchamp Marketplace orders now come from returning retailers, up from just 12% in its first year.

From handwritten orders to digital wholesale

Wholesale ordering used to look very different for Pole to Pole. Trade fair orders were written down by hand, while other incoming orders often required significant manual processing.

“That sort of thing takes an enormous amount of time. Whereas you could invest your time far better in how we create growth, instead of typing out orders by hand in Exact.”

As the business became increasingly digital, Pole to Pole started looking for ways to reduce manual work and make ordering more reliable for both its team and its retailers.

Reaching retailers through the Marketplace

The Orderchamp Marketplace has become an important wholesale channel for Pole to Pole, helping new retailers discover the brand and making it easy for existing customers to return.

For Romy, one of the biggest advantages is simply how straightforward the platform is to work with.

“I think it’s very easy for the retailer to order now.”

The same applies on the brand side. Pole to Pole can manage its presence and respond quickly without adding unnecessary complexity.

“It’s very clear, which makes it very easy and pleasant.”

Having worked with several wholesale marketplaces, Romy says Orderchamp stands out for its ease of use for both brands and retailers.

From discovery to repeat business

For Pole to Pole, the Marketplace is increasingly about more than winning the first order.

Since joining Orderchamp, its reorder rate has grown every year: from 12% to 53%. Today, more than half of Pole to Pole’s Marketplace orders come from retailers that have already purchased from the brand before.

That creates a strong cycle: retailers can discover Pole to Pole through Orderchamp with relatively little friction, try the collection and then return when it performs well in their stores.

For a family business built around long-term relationships, that growing share of repeat business is an important sign that digital discovery can turn into lasting wholesale partnerships.

Adding dropshipping to the mix

Alongside traditional wholesale through the Marketplace, Pole to Pole also uses the Dropshipping Automation.

This gives retailers another way to work with the brand: they can offer Pole to Pole products to their own customers without first holding the stock themselves.

For Pole to Pole, it means more of its assortment can reach more consumers through its retail partners, while complementing the larger wholesale orders generated through the Marketplace.

Through ChannelEngine, these channels form part of Pole to Pole’s broader move towards a more connected and automated way of selling. Thanks to our integration partner, Pole to Pole is able to connect the Orderchamp backoffice to all of its other B2B software to facilitate a two-way data flow.

Building the next stage around automation

That move towards greater integration is one of Pole to Pole’s biggest priorities for the coming years.

“Integration, integration, automation — we’re working on that a lot.”

The goal is to automate more of the operational work behind the scenes so the team can spend less time on administration and more time on the parts of the business that create growth.

For Romy, digitalisation is ultimately about making things easier for the customer while freeing up the team to focus on purchasing, collections and relationships.

A family business that keeps moving

Despite the increasing role of technology, Pole to Pole remains very much a family company.

Romy works alongside her parents, brother and husband, with different family members involved throughout the business.

“We get to work together with passion.”

That passion continues beyond the office. Pole to Pole meets customers and finds inspiration at international trade fairs such as Maison & Objet and Valencia, while also expanding at TICA and renovating its showroom in Bergschenhoek.

With a growing base of returning Marketplace customers, dropshipping opening up another route to market and an increasing focus on integration and automation, Pole to Pole is combining the personal character of a family business with a more scalable approach to wholesale.

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Thank you to Romy and the Pole to Pole team for sharing your story with us — and for trusting Orderchamp as part of your wholesale journey!