COVID-19 has impacted various industries. Do you think this impact is necessarily negative? Well, the good news is that’s not the case for every business. Some industries are showing promising growth opportunities, and one such booming industry is the Online Furniture Business. COVID-19 made staying at home no longer an option but a compulsion. Therefore, the demand for versatile and multi-functional furniture products is consistently increasing. It has been projected that the online furniture market size will grow by $84.26 billion during 2020-2024. 

The big players of this industry, namely, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., Amazon.com Inc., American Signature Inc., eBay Inc., and Inter IKEA Systems BV, are expanding their business operations, product offerings, and services. They are also adding value to their products through enhancements in technology. 

Are you wondering how you can enter this market? Interestingly, one of the growth opportunities in this industry is in the furniture delivery and assembly part. Yes, you read that right. Consumers want products delivered to their doorstep, and the same is the case with furniture. Big players like IKEA are acquiring firms in different regions for furniture delivery and assembly to satisfy this need. Let’s take a look at how and why IKEA has taken this up.

How is IKEA delivering furniture?

IKEA, the Swedish furniture retailer, is known for its Do It Yourself (DIY) concept. The products are often delivered flat-packed following which the customers have to assemble it themselves. The Ready-to-Assemble furniture market is gaining popularity because it helps you to save money and is environment-friendly.

IKEA is the largest furniture retailer; however, it is currently facing tough competition from other online-only furniture retailers and their services like delivery and installation. In an effort to maintain its market share and increase customer satisfaction, IKEA decided to acquire and partner with on-demand service platforms. This is a major strategic shift since it’s focus is on services and just not the product. The wave of new competitors into the online furniture market has brought on the opportunity for you to start your own furniture delivery business.

In the United States, IKEA acquired TaskRabbit, the on-demand platform for hiring people to do everything from build furniture to stand in line for you at the stores during a sale. They have also partnered with Airtasker in Australia and UrbanClap in India. 

Benefits of such tie-ups/partnerships/collaborations

There are far too many products sold now that have to be collected and assembled by the purchaser, and assembling these products is never as easy as advertised. Therefore, here lies the opportunity to start a furniture delivery and assembly business. It can be marketed through retailers who do not currently offer product delivery and assembly services to their customers. Don’t you believe us? Well, let’s look at some of the benefits of this business idea.

• Furniture delivery and assembly is an extension of the do-it-yourself business model. You gain a competitive advantage by providing a comprehensive service. It strengthens your business offer and ensures higher engagement.
• It anticipates higher customer satisfaction and loyalty since you provide professional assistance to customers after the purchase.
• More shoppers will now prefer the convenience of buying oversized furniture items online and getting them delivered, assembled, and installed.
• It will connect customers with a wide range of affordable services.
• The knowledge of professional service providers and their interaction will be an asset for the furniture company in terms of feedback for product development

How You Can Start Furniture Delivery and Assembly Business

Online shopping through smart devices has gained popularity over the years. High penetration of Internet services, improved economy, and up-gradation of purchase and delivery options form the perfect environment for entering the on-demand service industry.

Firstly, to ensure the efficient delivery of products, you need a delivery management software. Let’s know what your delivery management software should be able to do:

• Find addresses and guide drivers to save time.
• Easily assign tasks to drivers from the backend.
• Use GPS tracking to track the driver’s location.
• Use planning and scheduling tools.                                                                
• Seamless communication with customers and agents/fleets

There is a delivery management software that has numerous features, including the ones mentioned above. Let’s know a bit about Tookan – the intuitive deliveries management software for smart entrepreneurs.

How can Tookan help your business?

Tookan is a fully managed software as a service platform that is highly flexible to fit every delivery business from food to furniture and from service to cabs. Here are a few benefits of using Tookan as your delivery management software.

• Tookan keeps records of your delivery and customers in one place, eliminating paperwork and confusion.
• Tasks are allocated to the nearest driver/agent automatically.
• Tookan has an easy-to-use, intuitive interface that can be used by anyone, anywhere.
• Your customers get a tracking link for their deliveries.
• Enhanced customer experience and feedback mechanism.
• SMS and email notifications are sent to the customer about the status of their deliveries.
• Real-time remote coordination between managers and agents/drivers.
• Analytics and reports to make effective data-driven decisions.
• Tookan helps you to take charge and manage your team from anywhere.                                                                                                              
• Reduced management costs as all deliveries related processes are streamlined.

Eager to know how much does Tookan Cost? We have plans with prices starting as low as 10 cents with a robust platform for your delivery business needs. 

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