E-Commerce in the office furniture industry

The report analyses trends in e-commerce in the office furniture industry. Case histories of e-commerce in the office furniture sector are provided, together with an analysis of the status and prospects of office furniture retailing on the Internet. The opportunities offered by the Internet are analysed from the point of view of office furniture manufacturers. Company profiles refer to US, European and Asian companies and provide information on: company turnover, product breakdown, site structure, e-commerce and commercial networking. The world market for office furniture can be estimated worth US$ 33 billion in 2000. Data on office furniture imports and exports are also provided. An outline of the office furniture market includes: breakdown by distribution channel and customer type, market shares of major 50 office furniture producers. The office furniture industry is profoundly affected by the growing role of the Internet. The effects of the Internet on the office furniture sector evolution are examined according to different perspectives: furniture business-to-business, furniture business-to-consumer, e-procurement of components, software and solutions for office furniture e-commerce. Data and forecasts on Internet users are available for the United States, Italy, Europe, Asia. Both business-to-business and business-to-consumer sites are examined.