Take a look at any office space, whether it be a home office or one in a commercial setting, and you will no doubt be inundated by views of ergonomic office furniture, particularly when it comes to desks and chairs.

The last two years of business have been decidedly unusual for home office companies and manufacturers, and it’s safe to say that sales have most certainly been up and down.

While our working habits may have changed slightly, especially considering such an emphasis is being placed on WFH (Working from Home) there has been, and always will be, a demand for office furniture staples, particularly in the form of ergonomic chairs, desks, and standing desks.

But what’s in store for the office furniture markets for the foreseeable future? What are the opportunities and what are, and have been, the threats in recent years? Well, that’s precisely what we intend to find out.

Here’s an overview of some of the key business opportunities for office furniture specialists, along with a look at some things which may threaten their business models and trading.

Factors threatening the future of office furniture

To begin with, we’ll get the negatives out of the way first by looking at several factors which have negatively impacted office furniture companies, and which may threaten them in the future.

COVID-19

First and foremost, the most obvious threat to ergonomic office furniture specialists has to be the Coronavirus pandemic.

In early 2020, other than a select few businesses, it doesn’t matter what you did, chances are your business would be negatively impacted by the COVID-19 virus and the restrictions that came with it.

Businesses other than those which were deemed essential were forced to close temporarily and people were told to stay at home. Obviously, you don’t need to be a genius to figure out that a business can’t make any money if it isn’t allowed to trade.

To add insult to injury however, even when businesses were allowed to open back up, people were still encouraged to stay home rather than go to work, which meant that the demand for commercial office furniture dropped.

Despite the end of the pandemic now being within our grasp, there is still some uncertainty about what the virus may have in store in the future.

Logistical challenges

Again, partly due to the pandemic, and partly due to political issues such as Brexit, another threat to the future of office furniture suppliers come in the form of logistical challenges.

Brexit for example, has led to huge delays in shipping due to various red tape issues, paperwork, and other legalities which we couldn’t even begin to understand. Along with that, there has also been a shortage of shipping containers and delays with deliveries.

Customers nowadays want to place an order and have their order be delivered in a couple of days at the most so anything longer than that is likely to put the customer off and have them look elsewhere.

Rising prices

With inflation now the highest it’s been in decades, interest rates are also rising which means that business expenses are going up.

Sending a delivery to a customer is now going to cost a business more money, and the only way to recoup this money is for the business to increase their prices. Customers looking for office furniture however, are only going to spend so much money and if the costs get too much this will put the customer off and they may look for a cheaper alternative.

As well as delivery and logistical costs however, materials are also increasing in prices so again, businesses are going to be forced to increase their prices.

Standing desks for example, are not only made from materials such as wood (which in itself is more expensive than it was pre-Covid) but they also consist of electrical components in the motors etc, so you can imagine why the prices are creeping up.

What are the business opportunities office furniture companies could capitalize on?

It isn’t all doom and gloom when talking about office furniture, far from it, in fact.

Due to current events, and indeed, countless other variables, there are a number of business opportunities that office furniture suppliers could enjoy.

These include the following:

More people working from home

2021 saw a huge increase in demand for home office furniture, and the same looks set for 2022 as well.

With companies such as SOLOS offering quality home office furniture like the SOLOS Premium L-Shaped Standing Desk the advancements in home office furniture have come on leaps and bounds over the years.

The SOLOS Premium L-Shaped Standing Desk for example, not only looks like it belongs in a commercial setting, but it is also packed full of features including a three-turbo motor and an anti-collision system.

With more people working from home, office furniture specialists are now offering more choice and variety when it comes to ergonomic office furniture and as the demand grows, so too will the room for expansion.

Greater emphasis placed on ergonomics

Another way in which office furniture companies could benefit and expand over the coming years is to continue to place a greater emphasis on ergonomics.

Health experts and officials now encourage people to work at a standing desk and to be more active in the workplace, while also utilizing ergonomic office furniture. As people heed this advice, the demand for premium quality ergonomic office furniture will also increase.

The SOLOS Fashion Ergonomic Chair for example, offers lumbar support, a supportive seat cushion when sitting, a mesh design to keep you cool during warmer weather, and adjustable head and hand tilt features to ensure you’re sitting in the right position at the right time.

Ergonomic office furniture is all about helping people to work more comfortably and more efficiently while offering comfort and support to the back, neck, spine, hips, muscles, and joints.

Ergonomic office furniture requires additional materials and a more complex manufacturing process, which means that office furniture companies can charge a premium price for the final product.