The global furniture market is growing at an annual rate of 5.2%: valued?at around $331.21 billion in 2017, it is expected to reach $472.30 billion by 2024.
This?incredibly attractive sector is undergoing a revolution,?one based on meeting a new expectation: squeezing the time from click to sit. Evolutions in technology, a more globalized world, and changing lifestyles have?produced consumers that aren’t willing to wait—and a bevy of new players?offering fast delivery are making sure they?don’t have to.?
Amazon’s entry into the?upholstered?furniture?market in 2017 solidified the?growing expectation that next-day?delivery should not be exclusive to?books and fashion.?And?all the way?back in May 2011 the world’s biggest?e-commerce site,?Taobao, got serious?about their online furniture sales strategy.?Headquartered in Hangzhou?and owned?by the Alibaba Group, the Chinese online?shopping website, opened a five-story?25,000-square-meter Furniture Showroom?in Beijing, dubbed?Taobao?Mall?iFengChao?to complement their online stores. Suffice?it to say,?it’s?now normal for consumers?to buy an armchair online and expect?to?be comfortably seated in it,?in their living?room, within the week.?
This e-guide will explore the major?forces having a significant impact on?customer delivery expectations for?the?upholstered furniture?market. Yes,?consumer?connectedness leads players?to compete on price and customization,?but above all, consumer expectations?of fast delivery are paving the way for?new?speed-driven?business models.?We will look at how e-commerce and?new ways of living and working have?changed consumer mindsets, driving?demand for increasingly fast?furniture production.
