By Dan Berthiaume // Chain Store Age // Amazon and Wayfair have an edge in online furniture retailing, but can be challenged.
According to the new “Dream Décor” study from logistics technology platform uShip and YouGov, 56% of consumers who purchased an oversized item in the last year said they would avoid a boutique furniture retailer if they encountered high shipping costs. Another 36% would avoid a boutique retailer if it had a slow or long delivery window.
In addition, 40% of consumers who purchased an oversized item in the last year would turn to a major retailer like Amazon or Wayfair if a boutique retailer didn’t offer free shipping.
However, this does not mean furniture/home décor shoppers are universally satisfied with leading e-commerce platforms. One in eight (13%) can’t find furniture they like from a major retailer like Wayfair or Amazon, while roughly one in 10 (11%) have regretted buying mass-produced furniture from a major retailer like Amazon or Wayfair. And one in seven (14%) feel that big retailers have too many furniture options.
Other interesting findings include:
• 27% of respondents have decided not to purchase a piece of furniture after it was in their cart due to high shipping costs.
• 26% of respondents feel it’s too expensive or difficult to replace their current furniture.
• Nearly half (47%) of respondents would check their tracking number or status at least once a day, if they were expecting a piece of furniture which would take weeks to arrive.
• Friends and family (18%) are the main sources of consumers’ home décor recommendations, followed by online marketplaces and retailers such as Etsy, eBay, and Wayfair (15%).
The survey includes responses from 1,227 adults, 330 of which had purchased an oversized item online in the past year.
