No More Room for Furniture E-tailers - Company Business and Marketing

Home Office Computing, March, 2001 by Marilyn Zelinsky Syarto

YOU'RE OUT OF LUCK IF YOU'RE LOOKING for good online furniture bargains--there wasn't enough time for furniture e-tailers to hold liquidation sales before they high-tailed it off the Internet. In 1999 into mid-year 2000, major "pure-play" e-tailers (companies that exist only on the Web) that sold home office furniture, such as Living.com and Furniture.com, shut down due to insurmountable customer service and management problems.

"E-tailers have been warned time and again that if they do not improve their customer service and (terms of) fulfillment, they will lose customers and maybe even their entire business," says Ed Sharpless, president of Sullivan Park, an Internet strategy consulting firm in Los Angeles that specializes in e-commerce solutions.

Difficult Delivery Furniture e-tailers have always faced problems: High product return rates for wrong or poorly constructed products, skyrocketing shipping costs, and poor delivery. Living.com was bankrupt after its 13-month life span and Furniture.com shuttered in November 2000 after a nine-month stint, according to a New York-based furniture industry trade weekly, Home Furnishings News.

Large Assets What becomes of furniture that failed e-tailers held in inventory? The Framingham, Mass.-based Furniture.com is selling off its assets. Living.com posts a form that allows customers to obtain a refund for unfulfilled orders.

Should you trust an e-tailer for your home office furniture needs? A veteran site, like Officefurniture.com, has a well thought-out customer service model--the company's 800 number is posted all over the site for weary online consumers.

Stable Sites

Some secure places to buy e-furniture:

* www.staples.com (bricks and clicks)

* www.officedepot.com (bricks and clicks)

* www.officemax.com (bricks and clicks)

* www.the-office.com (pure-play)

* www.officefurniture.com (pure-play)