Furniture and Home Goods Retailers and Digital Commerce 2016: Trends and Benchmarks

Executive Summary

The home furnishings category encompasses home decor and products like bedding, flatware and curtains, all of which are relatively inexpensive to ship, and larger products like furniture, mattresses and rugs, which often require delivery surcharges and which consumers prefer to see in person before buying. Showrooms and furniture galleries are still very much a part of this sector, as are glossy catalogs, which often influence online sales.

• There is a large divide between a few ecommerce leaders in the furniture and home goods sector, and the rest. These leading retailers also happen to be big catalog companies that are adept at direct mail.
• Stores are still the preferred channel for buying furniture due to their bulk, expense and consumers’ typical desire to see merchandise in person. However, digital sources are popular during the research stage.
• Roughly one-fifth of digital furniture and home goods purchases take place via mobile, as consumers are becoming more comfortable with buying even high-priced items on smartphones and tablets.
• Technology is helping change the in-store and online shopping experience—from beacons guiding customers to products on shelves, to augmented reality apps that bring virtual merchandise to life at home.