Furniture a potential market but not an easy commodity to trade. To increase the competitiveness of industries such as household appliances, snacks, ornamental plants, cosmetics, fashion, etc., are using online business. So what about the furniture industry? Let’s plan a detailed online furniture business with Malu to increase sales and generate more profits!
1. Overview of the furniture business
The furniture business in Vietnam is known for its high-quality handcrafted products that are aesthetically pleasing. But for an overview of the industry, let’s take a look at some of the following factors:
1.1. Market Segment
Vietnam’s furniture market can be divided into two main segments: ordinary goods and high-end goods.
- The products are usually locally made by hand by carpenters or small local businesses.
- Goods imported or manufactured by large, professional enterprises are the more advanced line.
1.2. Competitor
Regardless of whether the business is on an offline or online channel, we must know who our competitors are? Where in the market are they located? What are the products they are selling, distribution channels, business strategies, etc.? The level of competition in this furniture business is quite high, so it is even more important to find out about competitors in the market.
Then self-assess the capacity and competitive advantage of their own store to find a reasonable development strategy. For example, an online furniture business .
1.3. Potential when selling furniture online
Online business is considered a very potential step and contributes a significant part to the success of many stores, which can meet many different industries including furniture. When shopping online, customers can refer to the images, prices, descriptions, and even reviews of previous buyers about a product, thereby increasing the chances of closing the order.
For the furniture industry, there is a big question: “how to find customers?” Especially customers who buy online. The answer is through your sales channels and marketing communications .
The world on the Internet is large, but people with buying needs often focus on “online markets” such as social networks, e-commerce platforms, sales websites, etc. It is important to cover interior products. your products on these channels, so that when customers search for furniture, they can always find your products and brand.
If you are confident in the competitiveness of your brand, provide reasonable prices, quality products, then there is no reason why customers will not buy from you.
See more: Hot: Online interior decoration business ideas
2. Advantages and disadvantages of online furniture business ideas
| Advantage | Defect |
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Customers tend to want to visit the place to check the quality of the product before buying. Therefore, it is difficult for an online furniture business to build trust in the hearts of customers |
3. Suggest suitable online furniture business channels
Some effective communication channels for online furniture business are:
3.1. Sales website
To be able to reach customers, you need tools and bridges to reach out. Website sales are not a bad choice. You will not face any restrictions on images and content on the website. Some “big guys” such as: Pho Xinh, Nice House, Dafuco, etc. all have their own websites as a tool to introduce and promote their products.
Website needs to have an easy-to-see interface, clear content division so that customers can easily find information. You should design a website where you can buy goods right away and make purchases quickly and simply.
3.2. Social network
Social networks are an extremely effective product promotion channel, helping you to reach potential customers accurately and easily. For the furniture industry, social networks can hardly become a direct sales channel, but to interact with users and increase your brand awareness in the community, it is extremely effective.
With Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc., running ads can help you reach customers in the most optimal way. The product images displayed on social networks are arranged and arranged in many beautiful ways, easy to attract customers.
3.3. Ecommerce level
Realizing that the demand for buying and selling furniture is increasing, e-commerce platforms (e-commerce) have promoted the business of this item with many promotional campaigns, discounts or support services.
In addition, the number of users on e-commerce floors is extremely large, if you know how to take advantage of it, you can completely convert them into your customers. Therefore, many online furniture stores in the market have chosen this as the main selling channel.
Make sure you have the right promotions to boost consumption. In addition, the image should be invested to suit the shop’s target audience. Provide a full range of information to increase the reliability of your online furniture store.
3.4. Forum channels and other formats
Forums and blogs are no longer the number one communication and interaction channel, but you can still convert customers from here. Do not miss any opportunity to reach customers. Being able to see your products and furniture brand anywhere on the internet will help increase recognition and make it easier for customers to remember.
4. Make a detailed and effective online furniture business plan
4.1. Choosing the right time and trend when selling furniture online
Like many other items, the furniture business also attaches great importance to the time factor. A secret in the industry is that you can find out what time of year people buy real estate, buy houses, because along with that, they will also buy a lot of furniture.
The furniture industry is heavily influenced by taste, creativity and artistry . The needs and trends of using furniture also change from time to time. Make sure that you always update new furniture models, in accordance with the tastes of your target customers.
4.2. Research competitors in the market
Determine what items and categories are selling well and not selling by competitors. Find out the reason is by seasonality, aesthetic taste, materials, … or any other reason to make a premise to choose the right business product.
In terms of communication, I sell online, so who are my direct competitors on my online platform, through what channels do they reach potential customers, with marketing campaigns. Refer to the interior advertising samples of competitors and learn interesting advertising content that has a large number of customers.
And it is necessary to avoid sharing the same market and product with the famous giants in the industry.
4.3. Create a product difference
Furniture products on the market are many, to create a highlight to attract customers you need to choose unique or specialized products , different from the competition. You can choose to trade in furniture products only made from wood, or smart furniture products, products that only come from a famous place, etc. And let customers know your strengths. about your product business.
Furniture customers often have the mentality that if a store specializes in a fixed product line, comes from a country or has a unique style, it will be more trustworthy and easier to make purchasing decisions.
4.4. Build content, images for products
Online consumers can only see products through screens, so their trust is often not high. In order for customers to feel about your products in the most authentic and clear way, you need to invest in images and content.
It is advisable to shoot from many different angles so that customers can observe and make purchasing decisions faster. Attached to the image is a description of the product, uses, materials, origin, price, etc., which provides enough information for customers to learn carefully.
A few simple tips you can do yourself to make your furniture look great and increase your chances of selling for a great price:
- Make sure the product is clean before shooting
- Limit unnecessary items, focus on the main product
- Photography conditions must be good from light to composition
Plus, does your product have a compelling story? Is it in a limited collection? Made with a rare special material? Or the hot product used by celebrities? In addition, to increase customer confidence in the product, you can add certificates, degrees, awards if any.
4.5. Online marketing planning
Make a marketing plan for promoting, introducing products and attracting customers. For each sales channel, there will be separate marketing strategies. Implement promotional discounts , provide product shipping services , organize gift-giving minigames or send customer care messages on birthdays and holidays.
With an online sales channel, you should create a website specializing in furniture, invest in running Google Ads, optimize keywords so that when customers look up problems related to furniture, your page Always at the top of search.
In addition, you should diversify sales channels to interact and reach more customers. It can be exploited both on social networking sites such as Facebook, Zalo, Instagram, … and e-commerce floors. .
4.6. Estimation of investment costs for online furniture business
Investment costs are the next important part that needs to be researched and calculated to complete the outlined content. The number should not be calculated too closely but need to be released to avoid the case of price fluctuations causing lack of investment capital. Always have some spare capital available to turn the business around in the beginning and prevent possible problems.
Furniture is not an easy item to sell, so at first you should not hold too many goods. The amount of investment capital to import goods is not a small number, so if you hold too many goods and cannot sell them, it will lead to inventory and loss.
summary
Selling furniture online is not easy because customers are very fastidious, the competition is quite high. Hopefully, with the sharing in this article, you will have more necessary information to make a detailed and effective business plan.
