13 Must-have Key Features for Online Furniture Stores!

Running an online furniture store means keeping up with a bunch of challenges each day.

From understanding new technology and standing out in a crowded market to showcasing the quality of your products online and adapting to shifting customer expectations—there’s a lot to manage.

These issues can make it difficult for you to deliver a seamless shopping experience for your customers.

What might help is adapting some new features for your furniture store.

And we’re here just with that. In this article, you’ll find some of the most necessary features that might bring advancement to your furniture store, improve user experience, and (ultimately) improve your sales.

Along with features, we’ll also discuss best practices that can be applied for even improvement.

Let’s start.

Key Features to Have on Your Furniture eCommerce Website

Your furniture eCommerce website wouldn’t provide you with the desired outcome if it lacks some key features that might significantly improve a user’s shopping journey. In this section, we’re going to discuss all of those features that can be the best additions to your furniture store.

So, let’s get started!

1. 360-Degree View

A 360-degree view allows you to offer customers a more immersive experience, enabling them to visualize products from every angle, which can increase buyer’s confidence in product and reduce returns.

With a 360-degree view, users can easily get into minor product details (such as; design, size, and texture) and choose the most appropriate product for themselves.

When customers are considering investing in your products, they want to examine every detail. By offering a 360-degree view, you allow them to thoroughly inspect the item before making a decision. This not only enhances their confidence but also builds user trust for your products.

To achieve this functionality, you need to Invest in high-quality photography equipment or 3D rendering software. Lastly, ensure the image integrated with 360-degree view loads quickly and smoothly on all devices to reduce bounce rates.

2. Detailed Product Descriptions

When it comes to selecting furniture, shoppers have a range of options to choose from — each with its unique features, styles, and price points. Your task is to clear their doubts by guiding them towards purchasing the products.

A detailed product description provides customers with a holistic view of the product, helping them make informed purchase decisions. Most of the time, it answers customer questions, addresses concerns, and highlights product features.

With well-written product descriptions, customers get details about the type of design, fabric, wood, colors, dimensions, and more that your product consists of. In addition, it should include details like construction methods, weight capacity, materials, care instructions, and warranty information to solve remaining user doubts.

Always keep descriptions clear, concise, and informative. A detailed product description may include these features:

• Design
• Material
• Fabric
• Colors
• Dimensions

Also, consider including downloadable assembly instructions or care guides to give customers enough information about the product.

3. Augmented Reality

You would need an AR (Augmented Reality) on your furniture store to allow customers to visualize how furniture pieces will look and fit in their real-life space. This makes it very easy for customers to decide on size, style, and placement before purchasing. 

With this advanced feature, customers just need to use their smartphone or tablet to accurately visualize the scale, style, and placement of furniture in their specific living space. Here’s an example for it.

You can see how easily customers are allowed to check how that specific piece of furniture will look in their space.

Due to the emergence of AR, the return rates are reduced significantly as now customers can visualize products in their actual spaces before purchase. This minimizes the risk of ordering items that don’t fit or match their expectations, leading to more informed buying decisions and fewer returns.

To implement this innovative technology into your online furniture store, you need to explore AR development platforms or partner with a company specializing in AR solutions for eCommerce. 

Lastly, to make this advanced technology more accessible, make sure your AR functionality is user-friendly and compatible with various devices.

4. Detailed User Review Section

A detailed user review section improves the shopping journey by offering real, trustworthy feedback from customers who have already purchased and used the product. This transparency helps potential buyers gain confidence in their decisions by providing insights into quality, durability, and usability.

As customers feel more informed, conversion rates increase because they’re more likely to complete a purchase when they trust the experience of others.

Incorporating a detailed review section into your furniture store is crucial because it provides in-depth insights that help potential buyers make informed decisions. These comprehensive insights build trust, reduce hesitation, and ultimately drive conversions.

Also, customers are more likely to check the user review section of your online furniture website right after the product to make their purchasing decisions. These customer reviews create trust and social proof of your furniture product.

