Reworked by Regis – Social Media’s Direct Impact on Product Development and Design

© Regis Mahoney, Etsy. Retrieved from Etsy on June 10, 2018

Reworked by Regis is a custom home decor and refurbishment artisan based out of Edmonton, AB. Regis Mahoney, the artist behind Reworked by Regis, takes discarded furniture and restores, redesigns, and rehomes it. Customers can commission custom projects through Regis, or can purchase items she has already made at local markets or through Facebook, Instagram, or Etsy.

© Regis Mahoney, Instagram. Retrieved from Instagram on June 10, 2018

Reworked by Regis designs are often inspired by current trends in home decor, such as natural wood grain features, tapestries, and netted terrarium hangers. Alternatively, customers can commission Regis to create something specific, providing their own furniture to be refurbished or providing images of their desired end product for Regis to work off of. When asked about her regular process, Regis (personal communication, June 11, 2018) stated;

I have a $100 per piece minimum, price varies depending on if you are wanting paint or stain. I varnish everything no matter what once finished so it’s more durable. On pieces that are high traffic (like a dining table) I recommend an additional epoxy coating that’s pretty much indestructible, you can go without but you will for sure get some nicks and scratches. I book an in person consult to assess the piece and set final price and go over the look wanted! Things that will add extra cost are deep scratches, chips and any other sort of damage that need extra attention in repairing. … I find that people always wanna know price ASAP … so I always offer a “photo quote” that is subject to change after [an] in person consult! Since I’m in my first year of launching its something that actually helps because people realize how affordable my prices are!

When Regis is designing new projects, she often draws inspiration from her social media following to gauge popular demand. Most recently, she has utilized Instagram’s stories poll feature to adjudge design elements on a cabinet she is working on.

Lessons for Others

Reworked by Regis is very direct in using social media for product development and design, and is a classic example of using social media platforms to gauge customer interest and satisfaction straightforwardly. For Regis, this has so far proven to be a successful method in which to do so, as she has managed to avoid the negative impacts of  social media product development hype. The audience participating in her social media is within a reasonable data size that Regis can easily gauge the needs and desire of her market, and it seems that at this point in her business, the majority of her engaged audience is positive and authentic. By using polls as mentioned above, Regis also limits the flow of ideas coming from her online community so as not to inundate herself with data. Furthermore, Regis’ artistic vision and craftsmanship undoubtedly account for the majority of Reworked By Regis’ success.

If you have concerns as to the accuracy of anything posted on this site, please send your concerns to Peter Carr, Program Director, Social Media for Business Performance.

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