Outdoor supplier offers real solutions to retailers with faux wood | JINHANFAIR DiscoverNEW

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ATLANTA — Any retailer selling outdoor furniture can attest to the existence of customers who want the look of real wood but lack either the willingness to maintain it or the budget for a natural material.

 

It is these customers that importer Agio aims to help dealers reach as they seek ways to overcome consumer headwinds and close sales.

 

To do this, the company has leaned heavily into Resysta, an engineered material made from rice husks that mimics the look of wood while offering a maintenance profile more closely aligned with polymer or aluminum products.

 

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As Vice President of Sales Todd Wingrove told Furniture Today, the reaction to the company’s expanded Resysta assortment at last week’s Casual Market Atlanta was promising.

 

💡Overcoming headwinds

 

Outdoor furniture has continued to outperform the wider home furnishings industry for many suppliers, aided by consumers’ increased focus on patios, decks and other extensions of the home. Even so, the category has not been immune to tariffs, higher prices and more cautious discretionary spending.

 

Wingrove said Agio saw some initial hesitation as retailers and consumers adjusted to the latest round of cost increases. However, demand has proved resilient as shoppers have gradually accepted the new pricing environment.

 

“Business has been good, and people are buying furniture now,” he said. “There was an adjustment when the tariffs first began hitting, but consumers are becoming accustomed to the current pricing environment.”

 

Unlike indoor furniture, outdoor products also have a seasonal urgency in many parts of the country. Shoppers who wait too long risk losing a significant portion of the period during which they can comfortably use a patio or deck.

 

“Consumers only have so many months when it is enjoyable to use their outdoor spaces,” Wingrove explained. “It is too hot in some places and gets too cold early in others, so if people need something, they eventually settle into the reality of what it costs.”

 

Changing housing patterns present another opportunity, although Wingrove acknowledged that serving consumers with smaller patios, balconies or decks comes with its own challenges. A smaller footprint does not automatically translate into a willingness to invest in better furniture, making it important for retailers to demonstrate how a well-designed setting can increase the usefulness of limited outdoor space.

 

“Small-space living is definitely important, but the challenge is getting people with a small space to spend at a level commensurate with what they would spend on a larger space,” he said. “If consumers elevate what they are looking for, even a small outdoor area can become a place where they spend a tremendous amount of time.”

 

Agio’s response is to offer products that combine approachable pricing with features and materials that distinguish them from other options in the market.

 

“The important thing is to offer value relative to the other products in the marketplace,” Wingrove said. “We believe we are in that value position.”

 

That positioning can vary depending on the dealer. Agio may represent an opening price point for one retailer while occupying the upper end of another store’s outdoor assortment.

 

“We’re trying to put something into the marketplace that has mass appeal and allows us to earn our fair share of the business,” Wingrove said. “We’re a lead-in price point for some retailers and the higher end for others. We want to fill the niche where we can provide value.”

 

💡A growing role for Resysta

 

Resysta is playing an increasingly prominent role in that value proposition. Agio has expanded its use of the material across collections, finishes and product scales, giving retailers a wood-like story that does not carry the same care requirements as natural wood.

 

“We’ve gone very heavy into Resysta, which we’ve talked about before, and the reaction has been extremely positive,” Wingrove said. “Resysta gives us the opportunity to show off wood looks, but we can also do something like black, where nobody is going to think it is wood, but it really pops.”

 

Agio’s Resysta wood is available in darker finishes to lend a more contemporary look.

 

That flexibility allows Agio to use the material not only as a natural-wood substitute, but also as a design element in its own right. Wingrove described the black finish as vibrant, adding that its market reception had been particularly strong.

 

Lighter finishes are also resonating, particularly when combined with seating that uses a slimmer pad rather than a conventional full cushion. Removing the pad reveals a finished woven surface underneath, allowing the furniture to remain usable and visually complete in either configuration.

 

“We’ve had really nice success with this lighter wood look and with seating that uses more of a pad than a traditional cushion,” Wingrove said. “When you remove the cushion, you still have a beautiful wicker look, so the piece delivers a mixed-media effect.”

 

A lighter finish on Resysta creates a relaxed, natural-wood aesthetic.

 

The design gives consumers flexibility in how they use and maintain the chair. Resysta appears on the arm, while the woven seat allows the piece to be used with or without its cushion.

 

“You can leave it uncovered for everyday use and put the cushion on when company comes,” Wingrove explained.

 

💡Sourcing solutions

 

Agio’s product strategy also reflects the practical demands of its container-direct model. The supplier seeks to provide sufficient variety within each shipment to help retailers build a broader presentation without committing an entire container to a single collection.

 

“As a container supplier, our goal is to provide all the options a retailer might want,” Wingrove said. “We can mix as many as three different collections within a container.”

 

Fabric choices add another level of flexibility. Agio offers two fabrics per collection, including combinations such as white and blue, with coordinating pillows designed to work with either option.

 

Color selection requires a careful balance, however. A specialty color may look striking on the showroom floor but prove difficult to sell in the volume necessary to justify a container order.

 

“It is a challenge from our standpoint because we can’t select a niche color and expect a customer to sell the number of pieces required for a container,” Wingrove explained. “We try to keep the colors safe but still impactful.”

 

Agio must also account for the different needs of large-volume retailers and independent specialty dealers. A national or large regional account may prioritize broadly appealing colors and silhouettes capable of generating significant unit sales. Smaller dealers, meanwhile, may be more willing to embrace distinctive looks that separate their floors from those of larger competitors.

 

“A retailer such as Sam’s Club or even Nebraska Furniture Mart will probably select safer looks because it needs to generate that kind of tonnage,” Wingrove said. “That aligns with the container mentality we have.”

 

Smaller retailers face a more difficult competitive environment, but Wingrove sees product differentiation as one of the strongest tools available to them. Agio can support those dealers with more distinctive combinations of finish, scale, fabric and material.

 

“Some smaller retailers may instead ask how they can differentiate themselves from what the larger players are doing,” he said. “It may be harder for them to compete, but we can give them something unique and special that is going to stand out.”

 

Outdoor furniture is particularly suited to that kind of statement-making because it is often displayed in one of a home’s most visible areas. A patio or deck can communicate personal style not just to household members but also to neighbors and guests.

 

“Consumers have to decide whether they want something that blends in or something that makes people say, ‘Wow, they have great taste, and that really stands out,’” Wingrove said.

 

For independent retailers, he added, offering those more distinctive looks can turn a competitive disadvantage in scale into an advantage in curation. “That is where some of the smaller retailers can differentiate themselves through the looks they offer.”