When users see positive feedback written and shared by fellow customers, they can develop trust in products and are more likely to make a purchase based on it. Conversely, negative reviews or those with specific details provided by other customers can signal potential issues, helping potential buyers explore alternative options and make an informed purchase decision. 

You can implement a detailed user review section by offering incentives or loyalty points to your customers for leaving reviews on your furniture product. Also, ensure customers have a straightforward process with clear guidelines and prompts to submit reviews.

5. Chatbots & Live Customer Support

Chatbots and live customer support are crucial for online furniture stores as many times customers need instant assistance to get their queries addressed.

The immediate support helps resolve issues that could otherwise lead to abandoned carts or lost sales.

By incorporating an interactive support feature, you ensure a seamless shopping experience for customers, especially when they need detailed information about product dimensions, materials, or shipping.

This not only improves customer satisfaction but also helps them make informed purchasing decisions with ease. For furniture purchases, which often require more consideration, providing quick access support, helps you to build trust and increase the possibility of conversion.

To implement chatbots & live customer support support, you need to go through training chatbots to answer frequently asked questions and seamlessly connect customers to live support when needed.

Lastly, you can offer live chat during peak business hours and can consider phone or email support as well for more complex inquiries.

6. Product Customization Options

Product customization options are essential in an online furniture store as they allow customers to tailor items to their specific needs and preferences, such as choosing fabric, color, size, or finishes. Furniture is a highly personal purchase, and offering customization helps stores meet diverse tastes and home decor styles, making the shopping experience more engaging and personalized.

Customization options allow customers to get precisely what they want without compromising on style, functionality, or the perfect fit for their space. This customization option gives them the flexibility to tailor furniture to their personal preferences, ensuring that the piece not only matches their aesthetic but also meets practical needs. 

Providing this level of personalization helps customers feel more confident in their purchase decisions, which leads to fewer returns and a more fulfilling shopping experience.

To implement product customization functionality, you need to showcase customization options with high-quality visuals and make sure the customization process is user-friendly and integrates seamlessly with the checkout process.

Moreover, you can offer customization tools that allow customers to preview personalized furniture pieces.

7. Wishlist & Favourites

Having a wishlist and favorites feature in an online furniture store is crucial because it enhances the shopping experience by allowing customers to save items they’re interested in for future consideration. 

They can store selected items in their user account by clicking a “Save” or “Favorite” button on product pages. This feature is highly necessary as furniture purchases require thoughtful decision-making.

So, when you’ve implemented wishlist on your furniture store, your customers have flexibility to browse, compare, and revisit products without feeling rushed. This not only helps them organize their favorite pieces in one place but also supports a smoother, more personalized shopping journey.

When customers are about to make a purchase, this wishlist & favorites feature provides them the convenience of easily accessing saved products which makes them feel more confident in their choices while creating a more engaging experience with the store.

Additionally, this wishlist & favorites feature doesn’t serve only consumers. It can be beneficial for you as well. When customers bookmark their favorite pieces, you get significant insights into popular pieces and consumer preferences, which can help you make strategic decisions on marketing & inventory management.

Now, it’s your turn to implement a simple, intuitive process that allows customers to easily add products to their wishlists or favorites with just a single click or tap. You can integrate this functionality with targeted marketing campaigns to maximize this Wishlist & Favourites feature, which leads to significant revenue generated for your online furniture store. 

8. Mega Menu

A mega menu is a versatile navigation tool that organizes your extensive product catalog into clear, easy-to-find categories and subcategories. When you have a mega menu in place, your users will be able to quickly navigate between your vast catalog without getting lost between pages.

A well-designed mega menu improves navigation and enhances the overall shopping experience, which allows customers to browse through a large product catalog easily. It further minimizes the time and effort required to find specific items in an online furniture store.

This efficiency can lead to higher customer satisfaction, reduce bounce rates, and increase the likelihood of conversions. Additionally, a clear and organized mega menu not only makes it easy for customers to find what they’re looking for, but also helps draw their attention to special promotions, new arrivals, or popular categories. 

