To remain competitive this year and beyond, furniture brands must balance immediate, high-impact actions with long-term investments that ensure sustained growth. Companies that fail to adapt risk falling behind as consumer expectations evolve and competitors leverage technologies and new dynamics that are reshaping the industry. According to research by CSIL, 20% of furniture companies say they have a well-advanced or fully integrated digital transformation roadmap in place already, with a further 60% saying their efforts are ‘in progress’. This highlights the necessity – and urgency – of developing a robust plan to embrace change.
Nonetheless, a structured approach to implementation is critical. Leaders must prioritize strategies that deliver measurable results, distinguishing between quick wins that can be deployed with minimal disruption and long-term initiatives that require investment but yield significant competitive advantages. To help inform and guide these decisions, Enhance XR’s 2025 Furniture Trends Report includes an implementation matrix outlining the most effective short-term and long-term strategies that furniture leaders should focus on to enhance customer engagement, streamline operations, and drive revenue growth, which we’ll discuss in depth below.
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Quick wins: high-impact, easy-to-implement strategies
These quick wins provide the potential for significant returns with minimal disruption:
- Deploy 3D and AR tools for product customization and pre-delivery visualization to reduce returns and customer hesitation.
- Implement AI-powered recommendations to personalize shopping experiences and increase upselling opportunities.
- Introduce immersive advertising to test demand for premium designs before production, reducing overstocking risks and waste.
- Enhance delivery services with AR-based pre-fit checks to ensure product compatibility and prevent delivery issues.
- Train in-store teams on digital tools to assist customers with room planning and visualization.
In an industry where digital engagement and personalization increasingly drive purchasing decisions, adopting high-impact, easy-to-implement strategies can give brands an immediate competitive edge. For example, according to a report by McKinsey, companies that excel at personalization generate 40% more revenue from those activities than average. When it comes to visualization tools such as 3D and AR, an array of industry research demonstrates their ability to lift conversion rates by up to 200%, increase cart additions and order values, and reduce returns. Meanwhile, the use of AI in the furniture industry continues to expand rapidly, elevating product discovery, providing tailored recommendations, and bringing the power of predictive intelligence to inventory management, marketing, and more.
“Immersive tools go beyond digital strategy - they enable businesses to streamline logistics, reduce errors through precision customization, and lower environmental impact by minimizing physical samples and unnecessary shipments.”
- Rafael Muñoz, Founder, Enhance XR
Long-term success: strategic, high-impact initiatives
The most impactful long-term investments identified in Enhance XR’s Trends Report include:
- Align with sustainability goals by integrating renewable materials, modular designs, and circular business practices.
- Strengthen brand storytelling to foster emotional connections with customers.
- Create AR-powered virtual showrooms to test demand in key markets.
- Develop immersive D2C and B2B experiences to engage customers remotely.
- Offer ad-hoc planning services for B2B and residential customers to provide room visualization and layout validation.
- Utilize digital tools to accelerate product design, prototyping, and engineering.
- Adopt modular design principles to offer customizable, adaptable furniture that evolves with customer needs.
- Take control of manufacturing and materials to ensure quality, sustainability and brand consistency.
Sustainable growth in the furniture industry requires investing in strategies that future-proof the business. Adapting to changing consumer expectations is key, and while the process takes time and planning, successful implementation pays dividends. Research by PwC, for example, shows 80% of global consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable goods. Similarly, while digital experiences such as virtual showrooms are a longer-term strategy to implement, the benefits are significant, enabling companies to showcase their full product range in a premium brand environment, offer real-time customization, and drive heightened customer engagement. These kinds of longer-term plays dovetail with the growing importance of brand identity and storytelling. Furniture is increasingly viewed as an extension of personal style and lifestyle, making brand identity a vital differentiator. A clear identity helps customers quickly understand each brand’s value proposition, making it easier to find what they need by knowing exactly where to look.
“Storytelling plays a crucial role—showcasing the artistry, sustainable materials, and unique narratives behind each piece cultivates emotional bonds that resonate with discerning clients.”
– Rebecca Lorimer, Creative Director, Coco Wolf
Tactical optimizations: refinements for continuous improvement
These implementations can help refine operations and improve customer operations, even if their impact is incremental rather than fundamental:
- Use AI-driven chatbots to enhance customer service and reduce support costs.
- Improve storytelling on a product level, highlighting the design process, sustainability credentials, and social responsibility factors.
- Upskill in-store teams to use 3D and AR tools for customer assistance and cross- and upselling.
These refinements are easy to implement and offer incremental – but still valuable – gains. Research by McKinsey, for example, estimates early adoptions of AI in areas such as chatbots could add an extra percentage point to productivity growth by 2040. Meanwhile, a study by retail perceptions found that 40% of shoppers would be willing to pay more for a product if they can experience it in AR first. In a competitive segment such as furniture, these marginal gains quickly add up.
Avoid/reassess: low-impact, risky or inefficient initiatives
Not all strategies are worth pursuing. Initiatives to be wary of or that are unlikely to deliver meaningful results include:
- Overproducing physical inventory without validating demand through immersive tools.
- Continue using outdated technology that allows limited to no product customization.
- Manufacturing materials from uncertified, unsustainable sources that damage brand credibility.
- Use static catalogs instead of dynamic, interactive, and immersive 3D and AR-enhanced tools to showcase products.
- Overlook the potential for opening a D2C sales channel.
By identifying and eliminating these inefficiencies, brands can redirect resources toward more impactful initiatives.
“Success in the furniture trade today requires a combination of technological adaptability, a commitment to sustainability in materials, production processes, and certifications, and a customer-centric approach.”
– Pablo Romero Cerdido, Brand & Contract, Muebles Romero
How to prioritize and implement
Transforming a furniture brand for long-term success requires a mix of ambition and strategy. Using Enhance XR’s prioritization matrix, furniture leaders can evaluate initiatives based on their ease of implementation and potential to deliver meaningful results, to see what’s really going to move the needle this year for their own firms.
To maximize impact, brands should categorize initiatives based on feasibility and expected return. By aligning digital innovation, sustainability efforts, and customer experience strategies, brands can ensure they drive the greatest impact and create a plan that fosters structured, sustainable growth in 2025 and beyond.
For the cutting-edge insights and practical strategies you need to create your roadmap to success, download a free copy of Enhance XR’s 2025 Furniture trends report.
