4 Challenges of Selling Custom Furniture Online - and How to Overcome Them
Learn from experts the biggest roadblocks to selling custom furniture online and how a 3D Furniture Configurator can help.
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More people want custom furniture than ever before. About 42% of furniture buyers are looking for items they can personalize. Whether it’s a sofa or a dining table, they want it that fits their style and space perfectly.
But delivering customization comes with challenges. Pricing gets complicated, production slows down, and scaling feels impossible. These roadblocks don’t just affect your efficiency—they impact your ability to meet customer expectations.
So, what can you do to overcome these hurdles? Dani Lopez, Head of Product, and Anthony Temperante, VP of Sales & Marketing at Salsita, break down the four biggest challenges and how you can solve them with a 3D Furniture Configurator.
1. High quality visualization
When customers shop for custom furniture online, they need to see exactly what they’re getting. A simple photo or basic render won’t work. Asking them to “imagine” the sofa in blue or longer isn’t enough. Customers want to see what they configured in 3D, with the most realistic details.
If you don't have 3D parametric models, customers can't quickly see how changes affect their product. Changes like size, color, or materials are important for their decisions. Without instant feedback, they will find it hard to explore their options. They might also doubt that the final product will meet their expectations.
"Customers need to visualize exactly what they’re buying, not just imagine it. High-quality, interactive 3D visuals help customers feel confident in their decisions and boost conversions." Anthony Temperante, VP of Sales & Marketing at Salsita.
2. Manufacturing Process
Viewing the product isn’t the only challenge when selling custom furniture. Once a customer places an order, the manufacturing process can quickly become a bottleneck. Translating a custom configuration into production can be complex. It often involves generating Bills of Materials (BOMs), CAD files, and other technical outputs.
If you don’t have automation in place, these steps will be slow, take a lot of effort, and lead to mistakes. This is frustrating for both you and your customer—manual processes delay production and make sales cycles longer, leaving customers waiting when they expect quick results.
“I’ve seen websites where customers have to fill out a form and wait two or three business days for a response. By then, they’ve likely moved on—that’s not the experience modern customers expect.” Dani Lopez, Head of Product at Salsita.
3. Real-Time Pricing
When customers shop for a custom sofa or dining table on your website, they expect instant clarity on pricing. The last thing they want is to contact you for a quote or wait for an email with the final cost. It’s equally frustrating to configure a product, only to find extra fees at checkout. These delays and hidden costs can quickly cause lost trust and lost sales.
If you don’t have a CPQ or price engine, this is likely happening to you. Custom furniture pricing is tricky because it depends on factors like size, materials, and components. Doing this manually takes time and can lead to mistakes, which only makes things worse for your customers.
"CPQ, or Configure Price Quote, has become essential. Customers expect transparent pricing upfront—not after they’ve spent time configuring a product and reached the cart, only to be surprised by additional costs." Anthony Temperante, VP of Sales & Marketing at Salsita.
4. Scaling Your Business
Scaling a custom furniture business isn’t as simple as just hiring more people. Custom furniture is different from regular furniture and it takes a lot of time and effort for each order. Every design is unique. Each has its own pricing and manufacturing steps. This can easily overwhelm your team as sales grow.
If your processes rely heavily on manual work, scaling becomes a major challenge. To handle double the orders, you’d need to double your team of sales reps, designers, and production planners. Not only is this costly, but it’s also inefficient and increases the risk of errors. Without the right tools in place, you’ll struggle to keep up with demand and provide the fast, accurate service your customers expect.
“You can’t double the team if you want to double the sales,” says Dani Lopez, Head of Product at Salsita. “At some point, manual processes stop scaling, and that’s when automation becomes essential.”
Overcome These Challenges in 20 Minutes
Want to know how to overcome these challenges and thrive in 2025? Watch our on-demand webinar and learn how a 3D Furniture Configurator can help you streamline operations, boost sales, and deliver a better customer experience. In just 20 minutes, Dani Lopez, Head of Product, and Anthony Temperante, VP of Sales & Marketing, cover:
- The state of the furniture industry and key trends shaping its future
- Real-world examples of how companies solve custom furniture challenges
- The ROI of using a 3D Furniture Configurator for your business
Grab a coffee, and get the webinar link here:
