Sofas are generally quite difficult to design and sell but furniture startup Floyd tackled this issue by creating the perfect crowdsourced couch for its consumer base. Unveiled as “The World’s First Floyd Sofa,” this uniquely designed piece of furniture utilized Instagram as a survey platform, polling hundreds of followers on various parameters of the couch. The options given ranged from tactile preferences to personality-driven questions. These personal questions included age, household size, color preference, usage, and whether or not they have pets.
All of these statistics and metrics were then brought to Floyd R&D who took all the user information for creating this crowdsourced couch. For example, polls exploring whether or not buyers ate on their couches or had pets lead to the couch featuring stain-resistant upholstery.
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Crowdsourced Furniture Design
- Opportunity for furniture startups to involve consumers in the design process to create personalized and marketable products.
- Social Media Polling for Product Development
- Incorporating social media into market research can provide valuable insights for product development.
- Customized Furniture for Niche Markets
- Creating furniture tailored to specific demographics such as pet owners or families could have a competitive advantage in the market.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Furniture Manufacturing
- Furniture companies can use crowdsourcing to create products that better meet the needs and wants of consumers.
- Social Media Marketing
- Social media can be utilized not only for advertising but also for conducting consumer research.
- Pet Accessories and Furniture
- Connecting with pet-owning consumers and designing furniture with their needs in mind could be a profitable niche market.
