A furniture shop can be opened by virtually anyone, as long as they possess an adequate investment capital. To successfully run a shop like that, however, the understanding of the furniture market and the current trends in the industry are also needed.
Furniture industry – the characteristics
The furniture industry is a rapidly growing area of the economy in Poland. It plays a significant role in international trade exchange, as almost 90% of the merchandise is destined for export. Furniture industry is strongly reliant on innovation. To increase the level of innovation and improve their market competitiveness, plenty of furniture manufacturers in Poland get affiliated in cluster initiatives. It is important to note that the furniture industry in all European Union countries is vulnerable to weak protection of intellectual property rights.
Competition in the furniture industry
As it stands, the European Union furniture sector faces huge competition from countries which have lower production costs. One of those countries is China, whose penetration into the EU market is rapidly growing. Nowadays China is the largest exporter to the EU – it accounts for over half of total furniture imports. The European market is vulnerable to competition due to the fact that local manufacturers face both duties on imports of raw materials and tariffs on exports of finished products. Moreover, due to the technical standards and high environmental sustainability, the operational costs in the European Union are much higher than outside of its borders.
How to build a positive image of a furniture shop and attract more clients?
Building a positive image of a furniture shop demands more than just creating beautiful furniture. It requires the implementation of a well-thought marketing strategy, as well as competitive pricing, excellent customer service, and a seamless shopping experience.
Effective advertisement strategy for a furniture shop
An effective advertisement strategy for a furniture shop should make potential customers think of the brand when they are ready to make a purchasing decision. To create it, the shop owner should first create a picture of the ideal shopper, taking into account their age, gender, occupation, hobbies, preferences, and average income. It helps establish the media they mostly interact with and indicates where the marketing energy should be directed. The furniture shop’s advertisement strategy needs to include social media platforms, which are an invaluable tool for building a relationship with the client and creating engagement. It is a good practice to post likable images and shareable videos relevant to the brand. Since up to 87% of all customers do online research before going to the store, the furniture shop should also invest time and effort into designing a beautiful and easy to navigate website.
How to arrange the furniture shop to attract clients?
In order to attract clients and entice them to make a purchase, the furniture shop needs to be well-arranged. Its layout should display the merchandise in an interesting manner, draw in the shoppers, circulate them around the space, and guide them to find what they need. The ultimate goal is to give the clients a memorable shopping experience, since it can lead them to make a purchasing decision. The most popular layouts the store owners can choose from are the force-path layout and the boutique store layout. Moreover, a well-designed furniture shop needs to be equipped with display stations in the form of walls, shelves, and racks. Its amenities should also consist of sample books and boxes to professionally showcase particular product line options when a variety of colors, textures, patterns, and finishes is available.
High quality sample boxes can be purchased directly from sample box manufacturers, such as MILO Group.