As many analysts say, the game is over in eyes of many people. There's a real need to make that shopping experience better and more convenient. Busey will run distribution operations there while son Andrew oversees the technology activities in Austin, Texas. In the fragmented industry, delivering heavy, bulky furniture to buyers is a key factor but not necessarily one that hurts Internet retailers. For the most part, what people buy is special-ordered.
Stores wind up ordering it from North Carolina.
In addition, stores usually go directly to manufacturers, since distributors that exist in other industries are scarce in furniture. Based on focus group research, Busey said most customers don't mind not seeing or touching merchandise before they buy it. Instead, his firm is inserting humans into the selling process. Brooks argues that offline furniture stores are too distracted by showroom operations issues to succeed online, and analyst Bellomy notes that furniture retailing is as fragmented as manufacturing. Most furniture chains are regional, not national.