Meet the Expert: Janet Liu, Head of Procurement UX at UrbanSpace Interiors
Janet Liu has spent seven years optimizing sourcing processes for real-estate firms, focusing on interior design suppliers. Her team recently helped a mid-sized staging agency cut annual procurement costs by 17% through smarter trade agreement usage. She’s worked with everything from spreadsheets to BigCommerce integrations.
What is trade agreement utilization in the context of real-estate interior design? Why does it matter for cost-cutting?
Janet:
Think of trade agreements as pre-negotiated deals with vendors—like your upholstery supplier or lighting wholesaler. Interior design firms in real estate rely on dozens of these, covering everything from bulk discounts to delivery SLAs. Utilization means: Are you actually using those deals as intended?
A 2024 study from REI Consultants found that real-estate staging teams miss out on 9-13% in possible savings because they don’t consistently buy through their existing trade agreements. That’s real money, especially when margins are thin.
Example:
One agency I worked with had a trade deal for accent chairs—$220 per unit, 15% lower than retail. But designers would still occasionally buy similar chairs for $265 from their favorite vendor, skipping the agreement. Over 90 days, this added up to $1,620 in overspend. Multiply that across 12 categories, and you’re losing thousands.
Where do rookie UX researchers miss opportunities to enforce trade agreement usage?
Janet:
A few places:
- Poorly mapped workflows: Designers don’t see the preferred vendors or discounted SKUs inside their everyday tools (like BigCommerce catalogs).
- Hard-to-find agreements: Details are buried in PDFs or scattered inboxes, so people ignore them.
- Lack of reminders: No prompts when someone tries to buy outside an agreement.
Often, it’s a design issue. If your purchase flow in BigCommerce doesn’t flag “this isn’t on a contract,” people just move fast and forget.
How can UX researchers in real-estate use BigCommerce to improve trade agreement compliance and cut costs?
Janet:
Start by mapping out the purchase journey. Where in BigCommerce are users making choices? Here’s what we did step by step:
1. Highlight Contracted Items in Catalogs
Add a badge—“Trade Price Available”—on items covered by agreements. This is a simple label, but it drives about 6% higher contract usage. In BigCommerce, you can use custom fields or product tags for this.
2. Filter Out Non-Agreement Products
Give users a toggle to “Show Only Trade Vendors.” This reduces accidental non-contract purchases by 13% (we measured this in 2023 with the DecorAndCo team).
3. Integrate Approval Workflows
BigCommerce lets you set permission rules. For example, if a designer adds a non-agreement product, trigger an approval step. It slows down the process a bit, but it cuts rogue spend.
4. Automate Reminders
Set up automated reminders if someone tries to buy off-contract. Use BigCommerce APIs with tools like Zapier to send Slack or email nudges.
Table: Comparing Agreement Utilization Methods
| Method | Estimated Savings | Implementation Effort | Example Tool |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catalog Badges | 6% | Easy | BigCommerce Custom Tags |
| Approval Workflows | 10% | Moderate | BC Permission Rules |
| Automated Reminders | 4% | Low | Zapier, BC Webhooks |
Common pitfalls when rolling out new workflows in BigCommerce?
Janet:
- Over-complicating the interface: If you add too many labels or modals, designers ignore them.
- Not syncing live inventory: A badge for a trade item is useless if the item’s out of stock. Make sure your ERP syncs daily.
- Forgetting end-user feedback: Teams roll out changes but never check if they’re actually used.
We used Zigpoll and Hotjar to collect designer feedback right inside the BigCommerce portal. The first version of our toggle was buried in the sidebar—nobody saw it. After feedback, we moved it up top, and compliance jumped.
How do you measure the impact of improved trade agreement utilization?
Janet:
Track two metrics in BigCommerce:
- Percent of buys through trade agreements.
- Average per-purchase discount captured.
Before and after changes, pull order reports by vendor, SKU, and price paid. On one pilot, we moved agreement compliance from 61% to 79% in six months, saving $7,800 on just two categories: lighting and seating.
Pro tip: Set up a monthly report—automate it if you can—so you don’t lose sight of progress.
What’s your process for renegotiating trade agreements based on usage data?
Janet:
Use hard numbers. If you can show a vendor “Hey, we grew purchases by 18% last quarter, all through your trade program,” you’re in a strong position to ask for better terms.
