What does "Lierre" Symbolize as a Company?
The Lierre.ca story dates back to 2007 when the co-founder Xiao Lei Wang was still an acupuncture apprentice from Rosement college in Montreal. After he graduated from his studies, he opened his first boutique in the heart of Montreal and named it as “Lierre”. The word itself is derived from a French word which means “ivy”, in English and it symbolizes blossom and longevity. The plant ivy is also well known by its resilience against hardship environments, which represents Canadian working spirit.
Today, Lierre.ca has become one of the most trusted suppliers for acupuncture needles, cupping sets and other TCM supplies. Lierre has been recognized by the majority of local acupuncturists, massage therapists and others, even though the images of Lierre have slowly rooted to TCM professionals in Quebec. However, having just a boutique is not enough to fulfill Mr. Wang’s ambition, he wanted something much bigger than that.
What was the Reason to Start the Company?
Back to old-time while the internet was not as advanced as today, searching medical supplies such as acupuncture needles, silicone cupping clinical supplies can be an extremely difficult task. This was due to the fact that there were not many suppliers in Quebec. Even though they had the items, the price was much higher than other provinces. It was always tough for Mr. Wang and other acupuncturists to find their desired item overseas with uncertain product qualities. Thus, Mr. Wang decided to start his own business by importing items overseas, where he could use his connection in China, combined with his expertise, to help people who had similar situations. The boutique started in 2008 and was expanding quickly. Within less than a year, Mr. Wang’s classmates and professors had all became his regular clients.
How did Lierre Select their First Product Line?
Choosing top-notch quality is crucial, especially in medical businesses. It requires a lot of certification and examinations, and it has to strictly follow the industrial standard from organization such as Health Canada. In summer of 2009, Wang spent the whole summer visiting many factories across China who specialized in acupuncture needles, in which he thoroughly learned how each factory works, in terms of production & procedures. Later, he returned to Canada, with some samples provided by these factories so he could send these needles to be tested by local certified acupuncturists. After contacting many professionals, he chose to work exclusively with the factories that received the best feedback. Today, the brand Lierre has become well known by its TOP tier in acupuncture needles among other needle suppliers in Canada.
How Lierre entered in the Cupping Industry?
Within two years of rapid growth, the next product line that he wanted to focus was the silicone cupping set business.
“Back then, massage therapists wouldn’t even consider using cupping sets in their treatment because they simply don’t believe that can be the tool”- Mr. Wong
The lack of demand for cupping set in the Canadian market had impacted the business. Wang had to find other ways to push the cupping set into the United States and other channels to generate more sales. Because of this, he expanded his online presence into Amazon, eBay and Shopify in order to reach more customers,. The experience of handling multiple channels had made him realize that there are actually much more potential channels that he can possibly imagine if he chose to sell everything just online.
After many years of winnings and failures, the company had made their 2nd milestone by opening another shop in Laval. The reason for that is because he can separate both the clinic business and the warehouse so he can use that to ship out the products. Since the Laval location is much bigger than the Montreal store, it has more offices, classrooms, showrooms, and even clinique spaces. He was able to combine both his expertise as a acupuncturist, as well as a TCM product expert, so he can serve more people who have similar needs. He used the domain name as “Lierremedical.com”, which is the former name before “Lierre.ca”.
Rapid Expansion into E-commerce
By the year 2015, Lierre.ca has served thousands of TCM professionals in Quebec, and sold more a thousand products. Items sold ranged from small units, such as acupuncture needles, to bulky items, such as massage tables and stools. With sufficient knowledge from TCM products and many years of experiences in E-commerce, the company decided to expand into heath & wellness product lines. In addition, Lierre has formed its team in product, marketing, customer service, as well as warehousing personnel to strengthen their organization power. The small but powerful team helps the company serve more and more upcoming customers with unique needs.
What is the Lierre Mission Statement & Values ?
Since establishing in 2008, Lierre has not changed their mission, as well as the company's core values to its customers. the company has dedicated their expertise to bringing awareness to public to improve health, wellness, and beauty through their products. Until today, the online store is still growing rapidly with their in-house products. The company has also added on more categories such as skincare and cosmetic products, in which they believe such product lines will attract more and more attention from beauty communities, as well as more regular customers rather than just medical professionals.
This July, we are celebrating our 11th Lierre anniversary sale, this is a special year for us, we wanted to use this special moment to thank you for all for the past years supports, without you, we won’t be thrived as we now today! That's why we are using this opportunity, to offer our biggest ever annual discount to all of you, at the same time, we looking forward to hearing from you soon!