The furniture sector has witnessed a major change in recent years as people who were once bound to traditional physical stores are now tapping into the virtual world of eCommerce for furniture shopping.
This is because the change in customer perceptions and confidence while purchasing furniture used to be developed based on mere sight and feel. However, with growing eCommerce, digital innovations, and changed consumer behavior, the entire furniture retail sector has been transformed dramatically.
Based on a recent survey. “It is anticipated that the global online furniture market will grow from its 2023 valuation of $201.89 billion to $1,057.43 billion by 2032.
The furniture retailers have successfully implemented the digital revolution by making use of technology to cater more easily to modern consumers and extend their market reach.
This blog will discuss how digital solutions are transforming the furniture industry and the benefits they are bestowing upon both the retailer and the customer.
Redefining the Furniture Industry Through the eCommerce Revolution
eCommerce forms the core of the transformation in the furniture industry. Those days when consumers had to visit physical stores to explore furniture options are largely behind us. Now, consumers can browse through an endless variety of furniture from the comfort of their homes.
Online furniture retailing houses such as Blå Station and Overstock have capitalized on an ability to provide extensive collections only online, usually at prices lower than those of conventional retailers could command.
Since they eliminate the middleman, e-retailers can give competitive prices in addition to convenience for the consumer.
The pain points to consumers have now been eradicated; after all, moving around furniture stores to compare products in person, coupled with long waiting or crowded showrooms, were cumbersome functions that most customers experienced while shopping for furniture traditionally.
eCommerce allows consumers to shop at their own pace: they can filter options by style, color, material, and price, coupled with detailed product descriptions and customer reviews.
The Core Impact of Digitalization In Furniture eCommerce
Customization and Personalization
Apart from saving customers precious time, eCommerce platforms have also assisted shoppers in personalizing furniture to a level that was never considered possible under traditional retail.
Customization, which was formerly limited to high-end or bespoke goods with significant lead times, is now available to a far larger audience via digital tools. Today, internet merchants like Wayfair and IKEA allow buyers to customize anything from the fabric of a sofa to the layout of a bookcase.
The possibility of creating personalized pieces that perfectly fit the style and home space appears to be a great magnet for consumers, making furniture shopping online a more tailored experience.
Customization is not just limited to aesthetics, as flexible delivery and assembly options by many web-based online retailers add convenience and personalization to the shopping experience. Whether it is a really perfect fabric for a sofa or scheduling the delivery window for a customer, digital tools have streamlined furniture decision-making to what best meets consumer needs.
Sustainability and Ethical Considerations
The growing environmental consciousness among consumers fuels the market for furniture manufactured responsibly and ethically.
Online platforms have made it easier for businesses to reach a wider audience with their sustainability activities, empowering consumers to make educated choices.
Known for their dedication to sustainability and fine craftsmanship, numerous firms throughout the world have taken advantage of this chance to showcase their environmentally friendly operations on the internet.
For instance, Maiden Home, one of the best-known furniture brands in the USA, has been a leader in sustainable design for many years; an online platform means that it can reach so much more, far beyond its niche audiences of those interested in solidly sourced and envirotastic products.
The Rising Demand for Direct-to-Consumer
The DTC approach has become increasingly popular in several industries, including furniture. The core benefit of using this strategy is it can help to cut out the involvement of
For instance, the ability to price underpass-produce quality, design-driven furniture has created opportunities for companies such as Ikea, Houzz, Macy’s, and Wayfair to disrupt traditional retail furniture.
DTC furniture brands have also harnessed the digital marketing and social media power of a wider outreach. Instagram and Pinterest are no longer choice options but necessary platforms for brand building and engaging consumers with fantastic visual representation.
Companies are looking to create wonderful content that is high-definition to appeal to design-conscious consumers. Social media has emerged as a lethal weapon for retailers in furniture businesses, enabling them to showcase products in highly inspiring ways that attract potential buyers’ attention.
The Omnichannel Approach
While eCommerce has certainly changed the face of the furniture industry, many retailers are also seeing the benefit of merging the online and offline buying experiences via an omnichannel approach.
Implementing this approach helps businesses achieve greater convenience. Brands like IKEA and Ashley Furniture have utilized this approach well by opening physical stores in addition to their online business.
These showrooms allow customers to view the furniture, as well as feel it, while simultaneously ordering them online.
This has helped traditional retailers to remain relevant with the increasing trend of a “digital world” and satisfies different shopping preferences within the marketplace.
