Furniture industry alert! Covid-19 crisis turned into opportunity? Rewriting the rules of selling products

COVID-19 pandemic has hit the lives of many people from a businessman to a grocery seller. Apart from the effect on personal lives, the shut down of retail stores and challenges in supply chain management  has made the situation intolerable for retail business owners to survive. The continuous challenges faced by brick and mortar stores have triggered in mind of the retailers to understand how their business can survive by rewriting the rules of selling products with a proactive & progressive approach. 

The retail industry had no choice other than keeping the stores closed. The hike in the Covid-19 cases not only affected the approach of retailers but also altered the preferences of the consumer everywhere and pushed them towards the health concerns. As people are in their homes all the time, they are moving towards office furniture to set-up a perfect work-from-home environment. Now this behaviour simply variates with the changes in weather. Preferences can be seen in outdoor furniture too. Well said, making the right move can help in winning big with a strong commitment and vision to achieve them. Raghunandan Saraf, Founder & CEO, Saraf Furniture, shares his knowledge about how furniture sellers are re-drafting their eCommerce strategy and focusing on more sales while furniture demand soars in the crisis:-

"Mobile Friendly Website 

The crisis has altered the way people shop by adapting to new technologies. Shopping furniture is now a decision of buying virtually. Let your product images talk in every corner of the website with self-explanatory labels on them. Try not to overload images with text as it will give a cluttered look. People want to shop from the convenience of their mobile phones or tab as well. So, your website should be mobile responsive as well, making it easy for them to browse smoothly. 

A quick and user-friendly checkout process will serve as a cherry on the cake. Yes, it’s true! 

Streamlining the payment process on cart with the guest checkout option gives advantage to a user buying products without getting irritated with the problem of filling a long form with multiple fields. For enquiry regarding material, size, & shape, a clear call to action can become a big support. 
3-D Visualization of Products 

The target market believes in experimentation with the products in real time where they can change color, shape, size & material of the furniture according to their abode. Now, let customers do exactly what they desire then only you can rule the retailing world. 3-D configuration in website is a better and a remote-friendly solution to visualize, zoom, rotate, or even see yourself with a product. This is how furniture retailers are trying to rule and capture the market. 

Broader Social Media Presence 

When everyone is at highest in screen time during COVID-19 pandemic, a good hike in the number of scrollers can be seen in time spent prevailing social media platforms. Furniture retailers can leverage this advantage by converting these scrollers into genuine shoppers. Instagram shop feature provides a seamless buying experience to customers as if they are purchasing from a brick and mortar store. With one tap facility, Instagram users can move from the app to website for the products they like most.    Following these few and absolutely smart strategies helps the furniture industry to stand in or after the crisis. Just like investing in the stock market yields high returns during the market downfall, likewise making smart decisions can assist you in ruling the e-Commerce market. Navigate to a new normal, go online and find success."

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