Why is online a far cry for many interior products?

As observed by Surfaces Reporter, the interior industry has a very particular character. Embracing Digital technology is not an easy task; it requires step-by-step working in order to make it more mature and empathetic towards the needs and choices of the customers not to forget their still limited use of technology. There is a need to create mass awareness. As Manish Maheshwari from Ventura puts it, “Interior and surfaces products are a different market. First of all, there is a need to compare. The ‘Touch & Feel’ experience matters a lot. For instance, while buying a veneer or Laminate which are highly priced, you need to not only see its ‘actual’ feel but also compare it with other products, an experience difficult to acquire on a web based app or digital platform.”

“It is easy to buy an iPhone or iPad on internet since thay have a set benchmark in terms of quality, pricing etc., which is not the case for interior or surfaces products. Everybody sell these products at their own prices and the market is quite fragmented. They are B2B products, sold to wholesalers & distributors making them a difficult online purchase as there is little awareness and knowledge level. Similarly, there is logistics & delivery issue. The packaging have to attain a certain level of quality in the interior and surface segment, which has not been achieved yet. Few interior products including carpets, paints, wallpapers etc. can still be sold digitally but as far as wooden products like veneer and laminates, flooring, panels are concerned, there is still a long way to go,” he concludes.