Kareem Ghobrial, Wayfair director of category management, told HomePage News that the retailer is looking for support that will help drive its initiatives in the housewares area, a part of the business that is featured in the company’s namesake brick-and-mortar superstores.
For Wayfair, the stores function not only as retail operations but as marketing vehicles to give a broader range of consumers an understanding of what the company has to offer. Wayfair has said its initial namesake store in the Chicago area has had the desired effect, helping the company build shopper files and boost sales overall across the metro area. The decision to open more Wayfair superstores, in addition to its brick-and-mortar operations under its various specialty banners, including its upmarket Perigold operations, provides further evidence that physical retailing has proved positive for the retailer.
In addition to physical stores, Wayfair is emphasizing the importance of housewares to its advancing loyalty program. As such, Wayfair said it is attending The Inspired Home Show, March 10-12 at Chicago’s McCormick Place, not only to check out what’s new but also to create, advance, and refine relationships that can prove advantageous to growth in the company’s own operations and those of its suppliers.
HomePage News: What goals does Wayfair have as it approaches The Inspired Home Show this year?
Ghobrial: As we head into The Inspired Home Show, our goals are centered on momentum. Wayfair’s housewares business is growing, and we’re continuing to take share in the category. The show is an important opportunity for us to spend time with our existing suppliers and meet new potential partners who see Wayfair as a platform for scale. We are focused on brands that want to grow with us, helping us expand assortment thoughtfully, bring more innovation and continue to gain share.
HPN: What topics and initiatives do you want to discuss with vendors?
Ghobrial: Our conversations with vendors center on a few key areas. First, we’re focused on new product introductions and category trends: What’s resonating with customers, where innovation is happening, and how we can move quickly together to bring those ideas to market at scale.
We’re also excited to discuss our physical retail expansion and what we’re learning. The success of our Chicago store has been a strong proof point, particularly recent changes that brought housewares front and center, alongside tabletop, making it a focal point for cash-and-carry purchases. That change has driven strong engagement and reinforces how important housewares are in creating discovery and repeat visits in-store. As we open additional large-format stores in markets like Atlanta, Columbus, Denver, and Westchester, shelf space becomes an increasingly powerful lever for supplier discovery and growth.
Finally, we’re looking forward to conversations around the evolution of Wayfair’s loyalty program and its value for vendors. Housewares plays an outsized role in loyalty due to its frequency and impulse-driven nature, creating more opportunities for repeat engagement and sustained brand growth over time.
Wayfair Chicago
HPN: What do you want vendors to understand about how Wayfair’s operation is developing and how the e-commerce business is evolving?
Ghobrial: We want vendors to understand that Wayfair’s platform continues to evolve in ways that create more opportunity for partners who lean in. We’re becoming more integrated across online, physical retail, loyalty and advertising, which allows brands to reach customers more often and in more meaningful ways.
At the same time, we’re investing in speed, reliability and merchandising tools that help vendors scale efficiently and deliver a better end-to-end customer experience. Partners who align with that evolution by bringing strong assortments, operational excellence and a willingness to test and learn are best positioned to grow with us.
HPN: How has Wayfair advanced its housewares strategy recently, and what is the outlook for the year ahead?
Ghobrial: Over the past year, we’ve made meaningful progress advancing our housewares strategy by focusing on what’s working at scale. For example, Category Captains — key brands that are leaning in, investing in the category and bringing consistency — are taking significant share on our site and helping elevate their categories overall.
We’ve also continued to evolve our promotions strategy. Doorbusters remain a strong and proven driver, but our Hero Deal of the Day, introduced last year, has quickly become a major program. It’s been a powerful way to highlight standout products, drive urgency and deliver compelling value to customers.
HPN: When it comes to Wayfair’s housewares business, how is that developing?
Ghobrial: Wayfair’s housewares business continues to accelerate, taking share and outpacing category growth. Looking ahead, we see strong opportunities to refine and expand our assortment, introduce more innovation and deepen partnerships with suppliers who want to grow with us by delivering strong value and participating in programs like Doorbusters, exclusives and other differentiated opportunities.
HPN: How can vendors help advance that strategy?
Ghobrial: The partners seeing the most success are those who follow the Wayfair recipe: a proven playbook to scale. That means leaning in with a full assortment that’s in stock, priced competitively, merchandised effectively with strong reviews, delivered quickly and supported by promotions and on-site advertising. When all those elements come together, it creates a better customer experience and unlocks substantial growth for both sides.
HPN: What should participants in The Inspired Home Show understand about the Wayfair brick-and-mortar stores, their impact on the business and what they might do to help Wayfair on that end of the enterprise?
Ghobrial: Our brick-and-mortar stores are an increasingly important extension of the Wayfair ecosystem. These stores drive discovery, trial and frequency, particularly in housewares, and they create a compounding effect as we expand into new markets.
For partners, this means thinking holistically about how their products show up in a physical environment, from packaging to set sizes. Vendors who succeed in stores by offering the right assortment for cash-and-carry, ensuring strong in-stock positions, competitive pricing and compelling presentation are well positioned to benefit from the increased visibility and demand that physical retail creates, ultimately accelerating growth across the entire enterprise.
Wayfair Chicago
HPN: Does The Inspired Home Show provide an important opportunity to strengthen relationships with key suppliers?
Ghobrial: Absolutely! While we’re in constant contact throughout the year, there’s real value in getting face-to-face to have deeper, more strategic conversations about where the business is heading. The show gives us an opportunity to align on growth plans across multiple levers and initiatives. Those in-person discussions help accelerate decision-making, spark new ideas and ultimately lead to stronger partnerships that drive long-term growth for both sides.
HPN: How does the show help Wayfair when it comes to getting useful input from vendors with which the company may be doing less business or not working with at all?
Ghobrial: The show gives us a valuable opportunity to get fresh perspectives from vendors we may not be working with. Those conversations often surface new ideas around product, category opportunities and go-to-market approaches that we might not otherwise see.
It’s also a chance to understand how emerging and adjacent brands think about growth, innovation and partnership. That input helps inform how we continue to evolve our assortment and strategy, and in many cases, it’s the starting point for new relationships that can grow over time.
HPN: What are the advantages of attending the show in terms of communications and coordination that can’t be had in the normal course of business?
Ghobrial: The biggest advantage is the depth and efficiency of interaction you get in a short period of time. Bringing a wide range of partners and perspectives together in one place allows for more dynamic, real-time conversations, faster alignment and quicker decision-making. It also creates a safe space for more open, transparent dialogue that’s hard to replicate in day-to-day business.
HPN: Is the whole-home orientation still key to how Wayfair is developing and how is the role of housewares evolving?
Ghobrial: The whole-home orientation remains core to how Wayfair is developing. What’s evolving is the role housewares play within that strategy. Housewares are increasingly important because they create more frequent touchpoints with customers, complement larger furniture purchases and help keep Wayfair top of mind throughout the year.
HPN: What do you expect vendors attending the Inspired Home Show to ask Wayfair representatives, and what do you hope suppliers come away from the show understanding?
Ghobrial: We expect vendors to ask where the biggest growth opportunities are, which categories and product types are gaining momentum, and how they can best partner with Wayfair to scale. What we hope suppliers come away understanding is that Wayfair offers a broad, integrated platform to grow their business. The partners who see the most success are the ones who lean in across the full ecosystem: bringing strong assortments, operational excellence and a willingness to invest in visibility and innovation. When vendors approach the partnership that way, there’s a significant opportunity to grow together.
