Challenges furniture businesses are facing today
Technological advancements in e-commerce
Our ever-advancing technology has also fueled a change in consumer behavior. Adjusting to both is like facing two challenges at the same time. However, utilizing this technology is also the solution to both. You can satisfy consumer pain points and stand out from competitors by taking advantage of technical and 3D solutions that showcase your furniture products in amazing, photorealistic detail.
Standing out from competitors
New marketing strategies must be developed in order to remain competitive in both the online marketplace and in physical store locations. In either, one of the most important things your brand can do is provide outstanding CX. Know your audience and you’ll be better equipped with the knowledge and tools to meet and exceed their expectations.
Customers need to physically see the product
A serious challenge for brands that want to move more of their product via e-commerce webshops. Presenting your furniture products in a manner that is as close to the real thing as possible solves this retail business pain point. Use ImageScripting to showcase each piece in your collection in stunning detail, allowing the customer to rotate, zoom in and out, and even examine hidden components with ease.
Training remote staff
In the age of the Covid-19 pandemic, the remote workforce has increased exponentially. But there are numerous challenges in training a larger, remote workforce. Brands must learn how to communicate effectively with remote staff and monitor employee performance while also seeking to create a rich company culture.
Realizing the importance of brand perception
Ensuring favorable brand perception is a key element in the development of the customer journey map. Technology today allows for brands to stand out online (with quality images, video, and product configurators).
The evolving customer journey
Brands must ensure that all points along the customer journey are cohesive and continual, while also always addressing a pain point at each touchpoint. Doing so communicates you understand the customer’s needs and expectations, and that you are equipped to meet and fulfill them.
A larger focus on sustainability
Much more than a growing trend, consumers are more actively seeking sustainable products and the companies that produce them. It isn’t easy to go green overnight, but a brand that makes even one simple change in at least some of their products can make a big difference in the marketplace and with their bottom line.
Did you know:
- 88% of consumers want the brands to help them make a difference and sustainable choice
- 96% of people feel their own actions, such as buying ethically, can make a difference
- 46% of people have climate and environment in a first place on the list of most important political and social issues
Understanding your customer’s demands
Each component of your complete marketing strategy should find a way to solve a customer pain point and meet their demands. To achieve this, you must know what your customers want and need, what they care about, what you can do to make them happy, and how your products will solve their problems.
Building a buyer persona will help you discover the answers to those questions and more effectively build a marketing strategy that directly caters to your ideal customer.
The omnichannel experience
Another important component of the customer buyer journey is being sure that the customer can find you, wherever they might be looking. Explore every opportunity for marketing and communication so that you can make it as easy as possible for the customer to find you and contact you.
Make your website amazing
Many furniture businesses have already realized the importance of a stunning website, so you’ve got to make sure your own website is up to par. Showcase your furniture products using ImageScripting and 3D modeling to produce high-quality, photorealistic images with great detail, and in all styles and colors. Doing so will greatly serve to help buyers make their purchase decision, as well as help you stand out from competitors. Making your website easy to navigate and search for products, as well as mobile-friendly, is also critical.
Understanding the customer's buyer journey map
When the buyer begins to research a product or a brand, they embark on the customer journey. Throughout the journey, the customer will arrive at various touchpoints that are designed to provide a positive customer experience by offering information or a solution to a customer's pain point. This is what keeps the customer actively pursuing your product and moving along the map until at such point they make their purchase decision.
It is critical that you not only fully understand the purpose of the customer journey map when developing your marketing strategy, but also how each touchpoint will help the customer decide if they need your product. Remember, parts of your customer journey map don’t necessarily have to be online, either. Some touchpoints will also encompass in-store experiences and traditional marketing options as well.
Leveraging social media
Using social media channels as part of your marketing mix will enable you to better engage your audience in a way that helps you stand out from competitors, improves brand recognition, and fosters a relationship of trust.
1. Amenities
Making customers feel welcome with a few modern conveniences and comforts can greatly improve their shopping experience. A hydration station with water and coffee, or a lounge area and even a children’s zone, and don’t forget free Wi-Fi!
