So, the big question "Are people more inclined to buy furniture on-line today, as opposed to 5 years ago?

eCommerce or on-line trading is now a necessity for almost all retail businesses.

But what about Oak and Pine Furniture?

People I talk to about this subject, always say that this type of furniture is expensive, and that people would surely want to feel the weight of it, touch it, open and close a cupboard or a drawer, to see how solid it is/feels.

This is true to an extent, but, solid furniture is solid furniture right? Surely, if it's solid, you know you are getting a quality item, for less money, as most on-line traders do not have the overheads that high street stores do, and can therefor undercut the competition whilst still maintaining the quality.

But, what's kind of counter intuitive about this scenario, is that the exact conversations, when asked "would you buy flat pack furniture on-line" The answer is almost always "yes, it's less risky because it's cheap".

Whilst I kind of get the gist of the thought process, it's still rather flawed. On-line trading has become so slick nowadays, that generally, most genuine on-line retailers have very good returns policies in place, and, providing the customers checks everything over before the delivery driver disappears, then there is little to no risk at all.

This is the biggest barrier that'll stop people buying furniture online, is having a good, trustworthy website that not only is functional and easy to use, but also one that is encrypted with an SSL (Secure Socket Layer) Certificate.

People are naturally becoming more aware of these sorts of things in today's digital society. Online reviews being another big factor.

With web technology nowadays and internet speeds so fast, it's easier for people to browse through high-resolution images, or watch product videos and demonstrations, thus avoiding the need to leave the comfort of their sofa.

Having worked in both the web industry and furniture retail for many years, I've seen a lot of change, but what I have learn't, is that selling on the web is only getting stronger, people are becoming more comfortable with spending larger sums of money online, whether it's for a single bedroom sideboard, a solid oak dresser, an oak sleigh bed or dining table - people are more likely to do that today, than just 5 years ago.

I hope you enjoyed my article, if you have any comments please do post.