Selling furniture online has become an increasingly lucrative business opportunity in recent years. As more consumers embrace the convenience of online shopping, the home furnishings industry has seen steady growth in ecommerce sales. In fact, online furniture and homeware sales in the U.S. are projected to reach $220.4 billion by 2024, according to Statista.
If you‘re looking to start an online furniture business or expand your existing store‘s reach, now is a great time to optimize your strategy for success in the digital marketplace. In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll walk you through the key steps and best practices for selling furniture online in 2024.
Why Sell Furniture Online?
Before we dive into the how-to portion, let‘s examine some of the top benefits of selling furniture via ecommerce:
Reach a wider audience: With an online store, you can sell your furniture to customers anywhere in the country (or world), rather than being limited to local foot traffic.
24/7 sales potential: Ecommerce allows you to make sales around the clock, even outside of regular business hours. As Zach Roth, Director of Ecommerce at Living Spaces puts it, "Our website is our flagship store that‘s open 24 hours a day."
Lower overhead costs: Selling furniture online eliminates the need for expensive retail space and salespeople. You can store inventory in a cost-effective warehouse and fulfill orders as they come in.
Gather valuable customer data: Ecommerce platforms provide robust analytics that allow you to track customer behavior, preferences, and purchasing patterns. This data can inform your product development, marketing, and overall business strategy.
Building an Optimized Furniture Ecommerce Website
Your website is the foundation of your online furniture business. To succeed in the competitive ecommerce landscape of 2024, your website needs to be:
Mobile-friendly: 58% of American consumers use their smartphone to shop online, according to Statista. Google also prioritizes mobile-friendly sites in search results. Make sure your furniture website is fully responsive and easy to navigate on smaller screens.
Fast-loading: 40% of consumers will wait no more than three seconds before abandoning a website, per Portent research. Optimize your page load times by compressing images, minimizing redirects, and leveraging browser caching.
Easy to search and filter: Help shoppers find the perfect piece by offering a robust search function and the ability to filter products by category, price, size, style, material, etc. Interior Define, a custom furniture retailer, allows customers to shop by over 20 features like recliner type, sofa depth, and seat cushion type.
Streamlined at checkout: 17% of consumers will abandon their cart if the checkout process is too long or complicated, according to Baymard Institute. Make yours seamless by offering guest checkout, multiple payment options, and auto-filled shipping information.
When it comes to choosing an ecommerce platform, the top options for selling furniture online in 2024 are:
Shopify: An all-in-one solution that‘s user-friendly and highly customizable, with 2,000+ integrations to enhance your store‘s functionality. Ideal for beginners and smaller retailers.
WooCommerce: A free, open-source plugin that turns any WordPress site into an online store. Offers more flexibility and control than Shopify but requires more technical knowledge.
BigCommerce: A scalable platform with advanced SEO and multi-channel selling tools. Well-suited for larger furniture brands looking to expand their online presence.
For a more in-depth comparison, check out Ecommerce CEO‘s platform reviews.
Showcasing Furniture Products Online
One of the biggest challenges of selling furniture online is that customers can‘t physically see or touch the products before buying. To give shoppers the confidence to make a purchase, furniture retailers need to go above and beyond with their product presentation.
High-quality imagery is essential. Invest in professional photos that showcase your furniture from multiple angles, in different room settings and lighting scenarios. Wayfair, one of the largest online destinations for home goods, takes it a step further by offering 360-degree product views and the ability to zoom in on fabric textures.
In 2024 and beyond, innovative retailers will increasingly leverage augmented reality (AR) technology to bridge the gap between in-store and online furniture shopping. IKEA, the Swedish home furnishings giant, launched the IKEA Place app that allows users to virtually "place" true-to-scale 3D furniture models in their own space. As 5G networks become more widespread and more consumers gain access to AR-enabled smartphones, virtual try-on tools will become an expectation rather than an exception for furniture retailers.
Of course, images and videos only tell part of the story. Furniture product descriptions need to be both detailed and engaging, covering key information like:
- Dimensions
- Materials and construction
- Delivery and assembly details
- Care instructions
- Warranty information
But rather than just listing out the specs, use the product description as an opportunity to highlight the item‘s unique features and benefits. Appeal to the customer‘s emotions and help them envision how the piece will look, feel, and function in their home.
Modsy, an online interior design service, does this exceptionally well. Under the heading "Why You‘ll Love It," each product description includes a mini review from an expert designer that speaks to the item‘s style, versatility, and quality. The descriptions are concise yet compelling, making shoppers feel more informed and inspired to buy.
