From the sofa to the wall art, you’ve designed every inch of your model apartment yourself. You’ve curated dozens of pieces and placed dozens of orders. Now, all that’s left to do is wait for your shipments to arrive. The hard part is over, right?

Well…not exactly.

When you take the DIY route for designing your model apartment, you’re signing up for more than a creative design project. You’ll also have to deal with a slew of logistical concerns that occur between the moment you order your items and the moment you have your first showing.

The process will go something like this:

Dozens of products will arrive in different shipments over the course of days or even weeks. Some shipments will be delayed; other items will arrive damaged. You’ll need to come up with somewhere to store everything until you’re ready to install the items in the apartment. Then, you’ll be responsible for unpacking, assembly, installation, and cleanup.

Does the thought of managing all those details (or storing dozens of packages next to your desk) make you feel overwhelmed?

Fortunately, there’s a better way to handle the delivery and installation of your model apartment. At Model55, we offer white glove delivery as part of our turnkey model apartment design services. This comprehensive service covers every last detail of delivery and installation—so you can rest easy while our team of pros handles the process for you.

The Difference Between Dropshipping and White Glove Delivery for model apartment decor

If you’ve never experienced white glove delivery before, you’re probably wondering what sets it apart from dropshipping, the alternative shipping and delivery method for most model apartment staging services. Isn’t the purpose of each method the same: to get the items from the supplier to your doorstep?

Dropshipping for model apartment furniture installation

Rather than storing products in a warehouse and shipping them directly, some commercial interior design firms rely on dropshipping, or outsourced third-party retailers that handle storage and shipping for them. Dropshipping is convenient for retailers, but it can be disastrous for customers.

For starters, dropshipping doesn’t account for your schedule. The orders can arrive at any time, which means you could be in the middle of a meeting or off-site at the time of delivery.

And who knows where the delivery person will leave the items? Your packages could end up anywhere on the property, making it even harder for you to account for them.

With dropshipping, there’s no single point of contact if your plans change, if you need to coordinate a delivery, or if you just need to talk through logistics. At best, you’re calling into a customer service hotline, which is usually disconnected from the driver delivering your order.

There’s certainly no accountability if something goes wrong… and when you’re tracking dozens of pieces of inventory, something will inevitably go wrong!

White glove delivery is a better alternative

White glove delivery is the antithesis of dropshipping: it’s seamless, service-focused, and well-coordinated. At Model55, our white glove delivery service for model apartments includes delivery, unpacking, furniture assembly, styling, and trash removal—services you won’t get when your items are dropshipped.

Our experience installing thousands of model apartments allows us to anticipate issues you may not have planned for. And we build flexible, accommodating systems to overcome challenges when they arise. We really do expect the unexpected!

At its core, white glove delivery is about what’s best for the customer, not for the interior design firm providing the service providing the service. We have a dedicated logistics team that coordinates and oversees the entire process, but we allocate one specific point of contact so you always know who to reach out to.

What’s your commitment during white glove delivery? All you need to do is give us access to the apartment. As we like to say, “you turn the key, and we do everything else!”

Model 55’s White Glove Delivery Service: Attention to Detail from Shipping to Installation

With white glove delivery, we take care of everything from shipping to installation. From start to finish, we make sure our customers never have to lift a finger. Our unparalleled service includes:

Planning ahead and communicating with each other and our clients

On the surface, our clients see a smooth delivery and installation process. But behind the scenes, we work hard to manage all the moving pieces. Not only is our team in constant collaboration internally, we also work directly with clients to accommodate the needs of their community.

We’ll never show up at your property unexpectedly or at an inconvenient time. We begin the process by coordinating a delivery and installation date that works for everyone. We also plan for all onsite logistics, like reserving parking and elevators if necessary.

Consolidating, tracking, and accounting for every item

Rather than sending model apartment furniture to your property one item at a time, we receive all orders at our warehouse, where we consolidate them for delivery.

Our team closely tracks all orders and carefully inspects every single item for damage. We assume the responsibility of refunding or replacing damaged items so our clients never have to deal with this hassle.

When we’re ready to send the items to your property, we make sure that everything is delivered in a single shipment, with fully tracked, line by line documentation of all the contents.

Considering the space we’re working in

Prior to delivery, we educate our team on the floor plan of the client’s building or facility, as well as various community considerations.

If your senior living community doesn’t allow elevator access during lunchtime, we’ll work around this rule. If there’s a lot of foot traffic in your multi-family community during commuting hours, we’ll make sure none of the doors are blocked.

Our goal is to create as little disruption as possible while we install your model apartment. It’s the little details that matter most, and we account for each and every one of them.

Unpacking, assembly, installation, and cleanup

When items are dropshipped, the customer is responsible for unpacking boxes, assembling furniture, installing accessories, and cleaning up the mess! But with our white glove delivery service, you can focus on the other important parts of your job while we make your model unit perfect.

First, our delivery team carefully unpacks and assembles all items and places them according to the design plan. When it’s time to leave the property, all boxes, bags, packaging, and debris is fully removed from your site (no pile of empty boxes next to your dumpster).

The installation process continues when our local staging partner arrives to finish the job. Using our design plan, they finish the apartment professionally.

The end result is a beautiful model apartment ready to attract new residents to your property!

Is it possible to choose dropshipping and manage the process yourself? Absolutely. But be aware that dropshipping is flat out messy. It isn’t thorough. It isn’t accommodating. It isn’t personal. And it certainly isn’t effortless.

If you’re ready for a simpler, more convenient alternative to dropshipping, contact Model55 today to learn more about our turnkey model apartment design services.