The rapid changes in the furniture industry have revolutionized the way traditional furniture brands operate. In the past couple of years, we witnessed furniture brands investing in technology and processes, completely reinventing their businesses.
To understand the elements of an effective furniture website experience, we dissect the websites of the three companies from our Top 100 U.S. Furniture Brands report that have the highest ranking based on the number of adopted features and quality of product visuals.
1. Knoll
Knoll uses modern design to connect people with their work, lives, and world. This design firm produces office systems, seating, files and storage, tables and desks, textiles, and accessories for the office, home, and higher education settings. In our Top 100 U.S. Furniture Brands report, Knoll ranks first with the highest website experience index (92).
When you enter the home page, you notice a navigation bar with a drop-down menu that opens on hover. For each product category, there are lifestyle images that represent the category.
Once you select a category, you see a product feed with high-quality thumbnail visuals.
When you open the product detail page (PDP), on the left, you can see alternate angle images and lifestyle shots. Customers can zoom in to scrutinize details or get a 360-degree view of the selected product. Besides the click-to-zoom feature, Knoll has a full-screen mode where customers can again zoom in on the details. There’s also an option to download the product image at the exact angle the customer wants with a click of a button.
On the right side, there is a product configurator where customers can select the size, frame finish, upholstery type, color, fabric, legs, depth, size, cushions, etc. Based on the selection, the customer can see the final price. Knoll has an “add to cart” button, allowing end customers to shop directly from its website.
Below the fold, there’s a section with product recommendations from the same collection and product details and dimensions. On the product page, there is information about the designer and a product story, as well as lifestyle shots.
At the bottom of the product page, Knoll has product recommendations with related products the customer might like.
Knoll is a great example that a furniture brand can create a pleasant website experience for different audiences. The overall experience is pleasant, simple, and straightforward. With great design and seamless UX, Knoll’s website creates a great flow and fully optimized journey from start to finish.
2. Steelcase
Steelcase is a U.S.-based furniture company that produces furniture and architectural and technology products for office environments and the education, health care, and retail industries.
In our Top 100 U.S. Furniture Brands report, Steelcase has the second-highest website experience index (90.5). The results from our research show that Steelcase has all the analyzed features except augmented reality.
On the home page, there is a navigation bar with a drop-down menu. When you enter a product feed, you can see thumbnail images for different products. Besides category filters, there are many other filtering options like brands, features, materials, lead time, warranty, etc. On the right side, you can choose whether you want to see the most relevant products or filter them depending on the price.
When you open the product detail page, there is a manually controlled carousel with different product and lifestyle images that you can download. Besides these images, customers can download a wide range of product visuals, detail shots, specifications, 3D models, brochures, lookbooks, and certificates. There are two call-to-action buttons for different audiences — “buy online” and “contact dealer.”
The product configurator enables customers to choose different upholstery types, colors, frames, and bases. Customers can explore the product in 3D and zoom in on the details.
The product page contains additional product information related to movement, orientation, adjustability, fit, sustainability, dimensions, and features. Customers can select different purchasing options at the bottom of the page by finding a Steelcase store or local dealer.
At the bottom of the product page, there’s a product recommendation section with related products the customer might like to check out.
The overall experience on Steelcase’s website is pleasant. Despite having most of the features that we analyze, there is room for improvement in the mobile experience. Even though the mobile design is well thought out, the page load speed is slow, especially when interacting with the product configurator.
3. Allsteel
Allsteel designs furnishings and architectural products for a wide range of environments. Their mission is to blend what’s pragmatic with what’s possible — for better comfort, productivity, efficiency, and collaboration.
In our Top 100 U.S. Furniture Brands report, Allsteel has the third-highest website experience index (88.5). The results from our research show that Allsteel has all the analyzed features except augmented reality and a call to action for the end customer.
When you enter the home page, you notice a navigation bar with a drop-down menu that opens on hover. When browsing on mobile, you’ll notice a hamburger menu in the top left corner where you can choose product categories.
After selecting a product category, you will notice straightforward filtering options where customers can pick product type, features, and brand. There are detail shots for each product you can see when you hover over the product visual.
For products that can be customized, there is an adjustment icon in the top left corner, which allows customers to go straight to the customization page. This way, customers that are interested in checking the customization options can use this shortcut to navigate to the product configurator more easily.
When you open the product detail page (PDP), there is a manually controlled carousel with different product and lifestyle images that you can download. Below the fold, you will find detailed information and product dimensions.
Customers that want to customize the product can scroll to zoom and scrutinize the 3D model. On the right side, there are numerous features that let users customize the product, including frame color, mesh color, seat upholstery, seat accent stitch, etc.
At the bottom of the product page, customers can learn more about the designer and see other products from the same collection.
The overall website experience on Allsteel’s website is clean and pleasant. Adding the product configurator on the product detail page instead of linking to a separate page would decrease the friction in the customer experience.
Next step
To find out the final ranking of the Top 100 U.S. Furniture Brands, download our report. Packed with analysis of the must-have website features, assessment of product visuals quality, best practices, and expert opinions, you're going to love this one.
Ready to explore the benefits of 3D product visualization technology and how it can help you create an engaging furniture website experience?
