This buying office case study shows how SOA supported a US-based global leader in wholesale home accessories with long-term sourcing operations in Asia. The company needed a reliable local partner to manage suppliers, product development, order follow-up, quality control, storage, and shipment coordination across a broad product catalogue. Since 2018, Source of Asia has acted as its dedicated buying office in Asia.
KEY RESULTS
32+ collections developed with the client
Over USD 3 million generated per year
Buying office partnership in Asia since 2018
Full-service sourcing, order management, quality, and logistics support
Managing Regular Sourcing Across a Broad Product Catalogue
The client designs and distributes a wide range of lifestyle products to retailers worldwide. Its catalogue covers several categories, including furniture, home decoration, lighting, and pottery. As the business expanded, sourcing in Asia became a regular operation rather than an occasional supplier search.
This created a practical challenge. The company needed more than supplier contacts. Indeed, they needed local coordination to keep product development, production planning, quality follow-up, storage, and shipments under control.
Several needs had to be managed at the same time:
- Source new suppliers and product categories
- Support product development across multiple collections
- Coordinate price discussions and order follow-up
- Monitor production progress, quality, and delivery timelines
- Manage storage and shipment coordination
- Reduce daily sourcing workload for the headquarters team
For a company with a broad and changing catalogue, small delays or misalignment with suppliers can quickly affect delivery, cost, and product availability. Therefore, the client needed a buying office model that could provide regular local support and keep operations moving.
SOA’s Buying Office Model
Source of Asia (SOA) has acted as the client’s dedicated buying office in Asia since 2018. The model was designed to support recurring sourcing needs, not only one-time supplier identification.
SOA’s buying office model supports supplier sourcing, product development, order management, quality control, and shipment coordination for home accessories sourcing in Asia.
The first layer focused on supplier sourcing and product development. SOA supported the search for new suppliers and new product categories across the client’s home accessories range. This helped the company refresh its catalogue and develop new collections with stronger local sourcing support.
The second layer covered price negotiation and order management. SOA coordinated with suppliers on price discussions, order details, production planning, and follow-up. As a result, the headquarters team could rely on a local partner to manage daily supplier communication and reduce back-and-forth delays.
The third layer focused on quality control and supplier coordination. SOA followed up on production quality, delivery progress, and supplier performance. This helped reduce sourcing risks and gave the client better visibility into what was happening on the ground.
The fourth layer covered storage and shipment coordination. SOA supported product flow from supplier follow-up to storage and shipping arrangements. This gave the client a more controlled process from production to delivery.
Together, these layers created a full buying office model. Instead of managing each supplier, order, and shipment from a distance, the client had a local partner able to coordinate sourcing operations across Asia regularly.
Business Impact
Our buying office model gave the client a long-term local coordination structure in Asia. This reduced the need for the headquarters team to manage every supplier discussion, product update, quality issue, or shipment follow-up directly.
The partnership supported more than 32 collections developed with the client. This shows the value of having a sourcing partner involved beyond supplier search. SOA helped the client manage product development, production follow-up, and supplier coordination across multiple categories over several years. The model also supported business performance. The partnership generated over USD 3 million per year and recorded a steady annual increase of 20%. At the same time, the full-service structure helped reduce risk, lower costs, and improve profit by keeping sourcing, order management, quality, and logistics aligned.
For the client, the main value came from continuity. We provided local sourcing support year after year, helping the company manage a broad catalogue with stronger control and less operational friction.
What Home Accessories Companies Can Take from This Case
For home accessories companies sourcing from Asia, supplier search is only the beginning. Once sourcing becomes regular, companies need a stronger operating model to manage collections, suppliers, orders, quality, storage, and shipments. A buying office can be useful when a company works with multiple categories and frequent product updates. It creates a local coordination point between the headquarters team and suppliers. It also helps reduce delays, improve follow-up, and keep sourcing operations more predictable.
This approach is different from working with a sourcing agent for a one-time need. A sourcing agent may focus mainly on finding suppliers. A buying office provides broader support across product development, supplier coordination, order management, quality control, and logistics.
Planning to Build a Buying Office in Asia?
SOA helps international companies manage sourcing operations in Asia through supplier sourcing, product development, order follow-up, quality control, storage, and shipment coordination. From first supplier search to long-term buying office support, our team helps you build a more reliable sourcing structure adapted to your product categories, supplier base, and growth plans.
For companies facing similar sourcing needs, SOA can support several key steps:
- End-to end buying office services
- Supplier sourcing
- Product development
- Price negotiation
- Order management services
- Quality control & inspection
- Storage and shipment coordination
Together, these services help international companies manage regular sourcing operations, reduce supplier coordination gaps, and improve product flow across Asia.
Written by:
Reviewed by:
Quyen NGUYEN
Marketing & Communications Director
Nhi NGUYEN
Head of Sourcing & Supply Chain Operations
With over 8 years of experience in sourcing and supply chain management, Nhi Nguyen currently serves as the Head of Sourcing & Supply Chain Operations at Source of Asia. She is responsible for overseeing the entire sourcing process, from product development to order management and logistics, while leading a dedicated team. Nhi specializes in categories such as furniture, home decor, lighting, pottery, and kids’ items, focusing on key markets including the US, Canada, and Scandinavian countries.
Her expertise spans procurement, cost-benefit analysis, and supply chain optimization across multiple Asian markets, including Vietnam, Indonesia, and China.
FAQs
A buying office acts as a local sourcing and operations partner. It supports supplier sourcing, product development, order follow-up, quality control, storage, and shipment coordination.
A sourcing agent often focuses on finding suppliers. A buying office provides broader and more regular support, including supplier coordination, product development, order management, quality follow-up, and logistics.
Home accessories companies often manage broad catalogues, multiple suppliers, and frequent product updates. A buying office helps coordinate these activities locally and reduces the daily sourcing workload for the headquarters team.
SOA supports buying office services through supplier sourcing, product development, price negotiation, order management, quality control, storage, and shipment coordination.
A company may consider procurement outsourcing when sourcing becomes too complex to manage internally. This can include multiple suppliers, frequent orders, quality follow-up, shipment coordination, or the need for local supplier management in Asia.
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