- Consolidate purchasing: The more you channel through one agreement, the more leverage you have.
- Bring usage reports: Export BigCommerce data to Excel, show volume increases, push for an extra 3-5% discount.
Anecdote:
We renegotiated our contract with a mid-tier tile supplier after showing we doubled our monthly order volume via BigCommerce trade SKUs. Got an extra 2% off—doesn’t sound like much, but on $120,000/year, that’s $2,400 in pure savings.
What tools do you use to track and improve agreement utilization?
Janet:
- BigCommerce built-in reporting
- Zigpoll: Quick, unobtrusive surveys after purchases. Ask, “Was your preferred product missing from trade options?” Get actionable feedback in 1-2 days.
- Hotjar or FullStory: See drop-off points in the purchase flow—discover if contract items are getting ignored.
- Google Sheets or Airtable: For lightweight tracking, especially when starting out.
Gotcha:
Surveys only work if people respond. Keep them short—one or two questions max.
Are there any limitations or scenarios where boosting agreement utilization won’t help cut costs?
Janet:
Definitely. This approach works when you buy at scale—so, bigger projects, recurring needs (staging, furnishing new builds). If you’re sourcing rare, one-off antique pieces or hyper-custom finishes, trade agreements might not exist, or the discount is negligible.
Also, if your team is tiny (like, 1-2 designers), the cost savings may not justify the complexity of approval workflows.
For entry-level UX researchers, what’s a simple, actionable first step?
Janet:
Audit one category—say, lighting. Pull last month’s purchases. How many were through trade vendors? How many weren’t? Document the price difference, even if it’s just in Google Sheets.
Then, talk to 2-3 designers. Ask, “Did you skip the trade supplier? Why?” Capture those reasons. You’ll spot patterns. Maybe the product isn’t listed, or the photo’s outdated.
Tip:
Start small. Fix the most common visible pain point for that one category before rolling changes platform-wide.
How do you avoid making trade agreement workflows too rigid or annoying for designers?
Janet:
Balance is key. Use “soft stops”—friendly reminders or informative badges—more than “hard stops” (blocking purchases). Too many roadblocks and people work around the system, or worse, resent the process.
We AB tested this:
On one team, blocking all off-contract items increased complaints and didn’t actually raise compliance! But a simple banner—“Better pricing available from X vendor”—nudged compliance up by 8% with zero pushback.
What about consolidating vendors—how does that help?
Janet:
Fewer vendors = bigger volume per contract. That means more negotiation power, simpler tracking, and less admin.
2024 Forrester Report found real-estate design firms who cut from 12 vendors to 6 saw average discounts increase by 18% in the next contract cycle. But, don’t sacrifice range—if you lose critical styles or materials, designers will rebel.
Caveat:
If you consolidate too far and your supplier goes out of stock or delays a shipment, you’re exposed. Always keep a backup option.
How often should entry-level UX researchers revisit trade agreement workflows?
Janet:
Every 3-6 months. Supplier catalogs change, product lines evolve, and designer workflows shift. Don’t “set and forget.”
Put a 20-minute calendar reminder every quarter: review usage stats, poll a few designers (using Zigpoll or Typeform), and check if pricing or products need refreshing.
Can you share a practical checklist for getting started?
Janet:
Of course. Here’s what I’d do as a new UX researcher in a real-estate interior design shop:
- List your trade agreements (vendor, terms, products covered)
- Map the purchase journey in BigCommerce (where are decisions made?)
- Check catalog accuracy (products, prices, badges)
- Survey designers on pain points (use Zigpoll, keep it short)
- Pilot a simple change (e.g., add badges or a toggle for one category)
- Measure before vs. after contract usage
- Report findings, then expand to more categories
What’s the #1 misconception beginners have about trade agreement cost savings?
Janet:
That it’s all about price. But about half the waste comes from workflow friction—people don’t use agreements because it’s easier not to. UX is the lever, not just negotiation.
Parting advice for entry-level UX researchers looking to cut costs via trade agreement utilization?
Janet:
Think like a detective. Follow the path of a real designer, see where they drop off, and don’t be afraid to iterate. No workflow is perfect from day one. Use real data and feedback, keep changes visible (not buried), and you’ll uncover real savings—even without a giant procurement team behind you.
