Intiaro Releases Key Findings from Proprietary pAIn Study

Industry-leading visual commerce expert uncovers top operational, sales, and marketing pain points across furniture manufacturing landscape.

Published on Mar. 2, 2026

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Intiaro, an industry-leading visual commerce expert, has released findings from its proprietary pAIn survey, a research initiative designed to uncover the most pressing operational, sales, and marketing pain points across the furniture manufacturing industry. The survey results reflect input from over 50 executives and senior leaders, painting a clear picture of where the industry is investing and where execution appears to break down.

Why it matters

The pAIn survey provides valuable insights into the challenges facing furniture manufacturers as they navigate increasing complexity, tighter margins, and rising expectations from retailers and consumers. Understanding these pain points can help industry players identify areas for improvement and investment to drive greater efficiency and competitiveness.

The details

The survey found that resistance to digital transformation is no longer the issue, as most respondents reported plans to maintain or increase spending on digital technology. However, execution remains uneven, with back-end systems and integration challenges emerging as the top constraint. Slow onboarding and product launch processes, customer service and order-handling overhead, and analytics and visibility lagging behind decision-making needs were also identified as key pain points.

  • The pAIn survey was conducted in March 2026.

The players

Intiaro

An industry-leading visual commerce expert that developed and authored the proprietary pAIn survey.

Pawel Ciach

The CEO of Intiaro, who developed the pAIn survey to help the company listen more closely to its primary customers—furniture manufacturers—and use that feedback to continually evaluate and enhance its visual commerce platform and services.

Comer Shuford Wear

The vice president of marketing at Century Furniture, a company that is partnered with Intiaro along with the Rock House Farm Family of Brands.

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What they’re saying

“We're continuing to invest, but improving efficiency and reducing friction across operations is just as important as growth.”

— Comer Shuford Wear, Vice President of Marketing, Century Furniture (Home News Now)

“The defining pattern of 2025, according to the survey, is a disconnect between strategic intent and operational follow-through. Change is not being blocked but rather slowed as it moves through organizations.”

— Pawel Ciach, CEO, Intiaro (Home News Now)

“We believe success for furniture manufacturers in the coming year will not be defined by who invests the most. It will belong to those who reduce friction between systems and shorten the distance between decision and execution.”

— Pawel Ciach, CEO, Intiaro (Home News Now)

The takeaway

The pAIn survey highlights the need for furniture manufacturers to focus not only on digital transformation investments, but also on improving operational efficiency and reducing friction across their systems and workflows. By addressing these pain points, industry players can drive greater competitiveness and better serve the evolving needs of retailers and consumers.