As part of our recent retail website development activity with home furnishings client, Pacific Lifestyle, we have undertaken an updated review of 20 of the UK’s leading home furnishings online retail websites.
myCloud Media believe research is a really important and essential part of the website design and development process. We are happy to share some of our findings below...
1. Made
Made.com offers designer home furnishings at affordable prices by cutting out the “high street middlemen”.
The website is clean, stylish and easy to use. Products are displayed with great visuals and lots of technical information to help you make your buying decision.
We particularly liked the top navigation with category, designer and collection links, plus the use of videos on some of the product pages.
Our score 9/10
2. John Lewis
John Lewis is a well-known and well-respected high street retailer with a reputation for supplying high quality products.
The home and garden section of their website is stylish and features bold imagery to highlight different products ranges. Users can navigate the site using either the top or side menu bar and products can be browsed by room or category.
We really liked "The Edit" and “Buying Guides” pages which link to products, allowing users to shop by their chosen theme.
Our score 8/10
3. Cox & Cox
Cox & Cox aim to provide home furnishings products that are different from other suppliers.
The website has a stylish and contemporary look and feel, and is very simple to navigate.
We like the strong use of inspirational imagery which effectively showcases the unique range of products.
Our score 8/10
4. Barker and Stonehouse
Barker and Stonehouse was established in 1946 and has been providing furniture and home furnishings to customers for over 65 years.
The website is easy to navigate and uses large image panels to direct customers to different product categories.
One of our favourite things was the seasonal looks with a shopping list of products that help you to recreate the look.
Our score 7/10
5. Habitat
Habitat was originally founded by Sir Terence Conran in 1964 and is renowned for supplying modern, inspirational products that set future trends.
The Habitat website is simple and stylish, with a clean white background which is the perfect backdrop to showcase the bold product range.
We particularly like the ability for products to be shared via social networking, especially being able to pin a product directly to your own mood board in Pinterest.
Our score 8/10
6. Heal's
Heal's has been designing, making and selling quality furniture for more than two centuries and is known as 'the home of modern and contemporary designer furniture'.
The website has a modern look and feel, and is easy to navigate. Visitors can search by room, product category or brand and can share their favourite products via social networking.
We really liked the top menu bar which was very comprehensive and easy to follow.
Our score 8/10
7. Wayfair
As a new leading online retailer, the business pushed out heavily with their advertising in 2019. The effort paid off, positioning Wayfair as a great one-stop-shop for all things home.
We are not a massive fan of the website design look and feel, but the functionality is great.
Although the pages are a little bit crowded, the website is easy to navigate and the search categories simple to follow.
We liked the facility to configure furniture, use lots of filters and the "Room Ideas" was pretty helpful too.
Our score 7/10
8. Marks and Spencer
Marks and Spencer is one of the UK's leading retailers, selling stylish, high quality and great value home products.
The M&S website has a fresh, clean look that currently reflects their spring product range.
Although the home and furniture collection is a sub-section of the main M&S website, it is well-illustrated with striking imagery and is easy to navigate by the menu bar in the left-hand column.
The site contains a good range of products which visitors can search for by category and refine their search by price and customer rating.
Our score 8/10
9. Dunelm
Dunelm is an out-of-town homewares retailer which provides a comprehensive range of products to customers across the UK.
The website is easy to navigate and showcases products against a simple white background. The top menu bar allows visitors to drill down by product type or colour and highlights bestselling products and current offers.
The site contains a wide selection of products including a variety of internet exclusive offers.
Our score 7/10
10. Dwell
Dwell is a supplier of contemporary furniture and home furnishings with a small number of stores around the UK. Purchases are predominantly made by mail order or online.
The Dwell website currently promotes a sale so the home page is dominated with discounts and offer banners.
Although the site is clear and easy to navigate by the top menu bar, it lacks inspirational lifestyle shots which would help visitors imagine items in their own homes.
Our score 7/10
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11. Next
Next is a popular and highly rated retailer selling home furnishings from high street stores, via the Next Directory and online.
The Next website has a clean and clear layout that is very easy to navigate and effectively uses room shots and lifestyle images to showcase the product range.
We particularly like the drop-down top navigation bar that allows visitors to browse products by room or category.
