Colombian consumers value Brazilian-made furniture design and aesthetics
With the objective of mapping business opportunities, consumer preferences, competition, prices, advantages and challenges for the domestic furniture industry, the business intelligence team for the Brazilian Furniture Project conducted, with the support provided by the Brazilian Export Promotion Agency (Apex-Brazil), the Apex Business Center in Bogotá and SECOM, of the Brazilian Embassy in Colombia, a comprehensive study that analyzes macroeconomic data, political and demographic factors, besides presenting the results of a qualitative and quantitative survey for the local furniture sector.
In 2012, Colombia, one of the Project’s nine target markets, imported a total of US$ 185.3 million in furniture, with Brazil accounting for 6.2% of this value, surpassed only by the United States (8%) and by China, with impressive 50.3%.
"This is a conservative market that favors domestic products and is very receptive to wooden furniture," says Adriana Katekawa, responsible for the Project’s business intelligence.
A survey conducted by Mercadeo y Opinion in Bogotá presented pictures of a mix of 20 products from the companies in the Brazilian Furniture Project to 300 consumers from different socio-economic backgrounds, ages and genders. Thus, it was identified that among the most valued attributes in Brazilian furniture are design, aesthetics and elegance of the furniture, as well as their functionality and the quality of the material used.
According to the survey, most Colombian consumers purchase their furniture in specialty stores, from manufacturers or home-centers, while shopping at department stores is lower than those observed in Chile and Peru.
"Initiatives such as this one help to better understand the peculiarities of the market, increasing the chances of doing business. There is room for an increase in furniture exports from Brazil to Colombia, since this year the country should record 4% growth in the volume of imports of furniture in general, with emphasis on metal and synthetic products", concluded Adriana Katekawa .
