The furniture ecommerce industry is growing— are you taking advantage of this opportunity?
Online furniture sales is one of the top ecommerce markets in the US, making this an ideal time for your business to up its ecommerce game.
Whether you already have a brick-and-mortar store and are looking to create a new omnichannel experience or you already have a strong ecommerce business, here are some of the online furniture sales trends to keep in mind.
3 Trends in the Furniture Ecommerce Industry
1. The volume of online furniture sales has increased.
The online furniture market in the US is estimated to reach a total of $57.8 billion in 2022, which will amount to an 11.8% overall growth in the market since 2017. A number of enterprise retailers have already experienced significant growth, including Amazon, Wayfair, and Overstock, but they aren’t the only ones enjoying these benefits.
Furniture retailers that utilize Blueport have also seen a dramatic increase in online furniture sales since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first half of 2020 alone, retailers using the Blueport platform exceeded their 2019 sales numbers exponentially and increased the average order size by 27%.
2. The online furniture market is expected to continue growing.
While there is some uncertainty in the market, the furniture industry is projected to continue to grow driven by numerous factors such as the booming real estate market and the likely continuation of the work from home model.
In order to maintain this growth, it’s essential to give customers the flexibility to create the shopping experience they're expecting, through an omnichannel experience. This will give your customers a positive, personalized experience that will have them coming back to shop with your business over and over.
You can also take advantage of this growth by updating your marketing strategy to account for the demand for flexibility, mobile-first shopping experiences, and the demand for great personalized content.
By staying on top of online furniture sales trends, you can meet your customers wherever and however they are shopping — and provide them with the experience they want.
3. The supply chain is delaying products, but customers are willing to wait.
Supply chain issues have affected businesses of all sizes around the globe, but even with those challenges, online furniture sales have continued to grow over the last two years. Customers have waited months — and in some cases, over a year — for the products they want and on average have paid a higher price due to the increased costs of raw materials.
Many retailers have stated that in addition to production, shipping has been one of their most difficult challenges. The time it takes for goods to reach consumers once a product is in stock has increased significantly.
While some supply chain issues are starting to ease for some, they are likely to continue in the months to come. Continued investments and technological implementations may alleviate some of the challenges, which could help businesses meet increased consumer demand.
What’s Next for the Online Commerce Furniture Industry?
A shift to furniture ecommerce has been happening for years, however, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated its adoption, with some experts suggesting that it advanced ecommerce between four and six years ahead.
Now, with many businesses shifting their strategies and creating an online sales platform, it’s important to maintain a positive experience whether your customers choose to shop in person or online. In fact, while online furniture sales are growing, a majority of the population wants an in-person experience for at least part of their furniture shopping journey, making an omnichannel experience more essential than ever.
Utilize the Online Furniture Industry Growth to Your Advantage
With many organizations joining the furniture ecommerce industry, your business needs to take part in it and stay ahead of the competition. The top vertical ecommerce platforms offer features to help you improve your business, including:
- Continuous enhancements and new features to help your business grow with innovative technology.
- Implementation tools to help you build the ecommerce business of your dreams.
- PCI compliance, security management, and separation of interests to ensure your information is protected.
- Responsive design capabilities that offer a seamless shopping experience across all devices.
- Unified, omnichannel shopping tools, including online merchandising capabilities and tools for salespeople.
Download this free comprehensive punch list of capabilities your furniture website must have to maximize sales both online and in your stores and stay on top of online furniture sales trends.
