Today’s online furniture shoppers know what they want.
Following two years of supply chain disruption, a nationwide housing recession, and growing cost-of-living concerns, furniture ecommerce websites face a demanding customer base seeking the best deals, detailed product information, and new ways to visualize items in their home.
Here are eight effective marketing and sales strategies from furniture ecommerce websites that have settled comfortably into their own versions of success.
The best furniture ecommerce sites
1. Boll & Branch
Data shows that people increasingly choose products from companies that make environmental and sustainability commitments.
Consumers want to know the items they’re purchasing come from manufacturers who care. And by purchasing those products, they can view themselves as part of a bigger movement toward sustainable practices.
Boll & Branch is on it.
Boll & Branch’s linens are “ethically made, sustainably sourced, and rooted in quality.” The brand supports the farms and workers who cultivate the cotton they use. That means respecting the people and the plants that help produce the products.
And it’s not just sustainability that interests furniture consumers. A Shopify survey found that 41% of people prefer brands that have a clear commitment to social causes. Overall, consumers surveyed wanted brands to have “actions that match their values.”
2. Brooklinen
Brooklinen is a cult favorite known for their luxuriously soft and breathable linens. If the brand name sounds familiar, it’s because this ecommerce home goods company has been mentioned in a slew of media articles for their eye-catching price points.
Over the past few years, Brooklinen has flooded the internet with a combination of earned and sponsored coverage. And not just from home-good publishers like Good Housekeeping and Home Textiles Today. They also regularly appear on business and tech sites like Fast Company, Business Insider, and more.
Brooklinen gained blanket coverage by focusing on:
- Customer reviews, ratings, and user-generated content
- Common bedding myths surrounding topics like thread count
- Unraveling those mysteries through the science of sleep
On their ecommerce furniture website, for instance, they explain the intricacies of making the best sheets, as well as their pillows, comforters, and towels. This ends up being so effective because by explaining what happens between the sheets, they’ve earned both customer trust and a loyal, profitable following.
The brand also uses their website to bridge the gap between DTC and B2B. Originally, Brooklinen used to take B2B orders over the phone. After migrating their B2B operations to Shopify, Brooklinen created a self-service portal that provided a personalized experience for buyers.
As Kelly Hallinan, senior vice president of emerging channels at Brooklinen, explains, “Now, we can see that a large hospitality group purchased from us six months ago. We know the average amount of time in-between orders, and we can say, okay, we’re at that point where we can send them an email asking about placing a reorder. It’s much harder to do that without Shopify’s back-end system.”
Because of automation, Brooklinen’s staff can spend 80% of their time working with customers rather than managing B2B orders.
💡Read Brooklinen scales their wholesale business to new heights with B2B on Shopify
3. Arhaus
A crucial part of Arhaus's evolution in ecommerce was their strategic move from a custom platform to Shopify, driven by a need for integration and scalability.
According to Steve Bauer, Arhaus's senior vice president of ecommerce and digital, the transition helped the brand keep up with their exponential growth and the rising demand for seamless online and in-store shopping experiences.
Unified commerce is the foundation of Arhaus’s customer experience. Whether someone is driving by a store or browsing their website, the goal is to give them the same level of comfort and coziness. On Arhaus’s homepage, you get that experience:
- The warm color palette creates a soothing and inviting atmosphere.
- The floral accents and copy emphasize a connection with nature and tranquility.
- The visual consistency from the pots to the background creates a harmonious look.
This idea is carried throughout the website and lends an upscale yet comfortable space where Arhaus can share their story. If you need any help, you can chat with a design expert or book a virtual appointment in the chat window.
Shopify has also helped Arhaus use advanced ecommerce features like AR/VR, so customers can visualize products in their own space. With Arhaus's 3D Room Planner, customers can upload photos and superimpose furniture into them, and shop the room interactively.
In the luxury furniture market where customer experience and product personalization are key, Arhaus has the tools necessary for long-term growth and adaptability.
💡ReadScaling Success: Arhaus's Journey from a Complex Custom Build to Shopify
4. Lulu and Georgia
Lulu and Georgia is a family-owned business started by Sara Sugarman in 2012. Based in Los Angeles, she grew up around pioneers in the interior design space, so it was natural for her to run her own home decor brand.
Lulu and Georgia’s products are first-rate. The brand collaborates with local artists and designers to offer exclusive designs, which not only differentiates its product lineup but also appeals to diverse customer tastes.
After migrating over 40,000 SKUs to Shopify from Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento), which was struggling with performance issues, Lulu and Georgia was able to handle larger volumes of traffic and transactions with ease. The website now offers an extremely user-friendly shopping experience. Shoppers have multiple filters and search options to find exactly what they want in seconds.
Partnering with Shopify has also given Lulu and Georgia more room to experiment:
- Thanks to Shopify’s API and app ecosystem, the brand can automate back-office functions and streamline processes.
