Firms such as Ikea, and Pepperfry and Flipkart, which sell furniture on their e-commerce platforms, are continuing to witness a rise in demand for home-office furniture -- particularly, chairs and tables as work-from-home (WFH) looks like here to stay.
Pepperfry has seen a huge uptick in demand for tables and ergonomic office chairs, by 185 percent and 175 percent, respectively, in June 2020, in comparison to pre-COVID levels.
None of the three firms disclosed the exact sales figures.
“As companies and individuals continue working from home, the home-office furniture category has witnessed an unparalleled uptick in demand even during lockdown periods,” Hussaine Kesury, Chief Category Officer, Pepperfry, told Moneycontrol.
Currently, Pepperfry’s home-office furniture contributes about 25 percent to its overall sales, a category which accounted for about 10 percent of total sales, pre-COVID.
In fact, the rise in demand is pushing Flipkart to on-board new partners to increase the selection of office furniture on their platform.
“We have seen a three-fold increase in demand for WFH essentials such as study tables, office chairs, laptop tables, etc., since June,” a Flipkart spokesperson said.
Dutch-based, Swedish multinational group IKEA, which sells ready-to-assemble furniture, has also witnessed a robust demand for home-office furniture in India.
“We are seeing an increase in sales of work desks and ergonomic chairs as there is a need for many members of a household to work from home simultaneously -- adults for work and children for online classes. There is a 3-5 times increase in sales in furniture and accessories related to work from home,” Kavitha Rao, Country Commercial Manager, India, IKEA Group, said.
Even though, at first glance, home furnishing and furniture could be considered a discretionary spend, firms are seeing that specific categories are gaining prominence now.
For example, most companies are seeing a rise in interest for bean bags, lamps and lighting and table décor, post-lockdown.
TRA Survey backs rise in demand
A survey by TRA Research, a consumer analytics and brand insights company, on ‘Buying Propensity’ showed that the Coronavirus lockdown has given rise to the world’s largest WFH experiment, and consumers are keen to indulge in home furniture as a part of the new lifestyle change.
The research was conducted across 16 cities with 503 consumer-influencer respondents between June 9 and July 15, 2020.
The growing awareness around physical and mental health concerns during these challenging times are also encouraging consumers to choose items that address ergonomic requirements and aesthetic needs.
“Urban houses are really small, most of the preferred work areas at home are the sofa or bed, but with work-from-home here to stay, people are finding the need to buy a table and a chair -- at least to sit comfortably and work,” said N Chandramouli, CEO of TRA Research,
“We are expecting the demand to rise further as corporates are now extending WFH guidelines to ensure safety of employees,” the Flipkart spokesperson said.
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