By making these key products more visible, you can guide customers toward what’s new and exciting, all while creating a smoother, more enjoyable shopping experience that can ultimately boost sales.

To build an effective mega menu, it’s important to organize your products in a way that feels natural to your customers, using clear labels and easy-to-follow subcategories. Adding helpful filters can make it even easier for them to find exactly what they’re looking for. 

Lastly, don’t forget to ensure the menu looks great and works smoothly across all devices, whether shoppers are on their phones or desktops, so they enjoy a seamless experience every time they visit your store.

9. Product Filtering & Sorting

The eCommerce store generally has a vast range of products.

To navigate the vast product selection, users can use filtering and sorting options to narrow down choices by price, color, size, material, style, brand, or collection.

This feature helps customers to find the products they are looking for. With this, customers can easily search for their preferred products from your online furniture store.

Due to these filtering and sorting functionalities, it becomes easy for you to provide users with a more personalized shopping experience.

To simplify the product filtering and sorting functionality, you can offer a variety of search filters, including:

• Wood Type
• Furniture Type
• Brand
• Style
• Dimension
• Price
• Discount, etc.

Ensure filters are clearly labeled and easy to find, enhancing the overall shopping experience. Additionally, consider implementing faceted search options to allow customers to explore products in more detail.

10. UGC Section

Having a UGC (user-generated content) section in your online store is highly necessary.

It demonstrates your business’s credibility & authenticity.

Customer-generated content includes images and videos of your products purchased by your past customers. Users share this content based on their experiences and opinions about your furniture product.

By showcasing real-life customer experiences with your product, you can gain user trust. This section can bring you more customers by presenting valuable social proof and inspiration for them.

If you’re planning to implement this feature in your online furniture store, encourage customers to share photos and videos of their purchases by using a specific hashtag or submitting them directly through your site. Highlighting high-quality user-generated content on your website and social media not only boosts your brand’s authenticity but also inspires others to share their own experiences.

This helps build a sense of community around your products, making your brand more relatable and trusted by potential buyers.

11. Geolocation

Personalization is key for any business.

Customers want to feel like the shopping experience is tailored just for them, and modern technology is making that easier than ever. One powerful tool at your disposal is geolocation.

Geolocation takes into account where your customer is and uses that information to offer localized content, personalized product recommendations, and region-specific promotions. Imagine running an online furniture store where customers can effortlessly find exactly what they need, perfectly suited to their style and location—that’s the power of geolocation for your business.

With geolocation tools, you can guide your customers to nearby retailers, making their shopping experience seamless as they move between browsing online and visiting physical stores.

IKEA, for instance, uses geolocation in their app and website to offer localized content, making the shopping experience smoother and more relevant for every user.

The beauty of this feature is that it allows you to present the most relevant products to your customer—whether it’s showing furniture that fits their climate or offering special delivery options based on their location.

Of course, it’s important to get customer consent before gathering any geolocation data. Respecting privacy laws is crucial, but once you have that, the possibilities for enhancing the customer journey are endless. 

So yes, geolocation isn’t just a technical feature—it’s a way to connect with your customers on a personal level, increasing satisfaction and boosting your bottom line. 

12. Easy to Understand User Manuals

Running a successful eCommerce store isn’t just about selling products; it’s about making sure your customers feel confident and supported throughout their journey. Clear instructions and easy navigation help prevent frustration. It keeps users free from feeling lost or confused.

A smooth post-purchase experience is just as important as the sale itself. One way to ensure this is by providing simple, easy-to-understand user manuals. These manuals guide your customers through setting up or using their new products. This adds an extra layer of care and attention that keeps them coming back.

User manuals are nothing but clear and concise assembly and care instructions that are easy for customers to follow. This significantly reduces customers’ frustration and returns.

When it comes to self-assembled furniture, providing clear, detailed instructions is essential. Most customers expect downloadable manuals, and these can certainly get the job done. 

A manual does more than just explain how to put furniture together—it ensures the customer has a positive experience, minimizing confusion and reducing the need for customer support. 

