The SME Story: Emir Tumen, founder of Decosouq

What is the concept behind Decosouq?
Decosouq is the UAE’s first e-marketplace for buying and selling pre-loved furniture and home décor. We use technology and services to make the process of buying and selling a hassle-free experience for our sellers and buyers by taking care of quality, storage, packaging and assembly. Decosouq does not offer instant cash or hold inventory of furniture – once the item has been bought by the buyer, Decosouq offers door-to-door service by providing collection and delivery.

What were you doing before you started this business?
I was a consultant at one of the top-tier global management consulting firms. I was impressed by how vertically-focused marketplaces were disrupting big players such as eBay while changing the way consumers and businesses think about the second-hand market. The furniture market is a great fit for such a model and an industry that is ripe for disruption.

Could you give us a business overview of Decosouq’s operations?
The platform is supported by a team of 38 people all around the world – most are now being relocated to the UAE since the company is focusing on expanding rapidly in the GCC region. In the UAE, more than 10,000 retailers and consumers have started selling and buying on Decosouq. The brand offers easy access to affordable used furniture for consumers and retailers and [contributes to] the circular economy. Decosouq is currently bringing on board the UAE’s brand-new furniture market leaders to help them find a new home for the open-box, refurbished, returned and display-furniture items.

What is the USP of the business?
Consumers in the UAE love the convenience and simplicity of selling and buying furniture and home décor online with no hassle, no strange phone calls, and most importantly, without meeting any strangers. A professional delivery team handles the door-to-door delivery at no cost to the sellers.

Are there any recent innovations you’ve applied to the model?
We have a ‘make an offer’ model where you can send your offer to the seller using your credit card, and once the offer is accepted the furniture is yours. We bring it to your doorstep in less than three days. We also started our consignment services. You can use Decosouq to store your furniture for up to 90 days and we sell it on your behalf.

What are the expansion plans you have in mind?
We want to become the number one furniture platform for everyone and every business in the UAE and the region when it comes to second-hand [furniture]. In 2022, we wish to further expand to other GCC countries and localise our model country-by-country, making Decosouq a regional leader in this category.