News

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Outward, Inc., an independent Williams-Sonoma Inc. company, has transformed the way Whalen Furniture conducts its product photography process with the Aperture Platform. Headquartered in San Diego, Calif., with a permanent showroom in High Point, N.C., Whalen has been utilizing the Aperture Platform at its High Point showroom to expedite product sample imagery for customers more cost effectively. Whalen Furniture, which was founded in 1991, is a manufacturer of residential and commercial furniture. The company’s customers include Sam’s Club, Walmart, Target and Costco, in addition to many other national retailers. Due to Whalen’s extensive SKU count, it’s very focused on getting new and existing products photographed and posted on its website quickly for buyers to view. “We’re market leaders and volume leaders when it comes to the number of SKUs that we’re putting out into the marketplace,” said Kurt Berlin, Vice President of Design and Marketing for Whalen Furniture. “We’re transitioning our business from more of a retail scope to an e-commerce, omnichannel play, which is why Outward’s Aperture Platform seemed like a perfect fit for us. It allows us to provide our retail customers with high-quality images quickly and efficiently.” Berlin said the company was spending about $8,000 a day on traditional photography, while the Aperture Platform costs them less than $70 a day – improving efficiency and cost effectiveness by as much as one-third when all is said and done. “The Aperture Platform allows us to create images days quicker when compared to CGI imagery and weeks quicker when it comes to traditional photography, greatly reducing touch ups and editing,” he added.