E-Commerce for the Furniture Industry

This report analyses e-commerce for the furniture industry on a global level and it is mainly divided into two parts:

PART I. E-COMMERCE FOR THE FURNITURE INDUSTRY deals with the features and the incidence of the online channel in the furniture market with a focus on key geographical areas (Europe, North America, Asia Pacific) and key countries, and analyses the different e-commerce business models and the performance of the leading players.

An overview of the world furniture industry, with current furniture consumption in large markets, introduces this part.

Trends in furniture e-commerce sales, 2022 (preliminary estimates) compared to 2019, are provided by segment (upholstered furniture, outdoor furniture, office furniture, kitchen furniture, other furniture), by geographical area and by kind of distributor (E-tailers, Furniture specialists, Non-specialists/Lifestyle/DIY and Furniture manufacturers selling online)

The different E-commerce business models (Furniture manufacturers, Wholesalers and B2B business, E-tailers, Brick-and-Click companies, Non-furniture specialist chains, Open Platforms) and their evolution and organization (the omnichannel approach, the 'dynamic shopping' through a mixture of live-streaming and online shopping, and strategies and investments toward sustainable and responsible growth) are discussed in light of companies' experience.

ANALYSIS BY GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS: The furniture e-commerce business in Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific: for each considered region, the report analyses demand drivers, the online furniture market performance and sales of the leading furniture e-commerce players. E-commerce furniture sales are also provided for the most relevant markets (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom - the United States, Canada, Mexico - Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea).

Online sales are presented for around 190 leading players based in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, with profiles highlighting their e-commerce policies. Profiles of the major companies are also provided. E-commerce furniture sales are provided both for European and North American companies.

PART II. E-COMMERCE FOR THE FURNITURE INDUSTRY: SURVEY RESULTS provides results of a CSIL survey conducted in the period October-November 2022 to a sample of around 150 furniture manufacturers from all over the world, aiming at understanding their approach to the web channel, their strategies, their future expectations, and the most-demanded products in the web channel.

This survey mainly focus on:

• Companies revenues and performance

• The use of e-commerce/ Intentions to invest in e-commerce

• Features of the companies' e-commerce channels

• Products sold online, strategies and promotion tools

Highlights:

The use of e-commerce and incidence of total furniture sales, 2022.
Percentage shares on the total sample of respondents to the CSIL survey

With a +18% yearly growth in the period 2019-2022, the e-commerce furniture market has evolved rapidly in recent years, growing faster than the whole furniture market. The United States is the largest world e-commerce marketplace, with the highest penetration rate, followed by China.

The swiftly changing worldwide scenario strongly influences the e-commerce channel evolution. Following the booming performance during the pandemic, the market has been impacted by the consequences of the war in Ukraine, energy and food shortages, and strong inflationary pressures.

Also, the e-commerce competitive arena is showing some turbulence. Online sales of furniture are downgrading giving an advantage to the omnichannel retailers (brick&click) which are showing resilience to the weak market conditions, maximising physical stores' potential in combination with the virtual experience.

Selected companies mentioned:

Amazon, Ambientedirect, Anthropologie, Bygghemma Group, C Discount, Coupang, Crate and Barrel, Dunhelm, Hayneedle, Harvey Norman, Home Depot, Home 24, Ikea, Jingdong, John Lewis, Lowe's, Otto, Overstock, Pepperfry, Restoration Hardware,Suning, Tmall, Wal-Mart, Wayfair, Westwing, Williams-Sonoma.