A quarter of all furniture sales will take place in the online channel by 2025. For your home improvement brand to win in 2023 and beyond, these are the five marketing trends and tactics to watch.
1. Augmented reality
More and more customers hope to be able to visualize it in their home when shopping for a new piece of furniture. That’s why we are here talking about augmented reality (AR) technology. Using their phone, a customer can see if that new sofa matches the coffee table before they commit to the purchase. That is to say, AR isn’t a gimmick now but a useful functionality that’s a win-win for retailers and their consumers. Some AR tools, like Envision, decrease returns up to 80% while increasing sales by 30%.
2. Buy now, pay later
When rising inflation and an uncertain economy happen, shoppers are going to think twice before making big purchases — especially if they must pay in advance. Flexible payment options like buy now, pay later (BNPL) can increase conversions and expand access to your products. BNPL allows customers to pay off items in multiple installments without any fees.
Over 30% of internet users are also BNPL users, and projections forecast that 79 million consumers in the US will rely on BNPL in 2022 to fund their purchases.
3. Live customer support
Customers who are making home improvement purchases sometimes need more information before finally placing an order. They usually will get in touch with customer service teams if they can’t find this information on your website. That’s why live customer support matters. It includes customer service agents who are there to help customers in real time, by phone or chat.
Live customer support is very important when we talk about online shopping for items that require some technical knowledge. Lighting is a very technical category. It requires different electrical components for installation. We certainly augment our site experience with live sales teams, based here in the U.S., that are very knowledgeable. Sometimes this will help people feel comfortable for making the decision.
4. Social commerce
To prove the fact social media is essential to home improvement marketing, look no further than Pinterest. We usually go online to find interior design inspiration when we plan a redecorating project.
Therefore, social commerce bridges the gap between exploring and purchasing, allowing online furniture and decor brands to organically incorporate their products into social media. From Instagram to Facebook, major social networks all incorporate e-commerce features that your home improvement store can take advantage of.
5. User-generated content
Images, videos, and written reviews all belong to UGC. Since UGC comes from real people and not the brand, it plays an important role in providing social proof and assuring consumers of the product’s high quality. And UGC has a major impact on many consumers — by using customer photos and videos, you can increase the likelihood of purchase by 66% and 62%, respectively.
Post time: Apr-25-2023