Our score 8/10
12. Rūma
A brand new home furnishings website was launched to great acclaim in July2020.
myCloud Media have been working behind the scenes with the team launching the new website and we are excited to be involved with the roll-out for the summer.
Designed to be the home of curated living, the collectionsfeature inspirational hand-picked homewares for luxury living spaces.
Our score 8/10
13. The White Company
The White Company is a well-known high street retailer that premium quality furniture and home accessories, as well as a range of clothing and kidswear.
Although The White Company’s home furnishings and clothing range are promoted on the same website, the layout is clean and clear with a sophisticated and contemporary design.
We really like the "Inspire" section with lifestyle photography, stories, recipes and product links. All very clean and crisp...
Our score 9/10
14. IKEA
A Swedish born company, Ikea has become a much-loved home furnishings supplier in the UK providing everything you could possibly need, and more.
The Ikea website contains an extensive product range but uses inspirational imagery to showcase products in real-life room sets.
Users can browse products by room or by type, but whichever option you choose, strong imagery continues to guide you.
We love the facility to build a shopping list and check real-time stock in your nearest store.
The iOS App with roomset click-thru to order works well to support the online buying experience.
Our score 9/10
15. The Range
The Range offers over 65,000 products for home, leisure and garden. Their ethos is to present mid-price items that help buyers to create a stylish home.
The Range website has a clean and clear layout and uses large image panels to highlight key products and offers. The top drop-down menu bar helps uses to quickly and easily navigate to their chosen product category.
Overall, the Range website fits its ethos perfectly.
Our score 7/10
16. House of Fraser
A leading high street retailer, known for offering premium quality products, House of Fraser was snapped up by Mike Ashley's Sports Direct in 2019 after briefly going into administration.
Providing a wide range of furniture and home accessories products, Home & Furniture is a sub-section of the main House of Fraser website which is easily navigated to from the top menu bar. Visitors can search for home products by drilling down by category, brand, colour, price and material.
The site contains a good range of quality products but could be improved with more lifestyle imagery.
Our score 7/10
17. Graham & Green
Graham & Green is a family-owned independent business established in 1974. With 4 retail stores and a retail warehouse, the new website went live in 2018.
The quality furniture and homewares collections have a lovely bespoke feel and many items are handcrafted.
We like the clear product information, stock updates and lifestyle product photography.
Our score 8/10
18. Argos
Argos is one of the UK’s leading retailers supplying an extensive range of homeware and general merchandise.
The Argos website has a clean and clear design with wide image panels introducing selected product ranges on the home page.
The use of drop-down menus enables visitors to easily browse their required product category or brand and customer reviews help them make their final decision.
We love the facility to check stock at your local store and reserve a product for collection.
Our score 7/10
19. Furniture123
Furniture123 was one of the first online-only retailers of furniture in the UK. The company supplies furniture for all areas of the home and a small range of home accessories.
The website has a similar style and design to other online oak and pine furniture retailers with a clean white background and green headers.
It is easy to navigate with the top drop-down menu bar and the product range looks good quality, but the site could be enhanced with inspirational lifestyle imagery.
Our score 7/10
20. The Conran Shop
Founded by design icon Terence Conran, the Conran Shop is a leading lifestyle retailer offering an exciting and unique hand-picked blend of gifts, furniture, lighting, home accessories.
The website - probably one of our favourites - is sleek and stylish and makes an immediate impact with inspirational imagery.
Overall, the website has great appeal for the designer home furnishings market, but the designer name does come with designer prices...
Our score 9/10
And there's more...
21. Zara Home
One of the world’s biggest fashion retailers, Spain’s Inditex launched Zara Home in 2003 and now has over 400 stores (pre-Covid19) in 44 countries including the UK.
The Zara Home website is big and bold with easy to use left side navigation (desktop) directing the user to main and subcategories.
We love the "mobile-first" approach of the page layouts, making shopping via your smartphone super easy.
Our score 8/10
We'd love to get your feedback and recommendations for other websites that you like...
If you are an online furniture or homewares retailer, please send us your details using the form below - we'll check out the website and add you to the post. (We do reserve the right not to add submissions - thanks.)
Article by: Tim Bennett
myCloud Media | Yorkshire Web Designers