- They’ve also been able to innovate with 3D technology to improve product visualization.
- Shopify’s native B2B features have allowed the brand to manage both DTC and wholesale sales from one place.
💡Read Lulu and Georgia Scales Exponentially After Migrating from Adobe Commerce to Shopify
5. Ruggable
Ruggable is recognized for their innovative approach in the rug industry. The brand introduced a unique, two-piece system for rugs that are machine washable, durable, and spill-proof, which addresses many issues of rug maintenance and hygiene.
In 2023, the brand launched a headless ecommerce website with Shopify to improve site speed and conversion. “The site is so much faster for our customers, leading to conversion and SEO boosts. Google sees our website as being much faster now and is sending a lot more traffic to us, which is fantastic,” says Daniel Graupensperger, director of product management at Ruggable.
The site has excellent ways to engage with customers. Through tools like the Rug Quiz, Ruggable makes the shopping experience on their website more personalized. The quiz helps customers choose products that best fit their style and needs.
They’ve also made checkout as easy as possible, reducing checkout from three pages to one. Ruggable uses Shop Pay for all transactions on the site. Customers can split their purchase into regular payments with Shop Pay Installments.
Ruggable also uses AI to improve the customer experience. For example, a customer can upload an image, and Ruggable’s AI can analyze the style of the room, the colors, and the furniture. Ruggable can then choose the right rug for their space.
Ruggable's headless commerce lets them tailor the shopping experience more dynamically to each individual, as the front end can pull and display offers and content from the back end without sacrificing performance. To get all the details, check out Ruggable’s full story.
6. Cozykids
Cozykids is a one-stop shop for all things child and baby. They offer everything from high-quality furniture to decorations and toys. The brand became a huge hit in Greece after launching in 2016 and had their sights set on expanding internationally.
After migrating to Shopify, Cozykids could scale without comprising site performance or user experience, all thanks to the platform’s robust infrastructure. Using automation, CozyKids manages decreasing stock, engages customers for out-of-stock items, and automates marketing campaigns.
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, Cozykids transformed their site into a space-themed online store using Launchpad to engage customers creatively. In addition to increasing customer engagement, this significantly boosted site traffic and revenue during typically slow times.
Cozykids also uses Shopify Flow to allow customers to preorder out-of-stock products and to email customers when certain items are back in stock. “Usual stock management involves human involvement, but by using Shopify POS and setting up Flow, we have now shaved a huge amount of time and eliminated human error,” says Panos Voulgaris, creative director at Cozykids. “When dealing with a catalog of 6–7,000 products, that’s incredibly helpful. Flow makes it easy.”
Since moving to Shopify, Cozykids' revenue increased by 145% and site traffic increased by 265%. You can learn more by reading the full Cozykids story.
7. Snug
Another trend popping up is the rise of virtual consultations through AI chatbots and humans, and furniture brands are taking notice.
Known for their innovative modular sofa-in-a-box, Snug realized it would be hard to sell to customers used to seeing mattresses before they buy them. So they offered a virtual showroom and a chance to speak with an expert.
Shoppers can schedule an appointment and chat with an expert for 15 minutes about any product they're interested in. All consultations are completely free. If a shopper wants to buy a product, the expert will help add the item to cart so they can complete the purchase on their own.
Using Shopify, Gorgias, ConferWith, and custom apps, the retailer successfully curates these live shopping events on social media. This tactic helped Snug increase average order value by 25%.
8. Jungalow
Jungalow started as a blog by Justina Blakeney, an already influential figure and author with a unique aesthetic. From a blog to an ecommerce site, she capitalizes on her personal brand and creative vision, making sure her products and style stand out.
The site's aesthetic appeal, important in the home decor industry, is meticulously curated. It reflects Blakeney's bohemian and rustic vibes, making it not only a shopping platform but also an inspiration source for visitors.
A big part of Jungalow's goal with the website was to make it easy for people to shop. That's why JungaLoco rewards repeat customers, many of whom have followed Blakeney since she started blogging. Members can also post photo reviews within the club, which boosts conversions and shows social proof.
Since using Shopify, Jungalow’s online business accounts for nearly 60% of total sales, despite having retail partnerships with brands like Target.
9. Industry West
Industry West, a beacon of high-quality, internationally-influenced, yet attainably-priced furniture, recently unveiled a revamped website with Shopify that mirrors the sophistication of their products. This design-forward ecommerce platform showcases a myriad of visually stunning pieces, from elongated couches to petite stools, all without compromising their individual allure.
With a keen eye for design, Industry West places a premium on their extensive image library, ensuring that each product shines in its unique aspect ratio. The brand's dedication to showcasing their craftsmanship is evident in their expanded product galleries and enhanced zoom features on product detail pages. Customers can now immerse themselves in the intricate details of each piece, appreciating the quality and artistry that define Industry West's offerings. This enables them to provide an experience in which their trade customers can easily interact with their products and get a sense of the quality without having to set foot in a showroom.
