Thanks for visiting our blog at Dai Phuc Hung Thinh Furniture, one of Vietnam's most experienced outdoor furniture suppliers. If you are in the outdoor/furniture industry, we hope you’ve had a successful 2024 season!

For outdoor and garden furniture retailers like you, the past few months were about handling high demand as customers made the most of their outdoor spaces.

Now, with summer winding down (and you are back refreshed from your amazing vacation with family and friends), it’s time to shift gears and start planning for next season.

Although 2025 is still a couple of months away, the preparation starts today.

This period from late August through November is crucial for all of us. You’ve gathered valuable data from the past season—what worked, what didn’t, and what your customers really wanted.

And now’s the time to turn those insights into smart ordering decisions. As a garden furniture supplier, we’re entering our busiest season, too, preparing to fulfill orders that need to hit shelves by spring 2025.

With 21 years supplying to many of the world's largest furniture suppliers, we have accumulated great insights that will help any furniture retailer to prepare for the next successful season. Here’s how to make the most of the data you’ve collected and get ahead of the game:

Reading time: just 1 minute 30 seconds ⤵️

🔍 1. Dig Into Your Best-Sellers (and Underperformers)

Review which furniture items flew off the shelves and which didn’t meet expectations. Identifying top performers and trends within specific regions or customer segments can be a game-changer.

Did certain materials or styles gain popularity? Did some price points sell better than others?

Use these insights to fine-tune your assortment for next year.

📈 2. Combine Sales Data with Trends from Furniture Fairs

Sales data is crucial but not the only source of insight. Many buyers, like you, attended multiple furniture fairs worldwide throughout 2024, gathering ideas on trends, designs, and consumer preferences.

By merging the insights gained from fairs with your own sales data, you can create a lineup that not only reflects what worked this past season but also aligns with where the market is headed.

🚢 4. Navigate Geopolitical Tensions and Rising Freight Costs

2024 saw significant geopolitical tension, particularly around the Red Sea, driving freight costs higher.

On top of that, many exporters are front-loading shipments for the holiday season, placing higher bids to secure timely shipping.

To navigate these challenges and keep your costs in check, consider the following strategies:

1️⃣ Hedge Freight Costs: Book a portion of your container slots now and hold off on booking the rest until closer to the shipping date. This approach balances securing current rates with flexibility to adjust if prices change.

2️⃣ Flexible Ordering: Place orders earlier or in staggered quantities to avoid peak shipping times and spread out costs. This method helps sidestep the rush and elevated freight rates during high-demand periods, ensuring smoother supply chain operations.

Planning ahead with these strategies can provide more control over costs and better positioning as shipping conditions fluctuate.

⏳ 3. Start Now for On-Time Delivery

For orders that need to be delivered by early 2025, planning now is critical.

With the typical lead time of around 3 months for most furniture manufacturers and suppliers, orders placed between now and November will give you a clear path to having everything in stock ahead of the next season.

🌐 4. Take Advantage of The Shift to Vietnam 🇻🇳

With tariffs and geopolitical pressures still influencing the cost of Chinese furniture, more retailers are moving their sourcing to Vietnam.

This trend isn’t slowing down, especially in Europe and North America.

Why? There's no tariffs on Vietnamese furniture.

Not from Europe, nor North America, wherever you are.

Plus, Vietnam has become one of the largest furniture exporters, with competitive pricing, incredible craftsmanship, and many options regarding suppliers, materials, and products.

As one of the longest-standing suppliers in Vietnam’s outdoor furniture industry, with over two decades of experience, my family business, Dai Phuc Hung Thinh Furniture, has the know-how to guide you through this transition smoothly.

Our FSC-certified acacia and eucalyptus furniture has already proven itself across European markets since 2003.

As one of Vietnam's most experienced garden furniture suppliers, we are proud to have supplied some of the largest and most respected retailers across Europe, including those in Denmark (such as JYSK), Germany, and Poland, with not only the best outdoor furniture Vietnam has to offer but also with our experience and insights.

Send us a message today at sales@daiphuchungthinh.com.vn