To achieve this, it’s important to provide step-by-step instructions that are easy to follow, accompanied by high-quality visuals like diagrams or short videos.

You can offer user manuals in multiple formats, such as PDFs or mobile-friendly versions for those ready to embrace the future.

To take things to different levels, you can also make wise use of technology and provide AR-powered assembly instructions that can make the process even smoother – an enhanced customer convenience in a whole new way.

13. Visual Product Bundles

Visual product bundles are a great way to show customers how complementary furniture pieces, like a cozy sofa with a stylish coffee table or a dining table paired with matching chairs, can come together to create a cohesive room. 

By showcasing these bundles on your website, you make it easier for customers to picture how everything will look in their space, which simplifies their shopping experience and makes it more enjoyable.

Presenting a complete setup not only helps customers feel more confident in their choices but can also lead to increased sales by encouraging them to buy more pieces together. To make these bundles even more appealing, you can design them around specific styles or themes, and highlight them with eye-catching visuals. 

Offering discounts or special promotions on these bundles adds an extra incentive. Think of brands like IKEA, where well-curated room sets make it easy for customers to imagine—and bring home—a complete look with minimal effort.

So, there you have it! These 13 features are essential for designing a furniture store that looks great and drives long-term revenue. By incorporating these must-have elements, you’re setting up your eCommerce store for success.

Now that you know these key features, let’s dive into some best practices for building an effective and customer-friendly online furniture store.

Best Practices for Building Online Furniture Stores

The eCommerce space is always evolving, with new practices continually adding to its development. That’s why it becomes important for you to be updated with the latest trends and best practices that drive user experience to a further extent.

Here are some best practices you can implement to improve user experience in your furniture store:

1. Interactive UI

The first thing a user sees when landing on your web page or while exploring your product collection is the interface. And it should be well-designed to provide users with a better shopping experience with your brand.

An idea of interactive UI goes beyond static images and includes interactive elements like;

• 360-degree View
• Hover-to-zoom
• 3D Virtual Reality Showrooms
• 3D Configurator
• Room Recommendations
• UGC Gallery

… And more tutorials on how to find the right furniture that fits in with their space.

Customers are highly motivated to stay on your website or return in the future when they are provided with a great user experience. These interactive features that I’ve mentioned above, play a significant role in building an interactive UI, allowing customers to thoroughly explore your furniture collection and make a choice out of many.

2. Easy Navigation

Internet shoppers of modern age don’t stay long on a disorganized website.

So, you must set up your website with easy navigation gestures. An easy navigation is nothing but a clean and simplified navigation with clear categories, breadcrumbs, intuitive UI, and simple search features. 

A well-structured site loaded with easy navigation reduces users’ frustration by providing them with the desired features and keeping them engaged. This leads to higher conversion and reduced bounce rates, ultimately significantly increasing your store’s revenue. 

You may conduct user testing to provide intuitive website navigation. It includes evaluating how easily customers can navigate your site, find products, and complete purchases. Also, you can interview users to extract more information about their preferences, needs, and pain points. 

This further improves your site’s intuitive nature by providing more specific navigation options. Moreover, you can use a mega menu for comprehensive product categorization and implement clear search filters.

3. Minimal Design Elements

A minimalist design is key to making your furniture truly shine, letting every detail stand out without being overshadowed by unnecessary distractions. By keeping your website clean and organized, you create a professional, user-friendly experience that naturally draws customers’ attention straight to your products.

When there’s less visual confusion, customers can fully appreciate the quality, craftsmanship, and style of your furniture pieces. Plus, a sleek, modern look gives your store a fresh feel that enhances the entire shopping experience. 

Use white space thoughtfully to give your products room to breathe, and keep the visual style consistent across your site. Make sure to feature high-resolution images that show your furniture in its best light. And don’t forget to incorporate clear, easy-to-find calls-to-action that help to guide your customers smoothly through the shopping journey, making their experience even more enjoyable.