As a matter of convenience for consumers, this model creates the chance for online shopping with the added advantage of visiting a physical store to touch, handle, and find out how things will look in a showroom setting.
Indeed, this application of omnichannel has proven to be a winning strategy for many furniture brands: furniture for those who want to touch and feel it, and just to see how it looks in a showroom setting.
3D Visualization and Augmented Reality
Using 3D visualization and augmented reality (AR) has significantly altered the furniture industry. People can now view things more clearly and understand how they will appear in their own locations with the help of these technologies, which has improved the customer experience.
It’s improving customer satisfaction and creating a new shopping era for the users. This gives the consumer the ability to shop for the best product from anywhere.
Today, AR and 3D visualization technologies have successfully overcome this challenge, as customers can visualize the furniture at home before buying.
A recent study found that 72 out of 100 people bought more products than they meant to because they used an AR app with 3D features.
Most of the popular furniture companies use AR tools in websites and apps so consumers can virtually view furniture in living rooms, bedrooms, or any space to place it.
This supports greater confidence by customers in their purchasing decisions but also lowers the incidence of returns, an age-old headache for online retailers.
These technologies thus enrich the overall shopping experience, ensuring that the product fits not only by design and functionality but also with an understanding of how it will look in the customer’s home environment. Informed consumers are more likely to make the right decisions, ensuring greater satisfaction and fewer returns.
Logistics in Supply Chain Delivery
The difficulties of transporting huge, heavy items to clients have traditionally been one of the largest challenges facing furniture retailers.
However, many furniture shops have been able to learn how to improve their delivery services thanks to the evolution and advancement of supply chain management and delivery logistics.
By keeping furniture from being destroyed during delivery and ensuring it is ready for use, logistics technologies like these help to ensure that delivery deadlines are met. Customer satisfaction is increased as a result.
Logistics innovations such as these avoid failure in meeting the delivery deadlines, preventing furniture from getting damaged during delivery, and ready to use. This bolsters customer satisfaction.
Many manufacturers have also implemented generous return policies and guarantees in an effort to mitigate the risks associated with online furniture purchases. Because they are free to return or exchange anything if they are not satisfied, this gives every client peace of mind while making purchases.
Success Story
IKEA
IKEA is a renowned furniture brand looking to transform its business digitally. They was focusing on getting a seamless online and in-store experience for their customers. The core goal was to grow their brand visibility and connect with the right customers. There main concern was offering the best user-experience to their users.
They implement AR, omnichannel, and digital tools to improve their marketing efforts. They ensure a great visual experience for the users by implementing AR. The customers can get 360 degrees of the furniture to get a detailed idea. They also lunch the IKEA place app to help customers virtually place the furniture in their home or office place to visualize how they look to have a better idea before buying it.
Apart from that, omnichannel marketing helps them to initiate innovative solutions like click and collect, where the customers get the freedom to order online and pick up from the nearest store.
With the help of a digital approach, they also transform their traditional printed catalogs into completely digital catalogs that can be accessible from anywhere, giving customers the freedom to order from their choice.
Besides, the company’s marketing efforts have also increased due to the implementation of data-driven insights developed by digital solutions like AI and ML. This approach helped the brand to offer a persoanlized experience to the end-users for connecting with them in a better manner.
Arhaus
Arhaus is a leading brand that is facing technical challenges. They were in need of an updated system from their old hardware to a scaling platform. The core goal was to grow their capacity during higher sales and create a scalable environment to support business growth. This is when they choose to implement digital solutions and the results was amazing.
Their development time has been decreased and they able to get a seamless scalability for the long-term growth. Arhaus archives higher customer engagement and conversion. They have also built a unified store and ensure seamless customer experience across all channels.
The implementation of the digital platform has majorly changed Arhaus’s growth ratio and helped it achieve its goal of excellence.
Conclusion
With the rapid rise of digital solutions, most of the industries have gone through a transformation. The furniture industry also had a major revolution due to digital tools. Digital innovative has made this industry more flexible, accessible and customer-friendly.
According to Statista, the furniture market in India is projected to generate a revenue of USD 5.82 billion by 2024, and using digital solutions in the furniture industry helps to grow the outcome.
Most brands have taken significant advantage of these changing affairs; the most common implementations are the use of AR, 3D visualization, personalized solutions, omnichannel retail models, and lots more to connect with customers in a better manner.
This evaluation not only simplifies the furniture shopping experience but also indicates the future possibilities in the furniture industry. Connecting with eCommerce experts for the furniture business can help to take the business to the next level with growing success and positive sales outcomes.
