Furniture Today’s survey in March/April 2020 asked furniture retailers and consumers about how they are dealing with the COVID-19 virus. It saw responses from 155 retailers and 500 consumers.
The widespread closure of offices as employees move to a work-from-home model saw many people scrambling to outfit their home office spaces with office furniture that enables them to work efficiently and comfortably.
Retailers are starting to assess this opportunity and expand their focus within the home office category, with the survey finding that 26% of retailers mentioned they were expanding their home office furniture assortment.
From a consumer’s perspective, almost one-fourth of consumers plan on purchasing new office furniture as a result of COVID-19, according to Furniture Today’s survey.
The majority, 77%, plan on making their new office furniture purchase within the next one to three months. Desks and chairs were the main office pieces consumers are prioritizing, with over one-fourth, 27%, stating it as their key focus.
Furniture Today also said a demand increase was also seen in a recent study conducted by Criteo, with sales of products like office furniture up 13% in early March and still up 8% into mid-March.
It also cited an emerging trend of smart office furniture.
