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Online Furniture Sales
March 11, 2008
No, I'm not kidding. Many stores now are selling furniture online... not KD furniture, mind you, but assembled pieces. This subject came up during the Kids Today Conference in Savannah. It turns out that some stores actually feature furniture on the e-tail sites. What we have on our site is simply a gallery of photos. Most of our furniture manufacturers do not want us posting prices online. A customer can then call or e-mail for pricing and any additional information they may desire.
We do offer delivery and set up services through a couple of companies but, again, not through our website. We also offer shipping via truckline for the out-of-town customer who wants furniture shipped. The majority of these customers, though, have been into the store and seen the furniture in person. I cannot imagine the mom who knows what she wants so much so that she could order her furniture from a photo online.
It makes me wonder if this is a new trend elsewhere that will eventually spread here to the south, where my store is. I want to know, for those of you who are selling furniture online, how beneficial it has been to your online business. Do you find that customers are purchasing whole bedroom suites or just smaller, KD items like cradles and such?
I cannot fathom what the future may hold for us as retailers in regards to the online market. I think, though, we have to closely watch the behaviors of our children as they will be the next generation of owners and customers to our stores. What can I learn about online shopping from my 9 year old? I know she already picks out shoes & Webkinz online before she buys (rather, I buy for her) in stores. I know that this is reflective of my shopping habits. What next, though? When will she want to borrow a credit card to order products online? "I'll pay you back, Mom" I can hear her say. It's coming. By the time she is having children she may be ordering
everything online
including furniture. Not too hard to believe since I already order my pizza online.
With that said, where's the service? What if something goes wrong with the furniture you purchase online? I feel as though consumers need to draw a line as to how important it is to have a store to back the products purchased online. If no one shops brick and mortar stores, the stores will close and the online stores will have the entire market. A grim forecast for specialty retailers? I sure hope not. It is up to ME, as a mom, to instill in my child the added value that is obtained by purchasing a product inside the physical walls of a store. The future is determined greatly by the values that we pass down. Are we building an E-tail empire to our own demise?
Posted by Kelly Nelson on March 11, 2008 | Comments (3)
