What are some good product selections for Amazon Business in 2020?The office furniture category is worth exploring!As one of the world’s largest producers of office furniture, China has already seen many sellers leverage this advantage to capture business opportunities in office furniture on Amazon Business.

Office furniture is a relatively bestselling subcategory of office supplies on Amazon Business, and its current customer base already covers four main types: educational institutions, business users, medical institutions, and government entities, including Fortune 500 companies, large hospitals, public schools, local governments, laboratories, and daycare centers. If sellers want to enter the market through office furniture this year and get a share of it, what opportunities can they consider?Below, we’ve put together a super practical guide to help you get a head start!

Understand at a glance
How big are the market opportunities in the office furniture category!

Next, we’ve put together a bestselling office furniture product guide for Amazon Business in the US, Europe, and Japan to help you better identify opportunities and strike while the market is hot!

Hot-selling product details: Based on 2020 trends in the US Marketplace, rapidly iterated, innovative, and advanced office furniture will drive market growth, and this furniture is healthier and more comfortable. This office chair features soft, thick PU leather and an ergonomic design to help prevent fatigue from sitting for long periods, aligning with the trend toward healthier, more comfortable work environments, so it is popular with Amazon Business customers in the US Marketplace.

Bestselling products details: In office chair purchasing on the Europe Marketplace, standard swivel computer chairs still account for the largest share of purchases, but judging from buying trends, more comfortable ergonomic office chairs and leather office chairs made with premium materials are increasingly becoming the new favorites of Amazon Business customers in Europe. It is also worth noting that ergonomic office chairs exported from China have gradually gained influence, and many products from sellers in this category have quickly captured the European market as soon as they went on sale.

Detailed Analysis of Bestselling Products: Overtime culture is fairly common in Japan, and with high internet penetration, people are spending more and more time at computer desks/desks, so comfortable office/gaming chairs that can fit a variety of settings are quite popular. However, problems caused by prolonged sitting and poor posture have also led to “occupational diseases,” so Japanese business buyers prefer ergonomic office/gaming chairs that can be adjusted flexibly to let users fully stretch their bodies. Influenced by Japan’s minimalist culture, black-and-white tones are the bestselling colors for this type of product.

Bestselling products details: In recent years, small and medium businesses in the US Marketplace that operate from home have continued to place orders as an emerging customer group. These businesses have limited office and storage space, so they prefer to buy lightweight, small products that can be moved flexibly. This new-era mobile office TV stand can meet this need. It can also be used to secure screen projection in conference rooms and is also suitable for large businesses.

Hot-selling details: This standing desk converter is sturdy and durable, with a maximum weight capacity of 10–15 kg for the top surface and 2–3 kg for the keyboard tray. The spacious top panel can hold two monitors, making effective use of office space. According to the ergonomic design, in an office working environment using a computer, users can choose a standing position or sitting position, which is beneficial to eliminating back, lower back and neck fatigue. You can also freely adjust the height by pulling the handle on the desk. The lever has increased air pressure, making it effortless to use.

Bestseller details: Based on the needs of Amazon Business customers on the US Marketplace, ease of installation is one of the purchase factors they value most. When it comes to materials, they prefer durable materials that don't deform easily. This Z-shaped desk is better suited to today’s young people in flexible, multi-purpose spaces, letting them switch easily between work and life.

Best-selling insights: Among desk subcategories in the Europe Marketplace, standard computer desks have the highest purchase volume, the widest range of use cases, the highest usage frequency, and a relatively high repeat purchase rate. At the same time, Amazon Business customers in Europe tend to prefer heavier materials when buying conference tables.

Detailed bestselling product breakdown: On the Japan Marketplace, the number of new small companies is gradually increasing, and office space is limited. The L-shaped desk design aligns with this trend, using an L-shaped corner layout to make more efficient use of office space. The desk corners are positioned on all four sides to help prevent users from kicking them, and they also make cleaning easier. The desktop also has 3–4 cable holes for easy connection to power strips, computers, and lighting equipment.

Bestseller details: One of the main needs of Amazon Business customers in the US Marketplace for office furniture is versatile use across multiple settings. This storage rack is a great choice for storing office supplies and decorative items, and it can also be used with hooks to hang clothes and other items for office employees. The casters also make new mobile workspaces more convenient.

Bestseller details: Japanese people are not only good at organizing, but also like storage products that let them use storage space flexibly. This storage box comes with two dividers, so you can flexibly divide the storage box into two or four parts. Today, more and more Amazon Business customers prefer office furniture that is lightweight and simple. This solid-color storage box looks clean and neat in an office, making it a great choice especially for Japanese customers who value aesthetics.

