4walls was delighted to catch up with Nick Zanna, co-owner of Bedford-based EasyFrame, and hear how this awesome family business is going from strength to strength. Amazingly, EasyFrame has benefitted from the pandemic in a number of ways and as the country rediscovers normality, the team is enjoying its highest ever levels of trading. Nick reckons that the pandemic has advanced the interests of internet sales by 20 years! He says: “Consumers were already buying more and more online but lockdown meant that previously reluctant virtual shoppers had no choice. Coupled with a trend for people wanting to improve the homes they were now spending more time in, this meant wall art was increasingly in demand. All great news for picture framers!”
EASY DOES IT Inglorious
Tom Grennan
The volume of business was of course very welcome but with hundreds of orders coming in every day, it meant that EasyFrame needed to look at improving speed and efficiency. EasyFrame supplies products in a business-to-business capacity – manufacturing picture frames as well as picture framing for consumers. Never shy of investing, the team bought a Gunnar computerised mount cutter along with an AlfaAutomation double mitre saw. Nick cannot believe the scale of the benefits: “We are saving hundreds and hundreds of man hours every month. The day’s orders are emailed to the cutter every morning, and it not only cuts but also labels every item. So assembly is really quick and easy.”
Maintaining momentum The Zanna family is very active in terms of marketing. Their social media channels work incredibly hard for them. Nick says: “Instagram is fantastic for us. We use it to talk about the people behind the business as well as showcasing our work. The engagement we get is incredible – but it is very demanding from a time perspective! People expect instant replies in an always on digital world! “We are fortunate to work with some celebrities and musicians with hundreds
6
of thousands of followers and when they tag us in their photos, we get a surge in interest and new followers.” Trustpilot is another digital platform that helps drive enquiries and Nick is very much aware that many people these days like to get in touch via the website and email – and they generally want a quick response. Apart from promptly providing quotes, following the investment in new equipment and technology, EasyFrame is now able to turn round work in two to three days. The Dust Coda
