FURNITUREBOX Anthea Turner with Emy-Louise Cox, Kayla Wilson, James Ewens & Rob Dean, Furniturebox
FurnitureboxUK is an eCommerce business specialising in modern home furniture, which was founded in 2015. A first-time entrant in the Direct Commerce Awards it scooped a joint award for Best Business to Consumer Performance: Home and Interiors*.
*the other joint winner of this category was French Bedroom (see P21)
FurnitureboxUK designs and manufactures high quality on-trend products, whilst also being budget- friendly. It offers free next day delivery, free returns, and a one-year guarantee on its range.
It has seen significant growth in the last few years and 2021 was no different. Net revenue grew from £13.81m to £15.55m, an increase of over 12.5 per cent year on year. Tis was against a backdrop of rising import costs, extreme logistical challenges, and weakening consumer confidence.
During 2021 the business added over 9000 SKUs to its offering and it launched on both the Robert Dyas and Te Range online marketplaces. Also selling successfully via eBay, Amazon, Wayfair, ManoMano, Wowcher and OnBuy, it grew its own website turnover by 43 per cent and, despite the challenges of 2021, it maintained an exceptional service level. Its Trustpilot rating never fell below 4.9 out of 5 stars and product was still being delivered to customers across the UK on a next-day service. Returns have been minimised by heavy investment in accurate multi angle product images and videos which allow customers to make informed buying decisions.
homeofdirectcommerce.com | Direct Commerce
Furniturebox uses ShipperHQ to allow customers to pick split shipment dates for made to order and in stock products, and the business has been planning to re-platform its website to enable the introduction of Augmented Reality to enable customers to experience its products in their homes before buying. It has paid attention the problems experienced by customers industry-wide when it comes to assembly and has introduced its own product assembly videos accessible by a highly visible QR code on the front of the printed instructions with each product.
Sustainability is a key focus for the business and in 2021 it became a carbon positive company having offset 110 per cent of its 2020 carbon emissions. It has continued on this path, installing solar panels on its warehouse to run on 100 per cent solar energy, as well as onboarding UK manufacturers in the upholstery arena. It began to trial plastic and polystyrene substitutes in its packaging.
All in all a very successful customer-focused business with youthful spirit and a real commitment to future growth.
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