Bestselling product details: Most businesses in the United States have a break room for employees, often furnished with coffee tables, side tables, and single- or multi-person sofas. Emerging Small and Medium Business offices are even more likely to be arranged with a home-like feel, and business purchasing managers carefully choose decor that appeals to more employees to meet their needs. Therefore, stylish ornaments that can be selected in complete sets are very popular on Amazon Business US.

Best-selling insights: From our back-end data analysis for Amazon Business Europe, we found that educational whiteboards are currently the most frequently purchased product in the whiteboard category, and schools and educational institutions are the main buyers of this product. In addition, frameless whiteboards and freestanding whiteboards are also common office tools in the workplace, and buyers often purchase both products in large quantities in a single order to meet different functional needs.

After reading the product selection introduction above, do you have more ideas on how to choose products that better meet the needs of corporate buyers?Product selection is only the first step. Next, you also need a more practical operations plan to help your business thrive as soon as possible. We’ve put together a handy “Pro Tips” guide to operating in the office furniture category across the US, Europe, and Japan Marketplaces to help you grow your office furniture market!

US Marketplace office furniture sales are relatively steady throughout the year, with the usual peak sales seasons during Halloween in October, Thanksgiving in November, and Christmas in December.

Europe Marketplace, office furniture sales are relatively stable throughout the year. Every year, the back-to-work season from January to the end of February is the peak period when companies purchase office furniture in large quantities. For sellers in the European Marketplace, the many major promotional days at the end of the year can also create a small sales peak. Given the high unit price of office furniture, the large quantities purchased at one time, and the relatively low purchase frequency, more sellers choose advertising formats that build long-term brand awareness to promote their products, while also using short-term Deals to support their sales plans. We recommend that European sellers refer to the following calendar:

In the Japan Marketplace, corporate buyers’ purchasing needs are often planned based on their company’s fiscal-year procurement budget. Most Japanese companies’ fiscal years end in late March or early April. During this period, corporate buyers often use the remaining unused procurement budget from the previous year for next year’s spending, and use the new year’s budget to make procurement plans. Therefore, March and April are relatively good seasons for office furniture sales in the Japanese market.

US Marketplace sellers need to pay attention to requirements at two levels—factory level: quality must meet standards, and 3A packaging refers to packaging that meets the ISTA-3A standard. We’re fairly strict about instruction manuals. Assembly must be simple, and materials must meet US requirements (panel furniture cannot be made of solid wood; solid wood is an anti-dumping product). For large file cabinets, factories must provide signs such as “!” and the cabinets must be secured to the wall; for packaging, add multiple layers of protective foam to prevent damage during ocean shipping.
Europe Marketplace sellers, because business buyers often have customized needs, manufacturers with their own factories often perform better in sales for this category.
Japan Marketplace sellers do not need any additional certifications. Because shipping costs and average order value are high for these products, we recommend this category to sellers with their own factories or supply chain advantages.

4. Kitchen and Home: No matter how busy you are, you shouldn’t miss out on good food, and demand for coffee pots, kitchen supplies, and baking supplies is increasing.

European Marketplace office furniture has gone through four stages of development: mass market, differentiation, customization, and personalization. The most notable trend is that as market competition becomes more intense, brand and quality assurance will gradually replace price as the key factor, and patent protection for special processes is something every seller needs to prepare for in advance.
On the Japan Marketplace, there are no special patent requirements for the office furniture category. However, when manufacturing and selling office furniture, sellers should remember not to make products that are too similar to well-known brands in terms of design patents, to avoid infringing design patents.

A seller in the US reminds all seller partners in the US that for large products, logistics transportation is very important. If the packaging is unqualified, it can be easily damaged during transportation. Therefore, single-wall or double-wall cartons are generally used, filled with foam strips and wrapped with EPE foam. The load-bearing capacity of the “VOS” outer carton must meet the standard, and 300 lb cartons are generally used. The inner packaging should also be laid out reasonably based on the product’s accessories to minimize the damage rate during transportation. Office furniture is not a seasonal product. For logistics, make a replenishment plan, prepare FBA inventory in July and August, and make sure the shipment dimensions meet the appropriate size standards so they do not exceed them and increase costs. The following is the cost breakdown for FBA in the US Marketplace:

As shown above: There is little difference in shipping costs between small large-bulky items and medium large-bulky items, but large large-bulky items directly increase sellers’ costs by about $75. We want to remind all large furniture sellers that planning your product packaging dimensions carefully can greatly help control costs.
Tips for logistics and transportation in the Europe Marketplace: you can refer to the experience shared by a major seller in the industry. Because office furniture is bulky, the outer shipping carton must meet load-bearing standards, and the inner packaging should also be designed and arranged reasonably based on the product's accessories to minimize damage during transportation. After a new product is launched, we recommend shipping it in 3–4 waves to test the market. Don’t launch everything at once, because that can reduce the efficiency of your new product launch, for example, by causing your top ad placements to compete with each other.
Japan Marketplace also provides a detailed shipping fee reference. You can choose appropriate packaging based on your product size to help reduce logistics costs.

