by HIGH POINT — Intiaro, a visual commerce and technology platform for the furnishings industry, launched a new feature this week: AI CPQ, a configure, price and quote platform. The platform, according to a news release, is designed to transform the quoting process for made-to-order furniture manufacturers selling through dealers and sales representatives.
The artificial intelligence-powered platform gives manufacturers centralized pricing control while enabling retailers to generate accurate quotes in real time. One of the platform’s selling points, according to Intiaro, is its speed of implementation. AI CPQ uses AI to read manufacturers’ existing price lists, spreadsheets and other files and translate that information into structured pricing rules.
AI CPQ can operate as a stand-alone pricing engine or alongside Intiaro’s 3D configurator, connecting a product configuration with the pricing rules behind it. Intiaro says a quote that could take a customer-service representative two days can instead be generated in two minutes.
Retailers can access applicable pricing and prepare quotes through a branded dealer portal, while manufacturers can centrally update pricing and manage dealer-specific rules.
While AI CPQ is new to the broader Intiaro conversation, the capability has been in development for some time. Its evolution grew in part from Intiaro’s eight-year collaboration with Ethan Allen, as the companies explored ways technology could streamline the sales process and connect product visualization and configuration with pricing. Yutzy, an American-made case goods manufacturer, is also already using the platform to manage dealer-specific pricing, customer service and order entry.
The expansion from visualization and configuration into AI-powered pricing comes as the furniture industry navigates a broader shift in how artificial intelligence fits into existing technology. For Karol Wrobel, director of business development for Intiaro, the uncertainty surrounding AI today feels familiar.
When he joined Intiaro almost eight years ago, he said the company was still working to convince the industry of the value of 3D visualization and digital twins.
“(People) were thinking: ‘Can I basically replace my traditional photography? Is it worth the investment?’ Right now, we are exactly in the same spot with the introduction of AI.”
He said one of the most common misconceptions about AI is that it will solve every problem. Instead, he sees the technology as another step in an evolution that has already taken 3D visualization from an experiment for many furniture companies to an established business tool.
However, he doesn’t think more technology should mean less human involvement.
“Overall, as a company, we are very human and relationship-driven, which I think for this industry is an especially good fit,” Wrobel added.
That balance between technology and human interaction could become more pronounced with the rise of agentic AI, autonomous or semi-autonomous artificial intelligence that can plan and execute tasks with little or no human supervision.
“Very soon, there will be an AI agent that is talking with your AI agent through emails,” he said. “There will be a lot of communication going on which will be kind of artificial, and because of that, the aspect of human touch and human-driven communication will become even more important.”
