How to Sell Furniture Online

Today, more and more manufacturers are going online, especially due to a lockdown and a worldwide pandemic. It all happened so quickly that most of the sellers were not ready for this transition and their old strategies simply failed. Of course, since buyers can’t physically see the object, touch and test it, one has to use new progressive selling solutions for eCommerce. In other words, they had to learn how to sell furniture online from the ground up.

Moreover, brands have to figure out how to stand out on such major online-platforms as Amazon. As the number of sellers there grows, the competition gets fiercer and fiercer. To win the customers, you have to have a flawless product presentation that is also entertaining and catchy.

As a 3D rendering company, we have been creating CG imagery for furniture manufacturers and retailers for years. Thus, we know what CG services our clients need for eCommerce and how they use them. Here are our 7 pro tips on how to sell your furniture online using CGI.

#1. Make Your Listing Highly-Informative

If you don’t know how to sell furniture online effectively, start with creating a perfect listing. First, you need to collect all the product data and write a short and informative description. Secondly, provide convincing CG imagery. Particularly, upload all design options, add as many views as possible and show your furniture piece in a beautiful roomset. 

In short, the more information you provide, the more chances your prospects will make a purchase decision directly from the listing. Give them everything they want to know about the furniture piece so all they have to do is just to click the “Buy Now” button. 

#2. Try Effective Cross-Selling Techniques

Experienced manufacturers know how to sell furniture online not only directly but also through cross-selling. For that, they expand their website and add related products and recommendations, put discounts and bestsellers on a homepage, use various banners, etc. Moreover, you can also make buyers get back to shopping even from the check-out or thank you page using tempting recommendations and special offers.

In order to keep buyers interested and involved in the shopping process at every step, furniture sellers have to put in a little effort. Try to attract the prospect’s attention with not only photos of the goods on a white background, but add awe-inspiring lifestyle rendering. This way you can boost your product’s presentation and be able to introduce it differently on every page.

#3. Improve Your SMM Strategies

Even if you feel like you know how to sell furniture online via e-stores, don’t forget to improve your social media, it’s a whole different story. You can’t just post random pictures on Instagram from time to time and expect users to jump at the chance of buying your goods. No, you have to carefully build a content plan, and stay focused and consistent with posting. And non less important, develop the brand’s aesthetic by experimenting with copy and pics.

The type of content that works perfectly on social networks are all kinds of buyer-grabbing collages, GIFs, videos and animation, as well as outstanding lifestyle images. Being active on social media not only helps brands to sell goods but also to get honest feedback from users. You can post different design options and ask which one is their favorite, and such. This way sellers can learn more about their customers’ tastes and build an emotional connection with them.

#4. Showcase the Quality of Furniture

It is difficult for many manufacturers to figure out how to sell furniture online because their presentation opportunities are limited. They can’t provide customers with the necessary options of touching and testing the product as they do in brick-and-mortar stores. And this is where CGI can be the most useful by highlighting the quality of the piece.

For example, sellers can use a close-up view to showcase the quality of upholstery and furniture fixtures. Such images are so detailed that you can see literally every seam and stitch without zooming the pic. When it comes to the internal structure, a cut-out view is the best option to show a furniture piece in a section. And of course, only the 360° view will give buyers the ability to rotate the item and examine the design from all angles.

#5. Provide Interactive Online Shopping Experience

Making shopping interactive is one of the keys to selling furniture online. The basic idea is to recreate offline shopping experiences with the most immersive and engaging CG solutions. For instance, using such tools as virtual and augmented reality apps, a 360° view, and a 3D customizer.

With VR and AR applications, customers can try on a product in the interior, by moving furniture 3D models in virtual space or a viewport of their smartphone. As for a 3D configurator, it allows buyers to personalize a piece of furniture and create new designs themselves.

#6. Offer Prospects Creative Customization

Using a 3D configurator, shoppers can customize furniture to suit their taste and interior by changing colors and textures and adding design elements. With this CG tool, everyone wins — buyers get the exact design they want, and a manufacturer doesn’t have to produce and store excess goods.

Now, how to sell furniture online with a 3D configurator on your website? It could be easily integrated into any section of your site — a catalog, homepage, or even as a feature on the landing page. This way, manufacturers can provide unique customization services, introduce the brand, and capture website visitors’ attention at the same time.

#7. Show Furniture Piece in Action 

Now, it’s time to learn how to sell furniture online with 3D animation. In fact, 3D animation sells a product better than most visuals because it shows the product in action. That’s why 96% of shoppers say they like to watch explainer videos to learn more about goods. Surely, the video displays how to assemble the furniture and how the object looks in the interior at different times of the day, etc.

Since the creation of 3D animation doesn’t require an actual filming set and a large crew, any furniture manufacturer can get it with no effort. Just send us a brief with a script and references — and you will receive a photorealistic animation for promo and marketing in just a few days!

Examine case-studies of CGI projects to see real examples of using 3D technology for marketing purposes.

See our case studies

The importance of CGI for online sales can’t be overestimated. Using photorealistic CG services, sellers can create highly-informative listings on e-platforms, boost their website conversion and diversify their SM marketing. Moreover, it’s a great opportunity for buyers to interact with the product online and customize it, as well as see the design in detail and action.

Ready to try CG solutions for your brand? Contact our studio for 3D rendering services and get CG tools that will boost your sales and outshine competitors!

Irene Lewis

Content Writer

Irene is a content writer. She previously worked for interior and chess magazines. When not writing articles, Irene finds great pleasure in collecting Star Trek memorabilia, reading Medieval poetry and playing banjo.