By Nurfitriyani Barokah
The furniture industry is a major part of the economy in many countries. It is also one in which the international trade of furniture has increased rapidly in recent years with an estimated value of $144 billion worldwide.
The furniture industry consists of people who design, manufacture, sell, and buy furniture for residential or commercial use. There are many different kinds of furniture produced by these people including chairs, sofas, bedroom sets, dining room sets, desks, cabinets.
The value of the global furniture market is estimated to be $14 billion. China led the global market with a share that was over 32%.
These disruptions are changing the way products are shipped from producers to consumers, with some companies deciding to stay local and establish distribution centers. There is also the issue of quality control since some companies are cutting down on their workforce to increase production volume, which can affect the level of craftsmanship in each piece of furniture.
The furniture industry has shown that it is capable of disrupting traditional international trade networks by providing a single marketplace that connects consumers and producers. This approach allows for more efficient shipments of products across borders, resulting in significant cost-savings to both manufacturers and consumers.
Some furniture companies have begun to employ a strategy of disrupting current Business to Business (B2B) marketplaces by using the internet and social media platforms, which is a new way of marketing and selling their products.
There are two different types of online marketplaces for furniture, namely online furniture stores and online classifieds. Online furniture stores are well known for their low prices, convenience, and wide range of choices. On the other hand, classifieds websites are less expensive than many of the sites in the industry but tend to have a smaller selection of products.
Online furniture stores, like big retailers, have a wide range of products. Online classifieds, on the other hand, have a limited number of items being sold and these items are often unique.
Website based online marketplace platform can be a great resource for businesses like furniture businesses. Madeinidonesia.com is a website based platform that provides opportunities for business actors to distribute their various products such as furniture products to the global market. This platform makes it very easy for business actors in Indonesia to introduce and reach their consumers who are in various countries.