Overview

Connections are the foundation of how business relationships work on Furnish Near Me.

They link manufacturers, retailers, and sales reps so catalogs, pricing, and local visibility can be shared automatically across the platform.

This page explains how connections are created, who can initiate them, how approvals work, and what happens once two businesses are connected.

A connection represents a verified business relationship between a manufacturer and a retailer inside Furnish Near Me.

When a connection is approved, the retailer gains access to:

• The manufacturer’s B2B pricing (wholesale, MSRP, or MAP).

• The ability to show the manufacturer’s products in their Furnish Near Me Shop.

• Visibility in consumer-facing experiences, including:

  • The Where to Buy Locally section on the manufacturer’s product pages.

  • The manufacturer’s dealer locator listings.

If the connection is removed by either side, all of these privileges are immediately revoked.

Connections do not expire automatically—they remain active until one party removes them.

Furnish Near Me allows three types of users to start a connection request:

• Retailers – Can request to connect with any manufacturer listed in the directory.

• Manufacturers – Can invite retailers to connect.

• Sales reps – Can initiate connections with retailers within their assigned territories (if their manufacturer allows this permission).

All connection requests follow the same approval process regardless of who started them.

1. Initiate

   • A retailer, manufacturer, or sales rep sends a request to connect.

   • If either business has not yet joined Furnish Near Me (unclaimed), the request is automatically approved so data can flow once the company becomes active.

2. Pending Approval

   • By default, manufacturers must approve incoming requests.

   • Manufacturers can enable an optional “Auto Accept All Retailer Connection Requests” setting if they want new retailers connected automatically.

3. Approval or Denial

   • Approved: The retailer immediately gains catalog and pricing access based on the manufacturer’s sharing settings.

   • Denied: The request is closed and the businesses remain unconnected.

4. Connection Established

   • The connection is now live.

   • The retailer’s Shop updates automatically to include the manufacturer’s catalog.

   • Both parties appear in each other’s business directories and listings.

A claimed business is one that has verified at least one active user on Furnish Near Me. This means the business is actively participating on Furnish Near Me.

• Claimed businesses can manage their own connections, approve requests, and update data.

• Unclaimed businesses are managed by FurnitureDealer.Net on their behalf until they become active.

• If a retailer tries to connect with an unclaimed manufacturer (or vice versa), the connection is automatically created because no one is available to approve it yet.

When a business is later claimed, any preexisting connections remain in place.

Sales reps serve as an extension of the manufacturer’s connection management process.

• Reps can initiate and approve retailer connections within their assigned territories.

• Manufacturers can limit or remove this ability at any time.

• Reps automatically receive notifications when retailers in their territories connect with their manufacturer.

• Manufacturers always retain full administrative control and visibility over all connections.

Manufacturers can manage several settings related to connections:

• Auto Accept Requests – Enables automatic approval of all retailer connection requests.

• Territory Permissions – Determines whether sales reps can manage connections.

• Catalog Visibility Controls – Controls which retailers (connected or not) can view products in the B2B shopping area.

• Pricelist Access Modes – Manage who can view or use your pricing (Open, Request, Hidden), but do not affect catalog visibility.

These controls allow manufacturers to balance openness with brand protection while maintaining control over pricing and relationships.

Either the manufacturer or the retailer can remove a connection at any time.

Once removed:

• The retailer loses access to the manufacturer’s catalog and pricing.

• The retailer is removed from the manufacturer’s dealer locator and “Where to Buy Locally.”

• The connection status changes to Removed but remains visible in internal records for audit purposes.

Connections do not automatically re-establish if either side reconnects later; a new request must be sent and approved.

Connections on Furnish Near Me power nearly every business interaction between manufacturers and retailers.

They control what data is shared, how products appear, and which retailers represent your brand to local shoppers.

By actively managing connections—and keeping your Auto Accept and visibility settings aligned with your business strategy—you can expand your dealer network, streamline data sharing, and strengthen relationships across your territory.