Consumer behavior towards online purchase of furniture: Indian perspective

Abstract

The Indian consumer, especially in the age bracket of 25-40 is undergoing a transition in the channel adopted for purchasing furniture. Furniture e-retailing is one of the fastest growing segments in Ecommerce and falls under the category of Experiential Ecommerce. Two major factors that have influenced this transition includes the consolidation of the largely unorganized sector, mainly by Pepperfry, Urban Ladder and FabFurnish and a bridging of the gap between availability and desirability in the furniture industry. As against the traditional brick and mortar retailing with limited variety, the consumer is exposed to a wide array of options to choose from and also has the product delivered home, an operational aspect welcomed by time pressed consumers of the target segment. E-retailers recognize that touch and feel is an important aspect of furniture purchase and hence e-retailers (Urban Ladder, FabFurnish) follow a ‘click and mortar’ model wherein the customer gets a feel of the product through experience stores following which orders are placed online. The online furniture segment is rapidly growing and is largely patronized by time pressed young adults with fairly large disposable incomes.