Many businesses have adapted to online sales. However, one sector, in particular, faces some difficulties in adjusting to this new format due to consumer behavior. In the furniture segment, entrepreneur Joanir Smarçaro, from Móveis Conquista, explains that customers have a specific characteristic of preferring to see the product up close, touching the pieces and checking the entire design of the product.
“We do not yet have an exact estimate for the sector. However, in our case, we can see that there has been an increase in purchases through the store's website of about 20%. This contrasts with a decline of around 75 to 80% in physical sales. So, due to this characteristic of our audience, even with our well-prepared online platform, we opted to schedule appointments for in-store service with a set date and time, following all health and safety guidelines for everyone: employees and customers. With this, we managed to raise the sales percentage to about 30%, combining both service formats,” he emphasizes.
Even with a significant impact on the sector, the entrepreneur remains optimistic and confident that the situation will resolve and commerce will recover. “Of course, we are experiencing losses due to the halt in activities. However, we strongly believe in a quick recovery when there is a reopening and, hopefully, normalization of business, as our company works very grounded, in a solid manner. No one is really prepared for something that has stopped the country and the world, but we have to start investing again. We have a solid company and a ready stock. So, we should feel less,” he states.
The moment also calls for unity among everyone, and the capixaba brand, with 39 years in the market, is confident in the recovery of the sector and that all of this will pass. “Today, we have a lot of ready stock to meet the sales and we also have a prepared team. We are proud of all the effort and dedication of our professionals, who have been working hard to maintain productivity, even amid the difficulties of this period. I believe that we will return to normal operations later this year,” he believes.
Jobs
With about 260 employees currently, Grupo Conquista – which has four stores in the states of Espírito Santo and Bahia, in addition to a Distribution Center and a factory of the brand – has not promoted layoffs during this period. “In our company we are practically at zero unemployment, but in the sector, in general, I already believe there is about 20 to 25% unemployment, which is very large,” he says.
The format adopted by the entrepreneur was embraced by the team to try to ensure the execution of services to maintain online sales. “Right at the beginning of the store closure, we gave collective vacations, both in our stores, and in the factory. After that, we resumed work with the store closed and reduced production. Now, the team is more involved in the organization of the products and the store team is focused on customer service in both online and in-person formats with scheduled dates and times,” he concludes.
Interaja com esta matéria
Participe da conversa