COVID – 19 Impact on the furniture industry
How the Furniture Industry has impacted from Covid – 19
Producers like Herman Miller and Steelcase, focus on selling through their own dealers to companies that bought ergonomic chairs and desks that employ teams of designers and technicians to deliver and install them. None of them were prepared for a flood of orders for single adjustable desks for stay at home workers that are trying to figure out how to conduct Zoom meetings from space bedrooms.
The post-COVID consumer has a strong desire to improve their living space. COVID-19 forced nearly 58% of the world’s population to stay at home, causing a sudden explosion in working-from-home and home schooling etc.—that benefit from an upgrade in comfort and style. With social distancing being the new normal, a spike in consumer spending on modern used office furniture and are expected.
The months of global quarantine saw a 12% increase in first time online buyers, boosting consumer comfort for purchasing products online. This meant furniture manufacturers were able to digitally connect with their consumers increasing their online presences, catering to the rise of expectations for price transparency, speed of delivery and product quality.
The pandemic has created dramatic changes for the furniture industry. Consumers, more so now than ever before, are basing their purchase decisions on society value. They want to make the world and their home a better place. In addition, they are deepening their comfort with online shopping and have come to expect faster delivery and more competitive pricing.
To keep pace with these changes, and adapt to the new demands of today’s hyper-connected consumer, we are rapidly investing in digital technology and automation solutions. The goal is to strengthen our position in the marketplace by optimizing the production process to deliver innovative products faster without increasing costs or compromising on quality.
