| | NOVEMBER 20218IN FOCUSHow Digital Transformation is Revolutionizing the e-Commerce Furniture IndustryBY CEO INSIGHTS TEAMUntil the year-end of 2019, evolution in consum-er demand and advancement in technologies were considered to be the ultimate reasons for changes and revolution in any industry. But, the sudden occurrence of COVID-19 pandemic changed the tradi-tion. Since last year, the pandemic has managed to transform how people live, shop, and interact with others. Same is the scenario for industries in the business world. Globally, the pandemic has affected business operations in almost every industry. Hence, e-Commerce plat-forms are adopting new technologies in order to keep up with consumer needs and offer a hassle-free shop-ping experience. In India, many e-Commerce furniture platforms are not only witnessing huge shifts in consumer behaviour & frequent-ly changing business trends, but also since few years, the furniture industry has faced digital transfor-mation challenges.According to an industry report pub-lished by Indian Brand Equity Foundation, the e-Commerce revenue in India is projected to increase from $39 billion (2017) to $200 billion (2026); growing at 51 percent annual rate, touted to be the highest in the world. It is no surprise that technology will continue to change the rules of the e-Commerce game. The digital natives consider technology as an integral part of their lives, and they expect a seamless omni-channel shopping experience. Consequently, on-line shopping and retail industry, in particular, have seen advancement due to technological developments such as cloud space and artificial intelligence acceler-ating the growth of e-Commerce in India. The IBEF report further states that the Indian e-Commerce industry is expected to out-rank the United States as world's second-largest e-Commerce market by 2034, driven by hyper-local logis-tics, digital payments, digital advertisements, and analytics-based customer engagement. Let's have a look at how the pandemic and advance-ment in technologies are acting as a cata-lyst in changing the e-Commerce furni-ture industry in India.Augmented Reality: The furni-ture industry is an incredibly visu-al-dependent space, and custom-ers welcome every effort to bridge the gap between the online and in-store shopping experience. This is one of the main reasons why Aug-mented Reality (AR) has significant potential to disrupt the way people shop for furniture. AR can help consumers make informed decisions by giving them the opportunity to virtually 'try-out' furniture, by not worrying about bad decisions, and removing a huge weight from their shoulders before the big purchase. According to Google, two in three people say they are interested in harnessing AR to help them when shopping. Soon, AR will become an inevitable part of a buyer's path to purchase, especially in the furniture industry.THE FURNITURE INDUSTRY IS AN INCREDIBLY VISUAL-DEPENDENT SPACE, AND CUSTOMERS WELCOME EVERY EFFORT TO BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN THE ONLINE AND IN-STORE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE
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