Disruptive B2B-model
The exclusive outdoor world is being turned on its head.
The B2B platform Betaco bridges the gap between classic contradictions: the discrepancy between creative and commercial, B2B and B2C, thinking and knowing. The high-end design stems from a breeding ground of Belgian creative talent. The setup is a win-win situation for designers and outdoor professionals ─ worldwide.
Betaco stands for Belgian Talents Company. The platform is an initiative from two retail luminaries in the Belgian high-end segment. It arose partly from economic and partly from idealistic motives. Belgian design has so much to offer!
Talented young designers know their way around the virtual world, but what about the physical world? Having a design produced and marketed (internationally) is a different matter. This is where the platform offers a solution: the designers can benefit from a worldwide network of production and sales channels. These contacts have been built up over the course of 25 years by the two retailers. The networked generation can hitch a ride on their expertise in economic reality.
So what’s in this for Betaco? Exclusive collections: high-end design for a comparatively lower-end price. The initiators have both feet in the B2C market, know what’s going on in the market – and what the consumer (actually) wants. This knowledge is harnessed for product development. Not thinking but knowing where the demand lies. Guiding the designers in this, and having their designs manufactured and exported. This means skipping links in the supply column, shortening the chain and thus changing the financial picture! The Betaco platform is aiming at a B2B brand status in the exclusive outdoor segment.
With the first creations, we see the signature of Mathias De Ferm. The exclusive added value lies in the details and their coherence. Why the 135° bend in the Livorno corner sofa? For face-to-face contact. The design language of the minimalist profile is consistently repeated. So the contours of the backrest correspond to the diameter of the leg. The supporting structure is a standout feature because it is worthy of admiration.
The same is true of the Sorrento table: the design is more than simply randomly organic. The tabletop has been calculated for a range of situations: a long side for a big group, and a round section for a smaller circle. The pinnacle is the composition of the tabletop: the teak has been sawn into trapezoidal slats and glued together to create a fanned-out pattern. Where do you find such attention to detail? At Betaco!
