The seating industry, when one stops to think about it, is fairly important to the way business is done throughout most of the world. Seating furniture is perhaps the single most used piece of office equipment in any company. On any given day, a computer, desk, or conference table may not see any use, but a chair is likely to be used for anywhere from six-to-eight hours during the average workday. For this reason distributors of seating, office or house seating, will realize the following benefits:
Of course, seating is not a perfect business because there is a lot of competition selling chairs and various types of seats. Although, both office and home are well serviced by general companies like Wal-Mart and Staples or those that only sell furniture, selling seating can still be a viable business opportunity. It is important, however, to understand the landscape of the industry and plan accordingly.
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Research seating and develop a solid business plan before trying to compete
It is important to first know what types of seating you want to sell and how you plan to do it. Although, it may be difficult to compete with the big chain stores on price or selection, you can still find a competitive edge with a well thought out strategy to sell seating, office style or simply for the home.
I recommend: Begin your research with ergonomic seats, described at
Spine-Health, and then look into specialty types such as folding chairs at the
Folding Chair Warehouse,
dining room chairs, or environmentally friendly chairs, such as
Steelcase's Think chairs. Your primary goal should be to make sure that you are selling something there is a market for and keep it inline with your personal interests and values.
Know the different types of features available in seating
Seating furniture provides a number of different ways for a person to sit, and can encompass everything from thrones to saddles, and even oddly shaped ergonomic chairs. But, chairs and sofas often have unique features which can affect their overall quality and functionality. So, before you decide to start selling any type of seating make sure you have a good understanding of the product and its market.
I recommend: Use freely available resources on the Internet such as this article at
Staples.com which focuses mainly on desk chairs, but also applies to home seating.
The Home Institute provides a list of tips for purchasing a sofa or couch. Don’t assume you know this information and skip these articles, or you might risk being less informed than your customers. Be certain that you are capable of addressing the issues raised in these articles before you go into the seating business.
Find seating distributors and manufacturers online
Many global manufacturers of seating are now available via the Internet. Start with these resources to begin building your inventory in preparation to launching your own seating business. While most of these seating manufacturers will have factories in Asia or Mexico, they should also have representation or customer service available in the United States.
I recommend: Find seating manufacturers around the world using the Internet, especially sites such as
Trade Key and
Made-In-China. Always research the companies listed carefully before doing business with them and try to find out if any local companies have previously worked with them. Having a good recommendation should make you feel more confident dealing directly with the manufacturer while attempting to cut costs and get the best prices on your seating purchase.
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