(Sarasota, Fla., July 9, 2025) - DutchCrafters, the leading brand of Amish furniture at www.dutchcrafters.com, achieved a remarkable 2024 Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 80, significantly exceeding industry benchmarks, by implementing a customer-centric strategy that overcame the unique challenges of selling handcrafted, made-to-order furniture online. This case study explores the strategies and initiatives that have propelled DutchCrafters to this level of customer loyalty and satisfaction.

Background:

DutchCrafters started like most online retailers at the forefront of ecommerce, housed in the founders’ living room and selling a variety of products. Since its beginning in 2003, DutchCrafters narrowed its focus to settle on an unlikely product: Amish made-to-order, heirloom-quality furniture.

This specialization presented unique logistical and communication hurdles, stemming from the Amish builders' limited technology and the inherent delays of custom craftsmanship. CEO and Owner Jim Miller recognized that maintaining high customer satisfaction in this context required a strategic and dedicated approach. When Miller developed a new vision statement in 2020, ensuring an exceptional customer experience was at the core of the vision, solidifying the company’s commitment to customer service since it was established.

Challenge:

The core challenge was to meet the expectations of high-end furniture buyers while managing the realities of made-to-order production and delivery, especially in a time when customers are used to fast fulfillment. This required personalized service, clear communication, and a sense of assurance throughout the extended production process.

Strategies and Implementation:

DutchCrafters implemented a multi-faceted approach to address these challenges.

Personalized Customer Support:

• Unlike most ecommerce companies, DutchCrafters has established a full staff of in-house furniture specialists available to personally assist customers with the many styles and options available on Amish furniture. The sales team presently has more than 45 years collective experience selling Amish-made, customizable furniture.
• Recognizing that made-to-order furniture takes time to complete and the wait can sometimes be uneasy, DutchCrafters hired customer care representatives assigned to each order during the building and delivery process. They monitor the completion of the order and are available for questions from customers.
• The company has opened showrooms for customers who prefer an in-person shopping experience. Along with furniture specialists readily available to answer questions, the showrooms’ design centers are fully stocked with wood, finish, upholstery and hardware options to make the furniture buying process easy.
• Free samples are available for customers to review wood and stain in the lighting and décor of their own home.
• DutchCrafters communicates with customers in multiple ways, including phone, chat, email and text.
• The company started DutchCrafters Deliveries, its own delivery service, as a way of improving customer experience at the very end of the purchase journey, and often the most important touchpoint.

Operational Excellence:

• Companywide leadership for customer experience was placed in one position. This person works with a team that evaluates the company’s customer experience activities and provides recommendations.
• DutchCrafters has set up specialized employee working groups that monitor large orders, limit sales order errors, and ensure damage-free deliveries.
• Regular training sessions are conducted to enhance product knowledge, customer service and delivery experience. Amish woodworkers are invited to present to DutchCrafters’ staff about their products and life experiences.

Customer Feedback and Measurement:

• The company sends customer surveys when people purchase and again after they receive their furniture. DutchCrafters uses the feedback to improve its processes. This is a reiterative process that includes listening, analyzing, changing and listening again.
• DutchCrafters actively monitors and responds to customer reviews on platforms such as Google to ensure constant improvement.
• DutchCrafters compares itself to industry standards by using the Net Promoter Score (NPS), a standard measurement that rates how likely a customer is to recommend a company. Retently, a company that specializes in NPS surveys, identified the 2024 industry benchmarks as 64 for retail and 52 for ecommerce. The research and software firm MeasuringU had a bleaker NPS, with 11 being the average for home furniture websites.

Results and Analysis:

DutchCrafters’ strategies yielded satisfying results for 2024:

• An NPS of 80, significantly exceeding industry averages (retail: 64, ecommerce: 52, home furniture websites: 11).
• An average overall satisfaction rating on surveys of 4.72 out of 5 stars.
• A 4.7-star rating on Google.

Conclusion:

When Miller posed the challenge to DutchCrafters staff to put customer experience first, he knew that the challenge was real. Helping customers choose between multiple woods and finishes as well as upholstery, hardware and other options takes extensive knowledge and patience. Communication with Amish builders can be arduous with product details and order statuses sometimes hard to attain. Properly trucking and delivering furniture that is assembled and unboxed requires specialty services.

Miller is proud of what his company has achieved. “We have always believed we should provide a customer experience that is as exceptional as the product we sell,” said Miller.

The company's high NPS serves as a testament to the effectiveness of its customer-centric approach, demonstrating that even in a market with inherent logistical challenges, exceptional customer experience can be achieved. The company’s success highlights the importance of adapting customer service strategies to meet the specific needs of a niche market.

About DutchCrafters:

DutchCrafters, owned by JMX Brands, is an omnichannel retailer, selling more than 10,000 American-made Amish furniture products on www.dutchcrafters.com and in showrooms in Sarasota, Fla. and Alpharetta, Ga. DutchCrafters was a 2016 Florida Company to Watch, the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce’s 2021 Medium Business of the Year, one of the Top Workplaces in Sarasota-Manatee from 2020 to 2024, one of the Furniture Today’s Best Places to Work from 2021 to 2024, and named to Newsweek’s prestigious Best Online Shops for 2021. The company has earned an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and was listed seven times as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States, according to Inc. Magazine’s prestigious Inc. 5,000 List.