SINGAPORE – 4 December, 2020 – The Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC) marked new ground with the industry’s foremost digital initiative. Singapore furniture manufacturers and exporters have led the inaugural move to come together to create and deliver a dedicated e-sourcing and marketing platform, an industry first.
While some furniture businesses have already embarked on their individual digital platforms, it may still somewhat lack a holistic and cohesive industry presence to attract and capture more buyers.

Creativ-Space.com was officially co-launched by Minister of State (Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth & Ministry of Trade and Industry) Ms Low Yen Ling, SFIC President Mark Yong and Creativ-Space.com Committee Chairman Mr Phua Boon Huat through a simple ceremony.

The hybrid launch event was held on 8 October 2020 with key SFIC office bearers present at Grandwork Interior Pte Ltd’s music room and livestreamed via Youtube.

In delivering Creativ-Space (www.creativ-space.com), a Singapore furniture industry initiative supported by Enterprise Singapore (ESG), the platform feature initial offerings of a pioneer group of over 20 local brands in an effort to help the sector ride the digital wave.

SFIC expects to onboard more Singapore brands to jump onto the bandwagon and create a presence on this dedicated, business-to-business e-sourcing platform. Beyond the first year, the goal is to enrich the ecosystem by bringing in furniture designers and manufacturers from within ASEAN onto the e-sourcing platform.

The latest SFIC digital initiative was born out of the Singapore furniture industry’s goal to take homegrown furniture expertise, capability and know-how into the region and internationally. Singapore furniture players have already made their mark in trust, reliability and quality. This platform will increase speed-to-market while fostering
greater collaborations across disciplines and partners in the furniture trade.

Transforming & Innovating through Digitalisation
SFIC President Mr Mark Yong said: “The launch of Creativ-Space was the result of deep analysis of the strengths of where Singapore’s homegrown furniture industry is and where the opportunities lie. With the current COVID-19 situation persisting, we believe this digital marketing tool will enable the industry to overcome traditional
channels like furniture exhibitions and marketing trips to get closer to businesses and trade customers.”

SFIC shaping tomorrow, today
Prior to Covid-19, as part of its roadmap, SFIC had already embarked on initiatives that aim to help local companies embrace the digital wave to sharpen their competitiveness and expand their markets. The onset of COVID-19 has truly accelerated this push to get the industry to quickly pivot to equip local SMEs with the needed knowledge and tools in collating relevant customer data, visualising and assessing consumer and industry trends, and translating this critical information into products, solutions and experiences for both current and future customers.

Niche homegrown furniture upholstery player Danovel Pte Ltd is an example of a company expecting to leverage off Creativ-Space.

Danovel Pte Ltd Business Development Director Marcus Wong said: “The concept of eCommerce and digitalisation is something all companies have to embrace, like it or not. As a traditional business, a lot of Danovel’s sales in the past were made based on old methods, by means of enticing customers to visit our showroom. With Creativ-Space, Danovel now has a 10,000 sq ft virtual showroom at a fraction of the cost to a physical one and we can now show our customised furniture to anyone in the world.”

About Creativ-Space

Moving beyond conventional e-catalogues, the new e-sourcing platform has several distinguishing features that makes it stand apart from current e-sourcing and marketing platforms currently operated by distributional and media businesses.

These are:

• Three-Dimensional Showcase – Brands are able to display their products in a virtual and immersive setting offering different furniture and furniture related products.
• Themed Virtual ‘Pop ups’ and physical exhibitions – The amalgamation of physical and virtual showcases to become hybrid models to attract visitors both in person and online. Creativ-Space will take on a physical presence at selected trade fairs around the world for enhanced visibility
• Curated editorials – Creating an emotional connection with products through an editorial lens – product news, interviews with designers, buyers are edited to resonate with the target audience. The dedicated newsletters and features will reach out to over 15,000 trade buyers from various countries.
• Request for Quotations – An “Add-to-cart” RFQ feature brings immediate leads to brands
• Project Listings – Registered users can post the latest projects requesting furniture/furnishings products where only Creativ-Space brands can respond.
• Data Analytics Dashboard – Introduction of a dashboard to keep track of web traffic of your business

About Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC)
Singapore Furniture Industries Council was established in 1981 as the official representative body of Singapore’s furniture and furnishings industry. Its membership comprises furniture manufacturers, interior fit-out specialists, retailers, designers, as well as materials/components/services suppliers. Currently, the council represents 95% of established furniture manufacturers in Singapore, of whom 65% have subsidiary manufacturing plants in various countries across the region, including China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

SFIC’s primary role is to promote the interests of its members and the Singapore furniture and furnishings industry. For over 39 years, SFIC has helped its members to adapt to changes in the business environment by introducing trade, talent, design development and business innovation activities, as well as upgrading business capabilities to strengthen the ‘Singapore brand’ globally.