The sofa market - Italy

1.1 Definition and scope of study

A sofa is defined as a backrest sofa with arms, where several people can sit. In the nomenclature found on the Internet, sofas, in the narrow sense, are included in a broader category, that of "upholstered sofas" which includes seats, benches, fixed sofas, convertibles, ottomans, relaxers, corner sofas and meridians. This category of "upholstered" is itself a segment of the upholstered home furniture category. In this study, we will study the market for "upholstered" products in their generality, firstly because sofas represent the most important part of this market in terms of sales and secondly because the difference between a sofa in the strict sense and another type of upholstery is relatively unclear.

In 2019, the global sofa market was worth about $27 billion and is expected to reach a value of over $32 billion, thus growing at a CAGR of 3.55%.

The Italian sofa market has modest growth prospects. In terms of geographical distribution, the regions with the highest sales volumes are those in the North-East, followed by those in the Centre and North-West, and finally those in the South.

Price remains one of the most influential factors in consumer choice in this market and for this reason, large companies such as IKEA and Poltronesofà, conceived as particularly advantageous in terms of quality/price ratio, still maintain a strong leadership position in the market, being appreciated by a large part of the Italian population. Another motivation that drives the population to prefer these big brands is the financing possibilities that they grant, such as the possibility of payment in installments. 

One of the most promising and active segments as far as online sales are concerned is furniture, in particular with reference to the category of handcrafted upholstered furniture. This demonstrates the growing interest of the Italian population for unique and particular manufacturing solutions due to the greater accuracy and quality that is recognized to them.