Seven Obstacles Futon Must Overcome:
Customers Speak Out About Why They Disurniture Shopping

Some people might consider my dear friend Silvia a spendthrift. She and her husband Mike have two new recreational vehicles, a brand new 4200 square foot home, and three rooms covered floor to ceiling with the colorful toys of their two young daughters. Like many Americans, they also have mounds of consumer debt.

Here’s the surprise. Look in their living room. The only thing you’ll find to sit on that’s less than 15 years old are the matching throws covering two ragged sofas. What’s up?

When I asked, Silvia explained without a moment’s hesitation as she plopped wearily into her well worn armchair. “It’s not worth shopping for new furniture. I’ve don’t have the time to shop. How can I when I’ve got these kids in tow? I don’t know what I’d look for, anyway. And it’s all the same – and it’s all so expensive.”

Unfortunately, Silvia’s no anomaly. Despite the fact that the average size of new houses in the U.S. has grown by 25% since 1980, furniture spending has dipped from 1.2% to 1% of total consumer spending during this same twenty years. In fact, consumers’ disdain for furniture shopping was recently described on the front page of The Wall Street Journal just a few weeks ago. In their article, “Ever Wonder Why Furniture Shopping Can Be Such a Pain?” authors James Hagerty and Robert Berner point out how atypical this distaste for furniture shopping is: “While Americans splurge on cars, appliances and electronic toys, many approach buying furniture with the sort of dull dread that usually precedes an IRS audit.”

But, why? To find out, I consulted business reports, customer surveys, and industry pundits. While they ranked customer complaints differently, surveys and researchers uncovered the same basic laments.

“I Can’t Measure Quality.”

Today, more than ever, shoppers are looking for discounts and bargains. But according to the findings of a jointly sponsored study by Hearst Magazines and The Homes Furnishings Council earlier this year, price is not the overriding concern for consumers buying furniture. Regardless of whether they are in the market for low- or high-end product, customers want value.

Yet, from the perspective of the furniture shopper, quality is elusive. According to America’s Research Group, a well-respected research group that surveys approximately 5,000 furniture shoppers nationwide regarding their furniture shopping plans for the coming year, 84% of American consumers say they can’t measure quality in upholstery. Two-thirds admit they can’t measure quality in case goods. Since most of the product is hidden from view, they explain, they can’t see inside to assess quality. Feel their frustration? Consumers can’t assess whether they’re getting fair value for their dollars. And there’s little satisfaction for the customer who after spending hundreds or thousands of dollars walks out of the store not knowing if they got their money’s worth.

“The Salespeople Push Me.”

When asked why customers disliked furniture shopping, nearly a quarter surveyed by the Home Furnishings Network cited service factors – especially pushy or high pressure salespeople who follow customers around or descend on them.

Surveys show that pushy salespeople are particularly irritating to women. And don’t forget - women control 74% of all furniture purchases. According to Gerry Meyers, Marketing Consultant and expert on women’s spending and buying habits, when a woman says they want to think about a purchase, they’re not asking to be sold harder. They’re telling you they want time to think about it.

Although surveys show that pushy salespeople are more of a problem for consumers than salespeople that ignore them, consumers do want to know what they need to know to make educated, pragmatic choices. Consumers are more educated and knowledgeable than ever before and often know the questions to ask. Consequently, according to a yearlong study commissioned by HFN and High Points Magazine last March, consumers expect more information on product attributes and benefits.

But here’s the key. They only want it when they ask for it.

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