Main trends in the Russian furniture market in 2023-2024

The increasing role of marketplaces, pragmatic buyer behavior, the growing popularity of custom-made furniture and other trends in the Russian furniture market.

2023 was a controversial year for the furniture market in Russia. After a 10% decrease in furniture production and a 35% drop in sales at the beginning of the year, many major players predicted a market decline of up to 20%. However, despite all the pessimistic forecasts, the furniture market showed growth of 8.6% in the first half of the year and 17.3% by the end of 2023.

At the same time, stable trends in consumer behavior have become visible, which furniture manufacturers and suppliers should pay attention to.

1. Shoppers moving online

This trend started at the beginning of the pandemic and continued in the following years. More and more customers are buying furniture not in offline outlets, but online - in online stores and on marketplaces. Thus, major Russian online retailers have noted an increase in sales in the “Furniture” category. “Yandex Market” reported a two-fold increase in sales, and Wildberries - by 152%. A study on the topic of online furniture sales was conducted by Ozon. It turned out that already a third of Russians buy furniture on the Internet. At the same time, furniture manufacturers and suppliers should not forget about 32% of buyers who want to touch the product with their hands and examine it in person before buying.

According to research by the E-Promo agency, the majority of Russian furniture brands (70%) already place their products on marketplaces.

2. Inflation and rising prices - shoppers try to save money

In 2023, the average check in furniture stores increased by 12%, in which the rise in the price of furniture played a major role. Against this background, consumers are more likely to favor more affordable models - a third of Russians will choose them instead of expensive options, as evidenced by the survey conducted by Calltouch. More and more often the reason for buying new furniture is not so much a desire to decorate a room as to replace broken furniture. The desire of buyers to save money is also manifested in the fact that instead of buying new furniture they renew the old one. Last year the demand for furniture repair and restoration services increased by 41%.

70% of Russian companies producing furniture in the middle and higher segment have already switched to selling more affordable products, as reported by the E-Promo agency.

3. Buyers favor custom-made furniture

According to the online store Divan.ru, a quarter of consumers choose furniture to order, despite the fact that its cost may be higher by 15-50% than furniture from the catalog. If earlier customization was available mostly in the premium segment, now consumers can express their individual preferences in the middle class segment as well. This trend is confirmed by Avito Services statistics: the demand for customization of furniture has grown by 78% in 2023.

4. The desire to buy everything in one place

Instead of looking for furniture in different stores in different parts of the city, the client would like to buy everything at one place at once. At the same time, the following trend is noticeable - customers prefer those stores that offer interior designer services and/or demonstrate complex solutions - they are interested in how, for example, furniture from different collections combines with each other and with the surrounding space.

Against this background, 60% of companies, according to E-Promo agency, have already launched or will soon launch the sale of complementary goods: decorative items, sleep accessories, tableware, textiles and so on. Complementary services are also popular among customers: measuring, assembly, recycling, etc.

5. Sustainability as an important factor

Generations are gradually succeeding each other and Millennials and Zoomers represent an increasing purchasing power. What distinguishes them from previous generations is their pronounced demand for eco-friendliness. All other things being equal, younger buyers are more likely to favor eco-friendly furniture that does not harm the environment. For more than 80% of them, it is important for businesses to follow ESG principles. Large Russian investors also pay attention to the implementation of ESG strategy by the company.

Furniture and woodworking equipment at Woodex 2025

Woodex is the International exhibition of equipment, materials and components for the woodworking and furniture industry. In 2023 it was held for the 18th time. On the exhibition site manufacturers and suppliers demonstrate their equipment to the target audience - 8,190 specialists from 26 countries and 75 regions of the Russian Federation got acquainted with the products of the exhibitors in 2023. To learn about new products and services is the main goal for 63% of visitors to the exhibition. 210 companies took part in Woodex 2023.