9 out of 10 people look for information about products on the Internet in the first step before buying furniture.



The more surprising is the fact that many companies refrain from completely switching to the online space.

Please point out the data below.

The American furniture sector analyst Dany French, in his article, published data. This shows that almost 90% of entities operating in the furniture industry have their websites, but only 30% sell their products online.

What does the divergence result from?

Moving a business into an online space requires significant financial outlays. Building systems that enable full coordination of production, commercial, administrative, and logistics systems there are expenses of even several hundred thousand. Building the platform is a one-time expense, but you should add costs related to updating websites and marketing budget. Even the best website without good marketing will disappear among better-sponsored offers.

Nowadays, our entire operation is based on the online world. There are more and more places, multilateral platforms, the so-called B2B marketplaces, which can be an alternative for your websites. Mebway.com  is becoming such a place.



By comparing data from the largest B2B marketplaces in 2019, it can be calculated that the daily number of page views exceeds even several billion. For Amazon, this was over 4 billion potential buyers every day.



A task for you

Check marketing statistics, on how many users visit your website every day. Of course, we should not assume that all daily Amazon users will be your potential customer. But even if we assume that a fraction of a percent of them could become them, the numbers still be weighted in favor of the global platform.



As the research of the Visa payment brand shows, we decide to buy online due to the 3 most important reasons:

  • 75% of the respondents chose the fact that online stores are open 24/7, you can place an order anywhere, anytime.
  • 72% of the respondents in the next place indicate that it is convenient, does not require trips, and we do not have to move around.  
  • 68% of respondents indicate unlimited shopping time, we can freely choose, analyze, and compare products.



Every year, revenues from online sales grow very fast. Sales are generated from various channels and various mobile devices. Such changes in customer behavior also require changes from manufacturers. According to research, sales from the e-commerce market in 2016 accounted for over 16% of total turnover. Taking into account the very well-developed economies, such as the USA, the share of online trade was much higher and amounts to over 20%. Due to large purchasing mobility, the interest in buying furniture from abroad will also increase. Even every fourth Pole decides to shop online in a store outside our country. According to the forecast, online furniture sales in the US will exceed 30% by 2023, and in Europe, it will be several percentage points lower. Simplifying can be said that every 4th order will transaction takes place without the need for direct contact. 

The purchasing process has evolved in recent years. Now the process begins online. However, analysts warn against completely resigning from the standard, a stationary form of sale in furniture stores. Showrooms will still be needed, but their function may change. We narrow down the group of potential contractors or products based on opinions, realizations, and product proposals available on the web. Therefore, such a helpful tool may be connecting to an already functioning platform - the B2B marketplace. You do not have to create your own website and bear huge costs . You can use ready-made, proven solutions. Also, such multilateral platforms are visited much more often by potential customers. Firstly it is the result of marketing activities of their administrators, but also the number of options available to customers. Finally, the clients will choose a place which will be service comprehensively.



Another market trend, which, first of all, is a real challenge for furniture manufacturers, but also requires significant concentration from the industry and constant relationships with contractors, not only industry ones, is cheap and fast shipping.



You have probably heard or even used the statement that a good product is worth wait. Customized products are not available immediately, but require production, and this process is sometimes associated with a period of several months.However, online shopping has its own rules. The customer wants to choose a product to the cart, pay, and receive fast shipping.  

Forrester Research analysts dealing with customer satisfaction research indicate that the youngest generation of the so-called Millennials requires an almost immediate response. . They do not like to wait. Therefore, the speed of response and the order realization. As well as very important is the feeling of satisfaction with the purchase. That is why process automation is so important.

According to research, customers see the optimal time for shipping orders within 3 days. Is such a system possible to implement in our industry?

Partly yes, with permanent cooperation, access to a base of products and components that you can order from subcontractors in one place, it is possible. For unmodified orders from the product range available in stock. However, if they are directed to production, good cooperation will improve the process. Fast shipping is also due to good logistics, it is worth remembering that, because we often forget about it.



PThe chart below shows the distribution of online shoppers by generation. Each generation has different rules and habits.

Source: https://v12data.com/blog/furniture-marketing-trends



Virtually half of the buyers on the Internet are the youngest generation - Millennials. Therefore, you should ensure their comfort and shopping experience. Importantly, their purchases usually take place via smartphones.

The graphic below shows that the largest part of our purchases is still made with laptops. Smartphones are in second place with a result of 61%. It is safe to say that the phone replaces the computer. This trend is growing and will continue to grow.

As you can see, operating on the web requires a lot of changes and maybe even some kind of business transformation. If you are focused on development, you want to source new customers and you are forced to adapt to market changes.

Remember that you do not have to do everything yourself. If you connect to already operating large platforms this will be cheaper and easier. A team of experts is working on their proper functioning. If you're still wondering how to find your place on the web, be sure to consider joining the industry B2B marketplace. Check the options available on the market, compare the cost, read the opinions. Maybe it is worth considering joining to several platforms. The multi-channel activity gives you more area for work and allows you to reach a larger group of customers.