It’s often good to zoom out and draw on global best practice examples. One such case study within the furniture sector is Nitori Holdings- who are embracing omni-channel retailing. 70% of customers who make purchases on NITORI-net, their online store, visit Nitori stores beforehand to see the products, touch them, check the quality, and then make their purchase online. The result has been that net sales at existing stores recorded over 10% growth in sales year-on-year. To date, Nitori has 5.4 million app users.
With a McKinsey Insights survey indicating that 30 % of South Africans who responded would be interested in buying furniture online, this could be what sets South African furniture retailers apart in future.