4. Personalization

It’s a hint of personalization that can turn a casual browser into a loyal customer.

This is because personalization conveys to customers that you truly care about their needs and are committed to giving them the best shopping experience possible.

When people feel recognized and valued, they naturally form a stronger connection with your brand. By making customers feel understood, you increase the chances they’ll engage with your content and make a purchase. 

Use customer data wisely to recommend products, personalize email campaigns, and adapt your website content to fit each person’s preferences. This makes shopping feel more like a tailored experience rather than just another transaction.

Plus, offering loyalty programs or rewards adds an extra layer of appreciation, which encourages repeat purchases and building long-term relationships with your customers.

5. Mobile Responsiveness

Today most of the users surf the internet from their mobile, so your website should be mobile-optimized.

To guarantee that customers enjoy a consistent purchasing experience from mobile devices, it is imperative to make sure your website is fully mobile-responsive.

It allows customers to browse and purchase furniture conveniently from anywhere, fostering a seamless online shopping experience. To make your website mobile-responsive, you must ensure it adapts to any device—a desktop, tablet, or mobile device.

It’s also important to thoroughly test your site across different mobile browsers to guarantee smooth functionality for every user.

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By implementing these features, you can create a furniture eCommerce website that not only looks good but also converts visitors into loyal customers. Remember, a user-friendly and engaging online experience is key to driving sales and achieving long-term success in the competitive furniture market.

Let’s move on to explore 3 furniture stores that you can use as inspiration for your further journey. 😀

Top 3 Online Décor and Furniture Stores for Inspiration

#1: IKEA — Décor and Furniture Store Example

IKEA’s website delivers a user-friendly experience. The mega menu makes navigation a breeze, allowing you to find what you’re looking for without any hassle. Plus, the high-quality product images showcase their furniture beautifully.

The site includes wishlist functionality and personalized recommendations based on browsing history.

Customer reviews add that important social proof, giving you confidence in your choices. And if you’re in a hurry, the filtering and sorting options help you quickly zero in on the items that catch your eye. 

IKEA’s website also excels in helping customers furnish and decorate empty rooms by offering curated room sets and inspirational ideas. This feature makes it easy to visualize how different pieces work together, ensuring a stylish and functional setup for any space.

Notably, IKEA offers an AR tool for visualizing products in your space, along with a mobile-friendly design or an app, helping their users to browse, plan, and shop from anywhere. This seamless integration enhances the shopping experience, ensuring users can make informed decisions no matter where they are.

#2: Crate & Barrel — Décor and Furniture Store Example

Crate & Barrel’s website emphasizes a premium shopping experience with detailed product descriptions, rich lifestyle imagery, and a focus on design inspiration. The site features curated collections to guide users through various styles, and expert design advice is readily available.

It also offers a robust registry service, making creating wishlists for special occasions easy. The site features curated collections to guide users through various styles, and expert design advice is readily available.

Additionally, Crate & Barrel’s site integrates comprehensive room planning tools that help customers visualize how different pieces will work together in their space, making it easier to plan and purchase with confidence. This feature enhances the overall shopping experience by bringing their design ideas to life.

#3: Bed Bath & Beyond — Décor and Furniture Store Example

Bed Bath & Beyond’s website offers several standout features that enhance the user experience. The site uses a visually engaging image that draws users in immediately.

Its website emphasizes convenience and affordability with features like a price-match guarantee tool to ensure competitive pricing. The site offers personalized deals through its “Beyond+” loyalty program, providing exclusive discounts and benefits to members.

Conclusion

In today’s market, buying furniture online is highly preferred by shoppers across the globe.

By implementing these 13 must-have features, you’re setting your online furniture store up for success. Not only will you offer customers a shopping experience that truly meets their needs, but you’ll also create a strong, recognizable brand in a competitive industry.

Start by focusing on the essentials that ensure your store runs smoothly, and then dive into more advanced options to elevate the customer experience and make your website stand out. 

Take inspiration from what’s worked for top furniture stores, and you’ll be ready to thrive!