Furnish at a click

Straits Times: Sat, Mar 03

With just a computer and an Internet connection, busy home owners have taken to furniture shopping online, giving up the 'feel' factor for convenience, more variety and sometimes lower prices. And with as many as 10 online furniture stores popping up here in recent years, as well as direct shipping being offered by well-known overseas retailers such as United States-based Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel, redecorating your pad is just a click away. Take, for instance, regional financial controller Tan Kok Meng, who bought five items, including a coffee table, from Furnituresg.. He first bought one item to check out its service and credibility. Now, he has spent a total of about $2,000 there. The 33-year-old says: 'It definitely saves time and I can buy the furniture anytime since it's a 24-hour service.' He does not think that being unable to touch and check the quality of the furniture is a drawback. He points out that even if he goes to a neighbourhood shop, it would be a similar experience: It is likely to show him its extended range from a catalogue, as the furniture would be stored elsewhere. Mr Tan's foray online mirrors a growing trend of consumers going to the Internet for their interior decor needs. Beds.sg owner Naveed Lee, 34, says sales have increased 50 per cent each year since he started in 2007. Furnituresg's director Keith Tee, 34, has seen a steady 20 per cent increase yearly in sales since he started four years ago. Sellers make the e-commerce option attractive, so buyers are confident enough to skip the bricks-and-mortar store. The photos are nicely captured, with enough detail, measurement and specifications about the products. Price is also relatively lower - by 20 to 40 per cent - as such stores do not have high overheads such as rental or manpower costs, and they get the products directly from the supplier. Many also offer secure payment methods such as Paypal or cash on delivery, which ensures that the buyer is protected if the goods are not delivered. And a plus point for many is that there is often free delivery and customers are able to return goods on the spot if they are unhappy. Mr Lee says online stores have to work harder to retain customers, unlike physical stores which have a steady stream of new walk-in customers. With forums and online reviews, a negative comment could hurt sales, he says. 'Our reputation is what brings people to check us out. We can't afford a single complaint, which is why we respond quickly with live chats, e-mail messages and phone calls.' And it is not just standard or brandless furniture items that are being sold online. There are stores such as Studio 1961 and Paris Home, which cater to home owners looking for a customised piece or even a designer item. Paris Home's Michelle Wong runs her business from her Dunman View condominium in Haig Road. Her store offers bespoke furniture, with French- influenced furnishings, made in a factory in Indonesia which she owns. If need be, customers can set up an appointment to meet at her apartment, where she has about 80 to 100 pieces of furniture, to check out available models and pick out colour and material. MsWong, 32, who has been running the business since 2008, says: 'With customised furniture, many people want to see how it will look like and change it to how they want it to be.' For such furniture, customers have to be prepared to wait. Pieces from Studio 1961, which range from modern classic to handmade French furniture, can take up to 12 weeks to make and be delivered here from Thailand and Indonesia. The store's co-founder Lit Neo, 30, who is also its head of sales and marketing, says that it does not skimp on quality just because customers do not see the item beforehand. 'We choose the best suppliers in terms of workmanship, craftsmanship and quality, knowing that our furniture will last many years. Our furniture speaks for itself. If the furniture we deliver is different from the actual pictures we have on the website, we will do a 100 per cent refund.' But even without a swanky personalised website of their own, some sellers are cashing in, going to general sites such as eBay Singapore, Gumtree Singapore and Craigslist here to market their furniture, from chests of drawers to rugs and even washing machines to cater to the huge property rental market here. One Craigslist seller, who declined to be named and goes by the username Su, currently has about 50 listings and says that she makes a sale almost daily on the site since she started posting about two years ago. She gets her supply from factories here and in Malaysia. The seller, who is doing this for additional income, says: 'Most customers are either short-term tenants renting out a place or property agents who need to do up a house to rent. They are fast buyers because they are not concerned with brand names. They just need cheap furniture.' Still, for some, it may be hard to plonk down a huge amount of cash for items that they cannot see or feel. Seasoned online shopper Dennis Koh, 42, chose to head down to Journey East's showroom in Outram Road to check out its vintage, recycled and reclaimed teak, indoor and outdoor furniture. The manager for a food company, who bought a TV bench for $1,120, says: 'Furniture is something that you use for a long time and is a big investment. I prefer to see such items in person before I buy them.' [e-mail] Additional reporting by Annabeth Leow 'Our reputation is what brings people to check us out' Beds.sg owner Naveed Lee on why the company responds quickly to customers with live chats, e-mail messages and phone calls Source: The Straits Times