Flexible Delivery and Financing Options
Furniture is a major purchase for most consumers, and one of the factors that may deter them from buying online is the cost and complexity of shipping large items. To eliminate this friction point, top furniture retailers are offering more flexible delivery options and payment plans.
Aflat-packshipping model, popularized by companies like Floyd and Campaign, allows furniture to be shipped more efficiently and assembled easily by the customer at home. This not only reduces shipping costs but also makes the products more accessible for apartment dwellers and those living in areas hard to reach by traditional delivery trucks.
Several online furniture brands, such as Interior Define and Article, now provide free shipping on all orders to the contiguous U.S. Others, like Burrow, have introduced "fast furniture" with guaranteed delivery in 1-2 weeks. These competitive offerings are quickly becoming the norm in the industry.
When it comes to financing, many retailers partner with companies like Affirm and Klarna to offer customers the option to pay for their furniture in installments. Joybird, a subsidiary of La-Z-Boy, goes a step further by providing a 365-day home trial, free returns, and a lifetime warranty on frames and springs. These generous policies help build trust with shoppers and make the prospect of buying a couch or dining table online feel less risky.
Marketing Your Furniture Brand Online
Having a well-designed website is only half the battle. To drive traffic and sales, furniture retailers need a solid digital marketing strategy that encompasses:
Search engine optimization (SEO): Make sure your site‘s architecture, URLs, title tags, product descriptions, and blog content are all optimized for relevant keywords that your target audience is searching for. The better your SEO, the higher you‘ll rank in search results and the more organic traffic you‘ll attract.
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising: While SEO is a long-term play, PPC ads can drive targeted traffic to your furniture site more immediately. Platforms like Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and Pinterest Ads allow you to display your products to shoppers who are actively searching for or have previously expressed interest in home furnishings.
Email marketing: Building an email list of subscribers enables you to nurture customer relationships and bring shoppers back to your site with personalized product recommendations, exclusive discounts, and engaging content. According to Litmus research, email delivers an impressive $36 ROI for every $1 spent.
User-generated content (UGC): Encourage customers to share photos and videos of your furniture in their homes on social media, and showcase this UGC on your product pages and marketing channels. Seven out of ten consumers say UGC makes them more likely to purchase a product, per Stackla data. West Elm, for example, has an entire section of its website dedicated to customer photos tagged with #mywestelm.
Influencer partnerships: Collaborating with popular home decor bloggers and Instagram influencers can help you reach new audiences and add an element of authenticity and inspiration to your brand. Identify influencers whose aesthetic aligns with your products, and develop creative ways to showcase your furniture through their content.
The Importance of Customer Service
Providing exceptional customer service is critical for any business, but it‘s especially important when selling high-consideration items like furniture online. Promptly addressing customer inquiries, issues, and feedback can mean the difference between a one-time sale and a lifelong brand advocate.
Some best practices to enhance your furniture store‘s customer service:
Offer multiple support channels: Give shoppers the option to reach you through their preferred method of communication, whether it‘s phone, email, live chat, or social media.
Provide self-service resources: Create a comprehensive FAQ page and resource center with assembly videos, care guides, and troubleshooting tips to empower customers to find answers on their own.
Invest in technology: Implement helpdesk software and chatbots to streamline your support operations and provide faster, more efficient service.
Personalize the experience: Use customer data to tailor your communications and provide product recommendations that align with each shopper‘s unique style and needs. Follow up after the sale to ensure satisfaction and encourage repeat purchases.
Go above and beyond: Look for opportunities to surprise and delight customers with unexpected gestures, like handwritten thank-you notes or free swatches. These small touches can have a big impact on brand loyalty and advocacy.
Stay Ahead of the Curve
The world of ecommerce and consumer behavior is constantly evolving, and staying up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices is essential for long-term success in the furniture industry.
As voice search and virtual assistants become more ubiquitous, optimizing your site‘s content for natural language queries will be key to capturing those customers. According to Juniper Research, voice-based ad revenue could reach $19 billion by 2024, thanks to the growth of smart speakers and voice-enabled cars.
Looking further ahead, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning will enable furniture retailers to personalize the shopping experience to an unprecedented degree. AI-powered chatbots and virtual styling assistants can provide tailored product recommendations based on a customer‘s browsing history, while predictive analytics can help you forecast demand and optimize your inventory levels.
Ultimately, the furniture retailers that thrive in the years to come will be those that stay customer-obsessed, data-driven, and agile in the face of change. By continuously testing, iterating, and innovating on your ecommerce strategy, you‘ll be well-positioned to capitalize on the massive opportunity in the online furniture market.
