Prelude
27-year-old Dan Ng grew up watching his parents procuring and retailing furniture in their family-run business Choice Furniture in Singapore. The then-fledgling business was established in 1997 and occupied a space within Bukit Panjang Plaza, which Dan describes as “two modern-sized classrooms put together”.
But despite the small physical facade, the retail space boasts an extensive furniture catalogue comprising wardrobes, sofas, beds, drawers, and dining sets. “We used to showcase our furniture range to our customers whenever the mall held furniture fairs,” he reminisces. It didn’t take long for the Singaporean label to expand.
In 2002, Choice Furniture relinquished their brick-and-mortar outlet at Bukit Panjang Plaza and moved to a larger showroom in the historic Rochor Centre. Four years later in 2006, the family debuted their own line of mattresses with a brand-new company, Makedon Mattress. According to Dan, the impetus to kickstart the mattress label was a pragmatic decision, fuelled by the community’s need.
“Lower range brands were not comfortable enough while luxurious overseas mattress brands were too expensive for the common Singaporeans who were looking for good quality and affordable mattresses.”
Dan Ng, owner of Choice Furniture on the reason for starting their Makedon Mattress brand.
Following the demolition of Rochor Centre in June 2018, the family moved again. This time to Hillview Avenue, where they have been residing ever since. Dan, who has observed his parents managed Choice Furniture since young, has also taken over as a Digital Marketer and Business Development Manager.
With more than two decades of history, it’s safe to say that Choice Furniture has seen the furniture landscape changed over the years. When quipped about these changing trends, Dan recalls, “In the 1990s and early-2000s, customers favoured traditional furniture styles, such as wooden furniture or leather recliner sofas. Three-seater leather recliner sofas in earthly tones were ubiquitous in many Singaporean households because of its functionality and simplicity.”
It wasn’t until the proliferation of social media in the mid-2010s that sparked a change in consumer tastes and preferences. As people became more exposed to global brands and new landscapes, new trends — the likes of minimalism and art deco — started surfacing.
“We make sure we catch up with the latest trend and source for stylish furniture.”
Dan Ng, owner of Choice Furniture on the how the brand keeps up with the times.
In the lead-up before the official National Day Celebration, Dan speaks exclusively with hoolah on how Choice Furniture thrives in recent times as well as how the second-generation owner is managing the business at such an unprecedented time.
What is Choice Furniture?
Choice Furniture is a one-stop furniture shop in Singapore for customers to procure their furniture to build their dream home. Our tagline Better Furniture, Better Homes follows that vision that we have in mind for all Singaporeans.
“We believe that with better furniture, you can create a more comfortable living environment to create precious memories with your loved ones.”
Dan Ng, owner of Choice Furniture on the brand’s vision.
What are some home décor trends that are popular lately? What are customers going for?
These days, Singaporeans have been eyeing Scandinavian designs or pursuing the Art Deco aesthetic
For the former, we are looking at designs that are clean and minimalist. Scandinavian furniture boasts plenty of wooden accents and muted tones (Grey, White, or Brown).
For the latter, it takes a play on symmetry and tips hats to opulence. Art Deco furniture looks just like what you see in the movie The Great Gatsby: sofas, made either in leather or velvet, come with buttoned upholstery (Chesterfield sofa) and legs that are gold, silver or rose gold in colour, while dining tables are often marbled. The colours take on a more vibrant hue (yellow, turqoise, green and magenta).
With the pandemic in the midst, did business pick up for you?
It was bad during the circuit breaker period as we were not allowed to open our showroom. We relied heavily on our e-commerce site and social media to reach out to customers. It was only when businesses were allowed to operate in person that we started seeing a gradual increase in business.
How did hoolah enter the picture? What pain points did hoolah help resolved?
We noticed that customers might have some budget constraints, especially with Covid-19. At the same time, we also realised that not many of them use credit cards to pay via instalments. Understandably, using credit card installment plans entail some form of interest charge.
We found that hoolah is best suited for debut card owners with its interest-free installment payment plans. Just by using hoolah, customers are able to afford the things they need over the course of three months. We are happy that customers do not have to bear the pressure of forking out so much money in one go, yet still be able to customise their furniture.
We saw an increase in revenue both online and in-store with hoolah. Customers can now shop for their favourite furniture without worries.
“With hoolah, we see a 60% increase in sales online and in our retail store. We are glad to share that hoolah is the top payment solution option available at Choice Furniture.”
Dan Ng, owner of Choice Furniture on the brand’s success after joining hoolah.
Today, what are some notable achievements Choice Furniture has received?
Choice Furniture has collaborated with notable celebrities in Singapore to promote our brand. These Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) have tried and tested our products, and they support them. We have done home tours with them to showcase our furniture.
We believe that our customers are equally influential as well. We are thankful that many have promoted us by word of mouth. They can use these points to offset their future purchases.
“We plan to reward our customers with an in-house point rewarding system where they are able to collect reward points for shopping with us.”
Dan Ng, owner of Choice Furniture on the brand’s next steps to retaining customer loyalty.
All images courtesy of Choice Furniture.
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