The contribution of design and aesthetics to the development of the armchairs market Ikea Stockholm armchair

Motivation for choosing the product

The furniture market is one of the best activity domains in which design and aesthetics has developed for centuries and is successfully developing in the present time. It is as well an important subject to study for Product Design and Aesthetics because of the link between furniture, its elements and its decorative function with art and aesthetic. The armchair, in particular, is a piece of furniture which suffered many changes and upgrades under the various art movements and Ikea Stockholm armchair is a good representative of the nowadays designs.

The need of the product (from the consumer perspective)

People have been using and needing chairs from the ancient times. The main need of humans is the concept of objects that serve as a place to sit. Armchairs not only function as a place to sit, but as a place to settle down and relax. These features that an armchair gives to its users are offered by its specific elements that make the product differentiate by a chair, a stool, a bench or a couch.

Source: http://design-milk.com/de-evolution-by-brad-ascalon-for-dedar-at-moscow-design-week/

History / the evolution of product design

The chair, or the armchair is an extremely old piece of furniture that for more than thousands of years stood as an object used for state and dignity rather than an article of ordinary use. The very first inventor is unknown because the first evidence of this comes from 4750-4600BC as a chair clay model.

Every era that passed by affected in an evolutionary manner the design and manufacturing process of the armchairs. From the Egyptian Pharaoh armchair or Greek chairs painted on vases, to Medieval thrones or to the modern chairs, design and aesthetics reached high levels of beauty, craftsmanship and more than that, art.

The main factors that contributed to its evolution is simply the evolution of humanity, art and design driven also by art movements. As the picture shows below, the most important art movements left them mark on the chairs and armchairs.

2. GENERAL MARKET AND PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS

1.1. Market description (to whom it is addressed the product, potential buyers)

The product is addressed to consumers of various ages with purchasing power. From teenagers to elder people, the armchair represents a good furnishing piece that is useful any time in their houses or offices. Potential buyers of the product are the younger generation that might be not as interested in the purchase of an armchair, preferring a chairs which is more suitable for their energetic life style or in some cases, an armchair may represent an old fashioned piece of furniture.

1.2. The main players on the market (companies that sells the product)

No. Company Market share (2013) Turnover (2008)

1 Elvila International SA 16.4 % € 115 million

2 Mobexpert Group SRL 14.8 % € 169 million

3 Inter IKEA Systems 10.7 % RON 360 million

4 Kika Möbelhandels GmbH 4.2 % € 11.8 million

5 Simex SA 1.9 % RON 20.3 million

Source: www.economica.net; www.zf.ro; www.wikipedia.ro; www.euromonitor.ro.

According to an Euromonitor study submitted by economica.net, in 2013 the market shares of Elvila`s International SA was 16.4 % versus 21.1% in 2008 (22% decrease), while Mobexpert lost 3.9 percentage points over the same period (20 %), reaching 14.8%. The reduction occurred gradually, so that at the level of 2012, for example, 16.7 % of the market is controlled Elvila, and Mobexpert 15.3 %. Although this specialized market is slightly going up.

1.3. Estimates for the growth market potential of the product

Home furnishings in Romania registered positive retail value sales growth for the fourth consecutive year in 2014, following the declines seen in 2008 and 2009, as a result of the financial crisis. Retail value sales saw growth of 5% in 2014, a sign that both consumer confidence and disposable income levels in the country are recovering.

In 2014, it accounted for a leading retail value sales share of 9% in home furnishings in Romania. Mobexpert Group has eight furniture factories producing for both Romania and for export, and it also has outlets in Sofia (Bulgaria) and Belgrade (Serbia.