Large furniture is usually shipped by sea. Generally, sellers can ship from Ningbo and Shanghai and have their products arrive at Japanese warehouses and be listed within 14 days. At the same time, some large sellers in the furniture category use ultra-hard K5W cartons for packaging, and they also conduct a six-side, eight-corner drop test before shipping. Only products that pass the test are then sent to the FBA warehouse.

US Marketplace Listing should be as informative as possible, with strong images and text, simple and easy-to-understand installation illustrations, clearly marked specifications and dimensions, simulated use scenarios, and displays for multiple environments, such as homes and offices. For products that need to be assembled, it is important to upload the product manual, and the content should be simple and easy to understand. Reduce unnecessary negative reviews and returns.
For sellers in Europe, please note that the product detail page should clearly show the product dimensions so buyers can purchase compatible products based on the product information. At the same time, the European market also has relatively high requirements for the environmental friendliness of product materials, and using environmentally friendly materials is also one of the selling points that can help drive sales.
Japan Marketplace A+ does not require Brand Registry. We recommend that sellers in the Japan Marketplace put more thought into A+ and explore buyers’ usage scenarios. In addition to office areas, you can also include home and indoor scenes.

The office furniture category in the US Marketplace requires BIFMA certification. BIFMA is a non-profit trade association for corporate and institutional furniture manufacturers. BIFMA has been the voice of the commercial furniture industry since 1973. The services our industry provides to customers—healthy, comfortable, and efficient workspaces—depend on the infrastructure of engineering and material standards.
Most products sold in the European Economic Area require CE marking. The duration of the CE certification process depends on various factors. If all the required materials are in place, certification can generally be completed in about 4 weeks.
Chairs exported to the EU must meet the testing requirement EN 12520 for indoor seating and EN 581-1-2 for outdoor seating. Upholstered non-domestic seating products must meet the relevant requirements of the BS 7176 flame-resistance test standard.
Also, if you sell whiteboard sets, note that the marker that comes with the whiteboard contains ink and requires a special dangerous goods (hazmat) review before it can be sold in Europe. Sellers who need to send inventory to FBA need to contact your account manager to initiate this review.
Japan Marketplace does not require additional certification for office furniture.

Northeast industrial region, focused mainly on solid wood furniture manufacturing. Its production capabilities are world-leading. Yangtze River Delta industrial belt, for example, office chairs from Anji, traditional mahogany office furniture from Yiwu and Huzhou, and leather sofas from Haining are all known for their excellent quality. Pearl River Delta industrial zone, due to its excellent geographic location, can achieve an integrated process for furniture production, sales, supporting services, and export. For more details on industrial zones, please refer to the table below:

Business customers for office furniture are mainly commercial enterprise buyers. In addition to corporate buyers, individual buyers also account for an average of over 70%. In addition to office environments, most use cases also occur in homes, bedrooms, and studies.

The top priority for overseas e-commerce buyers is low prices, followed by products that are easy to assemble, with higher environmental requirements for raw materials, and products that are ergonomically designed.
In terms of materials, for Amazon Business customers in the US Marketplace, office chairs are mainly differentiated by mainstream materials such as nylon and PU leather, computer desks mainly use steel structural supports with hardwood desktops and solid wood veneer, and filing cabinets are mainly made of steel and aluminum materials for easier logistics transportation. The product’s ability to be used across multiple environments is also one of the factors they consider.

Starting April 1, 2020, Amazon launched “FBA New Selection program” in the US, Europe, and Japan. Eligible FBA New Selection ASINs in the office furniture category may receive free monthly storage, free removals, and discounts on inbound transportation. For details, go to the Seller Central Help page “FBA New Selection program”.

In the new year, if you want to strike gold in Amazon Business through the office furniture category, do thorough upfront market research, choose the right products, and refine your operating plan, your products may also stand out like the seller mentioned at the beginning, rise to the first page for major keywords, and become bestselling products in just a few days!