2. Special events
Partner with interior influencers or furniture designers and offer educational workshops on interior design or related topics.
3. Realize the importance of customer experience
If your employees are friendly, professional, knowledgeable about the product, and happy to assist the customer, they will build a reputation for excellent customer service, resulting in an increase in traffic to your retail.
4. Entice them with amazing window displays
In a retail setting, your window displays will be the first thing potential customers see. Make your window displays fresh, exciting, and seasonal. Don’t be afraid to get creative.
5. Discounts
Consumers love discounts. Offer in-store discounts, bring-a-friend-discounts, package discounts, birthday discounts, a discount on a next purchase, or a combination of a discount with a loyalty club.
6. Invest in signage
Make it easy for someone driving by to see your store and know that it is a furniture store. Simple as that, but easy to forget.
7. Use everything Google has to offer
Make sure that your store is listed on Google My Business. Use Google local inventory ads to showcase your available products to shoppers in the area. Use Google Analytics to help you measure your ROI on marketing, product sales, customer engagement, and much more.
8. Engage your local
The audience on Social Media
Reach out to your local audience on social media platforms.
9. Touchscreens & digital showrooms
Add touchscreens or kiosks that act as a high-tech catalog; customers can select a product from the appropriate category, scroll through products, and then select one to view in more detail. You should also consider creating a digital showroom that allows for a unique combination of online and in-store experiences.
Learn more from our case story about Invita who successfully excites their customers with their digital showroom.
10. Augmented reality
Using AR, customers in your store can view different furniture products in different environments, enabling them to get a better feel for how it might look in their own homes.
Take a look at this small example where a virtual sofa is placed, via a mobile phone, in a real room.
3D Visualization & Product Digitalization
Product digitalization provides you with data files that can easily be shared across multiple platforms and media types, amongst sales, production, and business partners. And since consumers, today not only expect but outright demand digitalization, this first step in a digital transformation just makes sense.
Cost-effective visualization services are also an ideal means of showcasing forthcoming products to marketers, partners, and clients. When future products need to be marketed quickly, high-quality 3D visualizations (also known as CGI - Computer Generated Imagery) will serve to make your marketing materials more cost-effective, decrease time to market, and enable you to showcase a furniture product in all colors, styles, and shapes.
ImageScripting
ImageScripting technology can be used to produce photorealistic images of each piece of furniture, showcasing the products in stunning detail. Consumers viewing the products online can zoom in and out without any loss of quality or clarity, rotate images at any angle, and see each piece in a multitude of colors and styles. Portions of the image can even be dissolved in order to reveal hidden components and features.
Product Configurators
Product configuration tools enable you to present your full catalog of products, models, colors, and textures in a neat, fun, and engaging way. The tool enables customers to interact with your products, encouraging them to continue along on their customer journey, and ultimately leading them to choose their favorite product and complete their purchase.
Top business videos
We have had the pleasure of producing this commercial for BoConcept related to a sale.
We created this commercial for Kvik that shows the beautiful details and features a Kvik kitchen consists of. Especially, the focus is that the kitchen can be styled exactly as the customer wishes.
This video produced for Linn Bad presents a beautiful bathroom with a focus on design, quality, and functionality.
We have produced this video for Sigma for use on social media platforms. In the video, a kitchen is presented with a focus on the small details that all together are of great importance.
How do you sell the dream of a long life bed? For most people, they would want to lie in the bed before buying it, and especially if you know it is an extra good quality bed with fantastic comfort, which Wonderland's beds are.
We have created this video for Magnet for use on social media platforms.
We have produced this film for Svane for use on their social media platforms. The film focuses on the small details that make a kitchen feel like home.
In this film, GoodHome presents their storage solutions and how you can adjust them to your home and personal wishes.
We created this video for Nobia for use on their social media platforms. The video presents just one of their many beautiful kitchen brands.
Examples from your industry
Go to our industry-specific pages where we've collected all the best images, films, and product configuration examples from four different industries: Furniture, Kitchen & Bath, Home Improvement, and Industry & Manufacturing.