Industry West's Co-Founder and CEO, Jordan England, sees the new site as a gateway to the future of online furniture retail. By prioritizing customer experience and product visibility, the brand aims to engage a discerning audience seeking exceptional pieces for their homes, projects, or businesses.
Looking ahead, Industry West is committed to enhancing the trade and B2B buying experience on their platform, streamlining processes and providing key information efficiently. As they continue to lead the charge in online furniture retail, Industry West's dedication to quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction shines through in every aspect of their digital presence.
💡See their website walkthrough here
Ecommerce furniture best practices
Here are seven actionable tips to attract customers shopping online:
Make it easy to buy
When asked about their reasons for buying furniture online, 48% of US consumers say that the ease of purchase is the primary driver.
Provide a seamless browsing experience for your visitors by making it easy to check out at any point. Whether on desktop, tablet, or mobile, customers should be able to navigate without friction and have opportunities to buy at every phase of the shopping process.
Embrace unified commerce
Shoppers are no longer shopping on just one channel. In fact, a recent Salsify report found that customers engage with at least 11 different touchpoints before buying anything. That means you have to be everywhere at once, ready to engage customers with friendly service.
Unified commerce results in a smooth, personalized journey for every customer. This increases loyalty, boosts conversion rates, and drives the success of any home furnishing brand. Platforms like Shopify have integrated marketing channels that let you target your spending toward interested audiences on their preferred websites and social media apps.
Upgrade your online showroom
When shopping for furniture online, consumers can’t sit on a sofa or feel the smoothness of an oak table. Instead, ecommerce sites should provide detailed information about how a product will fit with your home decor.
That could be achieved through a quarterly magazine or lookbook. You might showcase customer photos, videos, and reviews. Or, bring your products to life through AR.
Sell on social media
Social commerce is showing no signs of slowing down. Younger generations are driving the trend. Gen Z relies on TikTok to discover new products and YouTube to further explore them. While 94% of millennial shoppers and 69% of Gen Z shoppers report buying a product they saw on social media.
Shopify offers direction integrations via the Shopify App Store with top social media platforms. Here’s how you can use them:
- Facebook and Instagram: Connect your Shopify store to your Facebook and Instagram accounts to tag products directly in your posts and stories.
- Pinterest: Create Buyable Pins so customers buy directly from Pinterest without leaving it.
- TikTok: Run shoppable ads that link directly to your Shopify store.
Be sustainable, or find a cause
More than ever, customers want to shop with companies that share a similar outlook on the world. Filling your home with objects made using sustainable, ethical practices feels more fulfilling to many consumers than scoring the best deal.
Choose a cause that makes sense for your business and product offering, then demonstrate a legitimate positive impact. Avoid corporate greenwashing at all costs.
Use your site to sell B2B
The silo separating B2B and DTC operations is gone. Today, furniture brands can sell to customers and wholesalers or interior designers from one store. By offering competitive discounts and streamlining their B2B access, retailers can forge strategic alliances with designers, as Australian tile retailer TileCloud does, resulting in an increase of 34% in order value and a 24% increase in B2B customer signups.
Keep customers close loyalty programs
One advantage of ecommerce is that brands can speak to consumers directly, wherever they are in the world. Foster close connections with your customers (and keep prices as low as possible) by doing all your business directly through your website.
Then, turn those positive experiences into repeat customers, with a low-bar loyalty program that rewards interactions as well as purchases.
There is no status quo in ecommerce, however. Keep an eye on your direct competitors to see how they’re responding to furniture ecommerce trends.
Final thoughts on the best furniture ecommerce website
Customers want to be loyal to brands—but more than anything, they seek consistency. Whether that means doubling down on the latest technology such as augmented reality, evolving your strengths from retail to online, or being part of a social media joke, lean into your strengths and don’t look back.
Do something better than anyone else, and watch your business grow. Download Shopify’s Furniture report to learn more about the latest trends.
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FAQ on furniture ecommerce
Who is the largest online retailer of home furnishings?
Wayfair and Overstock are the largest online retailers of home furnishings. With a selection across multiple categories and styles, it caters to a wide range of tastes and budgets.
What is ecommerce furniture?
Ecommerce furniture refers to furniture sold through online stores or platforms. It allows customers to browse, compare, and purchase items digitally without visiting a physical store. The convenience of online furniture shopping and the ability to access a wide variety of products from anywhere has helped this segment grow.
Does Shopify work with furniture?
Yes, Shopify works for furniture businesses because it provides an ecommerce platform that lets store owners set up an online shop and sell furniture products directly to consumers or B2B buyers. Shopify also offers POS so furniture companies with stores can unify commerce and sell through all channels. Whether your business is a small artisan shop or a large furniture store, Shopify has tools to help you manage inventory, market, and sell.