Home decor goes DIY online

Websites give consumers control over a wide variety of materials, services and pricing options

When it comes to his do-it-yourself online products and services for home decor, Chen Zaochun, president and chief executive of BDhome, says they include: "Living area, dining area, bedrooms, study, decoration, art, lighting, carpeting, curtains, textile, you name it."

Chen has been working in the housing sector for more than two decades. He is now eyeing innovative home decoration and furnishing.

A house design on display at a recent property expo. Photos Provided to China Daily

It is a 4 trillion yuan ($620 billion; 543 billion euros) market, a cake "too huge to be ignored".

Using Dassault Systemes' technologies in transformative digital services, DIY platform aims to provide 3-D technologies that can recreate a physical showroom experience online.

China's home decoration market is using internet technologies to move offline showrooms online, creating a one-stop location for design and purchase of products and services for home decor.

Online showrooms are virtual meeting points for consumers, designers, constructors and product suppliers. More than 50 home decoration websites were established by 2015.

More than 35 have received funding from venture capitalists, according to a research report by the Beijing-based SootooTOO Research Institute, which focuses on online markets.

The report polled more than 1,000 consumers across China. More than 60 percent said they would be willing to use websites to purchase products and services for home decor.

"Internet-based platforms are quite flexible. Some are smart enough to recommend what you may need, based on the information you input. You can order an entire apartment decoration service package for 500,000 yuan, including services and materials. Or you can hire a construction team to install the materials you purchase online, thus getting greater control over quality and budget," says Hu Jingyu, a 37-year-old consumer in Shanghai.

Hu has just moved into a new apartment after decorating it using materials bought online and the services of a construction team he hired online.

Wang Yimiao, a 26-year-old interior designer with Shanghai Yumei Deco Design, says budget control is a difficult part of account management. But with more home decoration materials and product information now available online, she can better deploy budgets, she says.

"Usually, I will ask my clients what they value the most in their home. If it's the dining place and the bedroom, I'll allocate more budget to furniture in these areas. Some clients value flooring very much, so I advise them to use higher-priced wooden floors. As internet-based platforms enable price comparisons, clients feel the whole process is transparent and clear," Wang says.

Market analysts say the home decor market has been undergoing major changes in recent years as demand and supply become diversified.

A research note from Essence Securities Ltd says the construction materials market may further consolidate as the big players, particularly the A-share-listed ones that play a leading role in the market, increase their market share through internet services, exploiting their reputation and existing market lead.

The note says without the web, market players would be segmented and scattered, and products not integrated. Exposure via online sites will help the big players to further expand their presence.

Some players that focus on corporate business may now extend their services to the retail market and win business from individual consumers.

wuyiyao@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 04/15/2016 page27)