According to research from Statista, UK households purchased approximately £19b worth of furniture and furnishings in 2023, with 17% of consumers buying their furniture (and household goods) online in the last 12 months – and with this in mind, it’s crucial for retailers and manufacturers to work with reliable and efficient logistics partners who will provide an excellent delivery experience for their customers, writes Craig Kavanagh, sales director at delivery specialist ArrowXL …
The challenges of furniture delivery
The world of furniture delivery is a unique and specialised field, requiring precision, care, and logistical expertise. As the UK’s largest and longest-established two-person home delivery specialist, our teams have been delivering furniture and large oversized items such as sofas, dining tables, wardrobes and mattresses to homes and businesses across the nation for over 30 years.
Delivering furniture is far from straightforward. Items are often too large and heavy for standard courier services, requiring specialised equipment, vehicles and trained teams to handle them properly. Many pieces are made of delicate materials like glass, wood or upholstered fabric, which can be easily damaged during transit.
Our teams are experts in complex logistics. As standard, we deliver the item to the customer's room of choice, and where appropriate remove old items for recycling. We offer our clients a flexible scheduling service, allowing their customers to choose a date that suits their schedule. Customers are kept informed throughout the delivery journey with personalised communication via SMS and email, and have access to our tracking web app, providing real-time order status.
Reverse logistics
We know that furniture delivery isn’t just about getting items to customers – returns strategies are also crucial for retailers and their delivery partners. A study by the National Retail Federation found that furniture and home furnishings have the highest return rate among all product categories, at 15.8%. As part of our service, AXL handle returns, exchanges, and the removal of old furniture, providing a full-cycle service, and helping retailers to reduce financial losses.
We’ve also developed a number of re-work initiatives with our clients, helping them to grade consumer returns for resale. Not only does this assist with their margin retention but it also helps to promote the importance of the circular economy within the UK.
Technology is the future
In recent years advancements in technology have revolutionised the furniture delivery process. Consumers today expect transparency and regular communication about their deliveries, meaning tech investment is key for logistics providers.
We’ve invested in our own bespoke platform that offers transparent communication regarding delivery times and tracking information. Customers have access to real-time updates, giving them confidence and reducing missed deliveries. Our clients are also kept up to date with automated notifications via the bespoke ArrowXL Sugar CRM system, providing them with key logistics metrics such as delivery times, fulfilment rates and customer satisfaction levels.
Delivering sustainability
Research by sendcloud shows that 54% of consumers expect online retailers to offer a green delivery method. However, in the business of furniture delivery, pick-up and drop-off points aren’t really an option, and it typically falls to the two-person specialists who are experts at handling large, bulky items.
As a responsible logistics business, we take the principle of environmental sustainability seriously. We recognise our responsibility to the environment and are committed to minimising our CO2 emissions and waste and utilising sustainable energy sources.
Our new One Fleet initiative is designed to streamline operations and reduce carbon emissions as part of our environmental commitment and continued investments in innovation and technology. OneFleet will consolidate our 24-hour and platinum service fleet into a single-service model by loading vehicles overnight, enabling us to better optimise route planning and reduce the number of vehicles on the road, saving over 800,000 miles per annum. We estimate that OneFleet will reduce our total number of delivery routes by at least 4000 a year, a reduction of -8.7%.
We operate recycling centres at each of our hubs, efficiently reprocessing various packaging materials, including cardboard, polythene, expanded polystyrene and wood. This initiative helps minimise landfill usage and reinforces our commitment to sustainability.
The future of furniture delivery
There is no denying that the unstable economy has had a huge effect on consumer spending. Shoppers are understandably nervous about letting go of their cash, especially investing in large-ticket items like sofas and garden furniture. However, as consumer confidence returns, retailers and their logistics partners need to be ready to provide a first-class customer experience incorporating advanced technologies, sustainable practices and excellent delivery services.
