How Oak Furnitureland Wins in Modern Retail with AI, Omnichannel, & CRO

Ian McBeth is the Head of eCommerce at home furniture business Oak Furnitureland. Founded in 2003 as an eBay store!

They now sell via their custom online store, telesales, and their 70 stores, selling over £230 million of furniture in the UK every year. Ian’s experience runs far beyond the world of furniture with past roles at Craft Gin Club, hair brand Josh Wood Colour, Vivobarefoot, Ted Baker and many more! 

 

In this episode, Ian shares the smart strategies behind scaling a complex omnichannel eCommerce operation—plus his no-nonsense approach to using AI, data, and tech to drive real results. 

 

Hit PLAY to hear: 

 

• How Oak Furnitureland links online and in-store shopping with a clever QR strategy 🛋️ 
• The AI use cases Ian actually recommends (and the ones he doesn’t) 🤖 
• Why CRO and UX are the real secret weapons in scaling eCommerce conversions 
• How Ian’s IT background gives him a major edge in modern eCommerce strategy 🔧 
• The smart way to prioritize projects when everything feels urgent 🚦 
• The biggest mistake eCommerce teams make with AI—and how to avoid it ⚠️ 

 

Key timestamps to dive straight in: 

[03:21] Evolution of Furniture Retail Career 

[06:40] eCommerce: Tech to Marketing Shift 

[10:34] Sofa Purchase Research: A Long Journey 

[16:08] AI: Sci-Fi Future Realized 

[17:05] "AI Solutions for Business Problems" 

[21:31] Ensuring Secure IT Collaboration 

[22:23] Listen to Ian’s Top Tips! 

 

 Full episode notes here: https://ecmp.info/554

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