by I’m beginning to worry that our industry is spending so much energy on trying to get back to “normal” that we are running the risk of giving consumers an even worse-than-normal shopping experience when they buy furniture.
And based on some current articles I’ve read, I am not alone. Take a look at this article, for instance.
In the event you don’t have time to read the entire story (in the spirit of full disclosure, it is a bit long), the headline and deck pretty much sums it up.
Here’s the headline: The Uncomfortable Truth About Why Buying Furniture Is So Miserable:
That grabber is followed by this deck: Shopping for a simple couch or dresser is driving Americans mad. The cheap stuff breaks (or never arrives) and the good stuff is unaffordable. What does the future hold for one of the nation’s most important industries?
While the article is loaded with anecdotal stories from angry consumers who maintain they’ve had horrendous experiences when buying furniture, there are lots of facts and figures to back those stories up.
For example, the article cites statistics gathered by Consumer Affairs that show that since 2011, there has been a steady spiral of customer satisfaction, particularly toward the largest furniture retailers that has only worsened since the pandemic.
Consumer reviews of the largest furniture retailers posted on Trustpilot, a website of business reviews, painted a similar picture. There, positive reviews of the nation’s largest furniture retailers dipped from just under 80% in 2011 to 25% just six years later.
Even more worrisome, is that by last year, that number had dipped all the way down to a scant 9%.
While I don’t see myself as an alarmist, I see this growing consumer dissatisfaction coming at a time when we can least afford it.
While we are still grappling with fallout from Covid-19, which the World Health Organization officially declared a pandemic way back in March 2020, we can add other pandemic-related roadblocks, including inventory imbalances, a slowdown of the housing market, ongoing/escalating competition in an omnichannel market and let’s not forget the ongoing issue of inflation and related worries about a recession.
For all the brick-and-mortar retailers reading this who are ready for some good news, here it is, sort of — consumers are equally unhappy buying furniture from pure-play online sellers.
A recent article in Fast Company, one of my favorite reads, had this headline.
This paragraph, taken from the story, pretty much sums up the article. “Online shopping is convenient, and a true utility for people who don’t have easy access to brick-and-mortar shops. But when it comes to buying furniture, it’s also exhausting and, frankly, impractical. And for the thousands of direct-to-consumer brands relying on e-commerce for their business, it’s the perfect crime. They get to sell you *insert pejorative of your choice* furniture that looks stellar in 2D but doesn’t always live up to your expectations in 3D. Leaving it up to you, the consumer, to decide if you want to compromise on your standards and just live with it or embark on a “easy return” frenzy that is anything but easy.
So, from where I sit, we have our work cut out for us, regardless of the channel or channels we are using to sell furniture.
Are we doomed to a future of low ratings, unhappy customers and providing miserable customer experiences?
Not necessarily. Next time, I am going to talk to you about some companies determined to help us clean up our acts.
Stay tuned!
