The 57th China Home Expo (Guangzhou) this year made its debut in the new retail furniture category and attracted brands such as Yushi Muwo, Lin's Home Furnishings, Lai's Furniture, Original Essence, Chu Fa Life, Mu Mo, Sike Lin, Fuxi, Atobi, De Xian, and Shiwai to showcase their products. The new retail category of Hongxing Meicai Long achieved an operating area of over 197,000 square meters.
The home new retail sector is accelerating its transformation into the main force of the industry. Its "three-stage evolution" of traffic accumulation → model upgrading → ecological symbiosis is reshaping the industry landscape. Especially at the intersection point where the "14th Five-Year Plan" transitions to the "15th Five-Year Plan", this evolution is taking place profoundly.
Traffic accumulation: The three-party pattern and the transformation of the red sea
The current home new retail model is constantly opening up its imaginative space. On one hand, new retail, through the integration of digital technology and supply chain, enables brands to produce products on demand, reduce inventory and operational costs; on the other hand, data-driven precise marketing and personalized customization have enhanced user loyalty and brand influence.
In terms of the competitive landscape, after more than a decade of in-depth development, this sector has now witnessed three forces advancing side by side, presenting the industry with a three-dimensional new perspective and new challenges:
The front-runners, represented by sources like Fujisato and Lin's Home Furnishings, are the leading players. Relying on the online traffic pool they have built over the years, they have moved from innovation to achieving scale effects, and have achieved "snowball" style development.
A typical approach, such as Lin's Home Furnishings, leverages its strong online traffic operation capabilities and digital management system to continuously track and control the flow of traffic, and integrates the online and offline information interaction in a deeply integrated manner. Its "Preferred Season" marketing in 2025 can be regarded as a model: launching a cloud-based new product live broadcast at the largest water-based Ferris wheel in Asia, "Suzhou Eye", moving the semi-sedated functional sofa to the road store, and selecting Lin's offline stores to set up a "Semi-Sedated Space", thus constructing an immersive online and offline scenario matrix.
Defenders represent the "small yet beautiful" breakthrough of the emerging dark horses. For instance, Hua Jie Home主打 new Chinese-style light Zen design， while Atubi focuses on niche design. Each has its own unique features, and they have a large number of loyal fans on platforms such as Red Card，Douyin，and Video Channel.
These emerging players have demonstrated the imagination of new retail in a different way: instead of pursuing a surge in GMV, they focus on "content promotion + private domain operation + niche experience", emphasizing vertical differentiation and emotional value, and deeply engaging with the target audience and thoroughly driving repeat purchases.
On the side, it is the "elephant turning around" for traditional brands. Almost all leading home furnishing brands are improving their online multi-channel operations. Gold Medal Home Furnishings has cultivated the Flyflow AI to explore autonomous design, while Gujia Home Furnishings has achieved remarkable results in its live streaming channels. Red Star Meikang has actively introduced over 30 online brands such as Caoqu, Chenwu, and Shiyu, and plans to expand the new retail furniture category business area to over 197,000 square meters in 2025, with a year-on-year increase of 64%. The online brands that were once regarded as "competitors" have now become honored guests in the offline channels.
What is even more intriguing is the awakening of the dealers. In the past, they merely waited passively for customers to come in. Now, almost all of them are actively setting up their presence on social platforms such as Xiaohongshu, Douyin, and Video号， and through systematic local operations， they are precisely guiding local traffic to their offline stores.
However, a significant change is taking place: The stage of traffic accumulation has entered the "red sea" - the cost of acquiring customers is continuously rising, and simply relying on "nurturing interest" is no longer sustainable.
How to create an efficient conversion path from "online promotion" to "offline experience" in the crowded online market has become a topic of common concern in the industry. At the upcoming China International Home Textile & Fashion Fair (Guangzhou) in 2026, both leading players and emerging challengers will take the stage to showcase their new retail breakthrough strategies after deep engagement in the online market. It is definitely worth looking forward to.
Mode Dimensional Expansion: Quadruple Transitions and Synergistic Efficiency
The new paradigm of home furnishing observes that when the accumulation of traffic reaches a critical point, the industry will enter the "mode scaling period" of the "three-stage evolution theory" of home new retail - the core logic shifts from "simply seizing traffic" to "coordinated efficiency enhancement across the entire domain". Achieving integration of online and offline, data-driven operations, upgrading of scenario-based experiences, acceleration of youthfulness and intelligence, etc., this will also be a trend that this year's China Home Industry Fair (Guangzhou) may focus on presenting.
The collective "opening of physical stores" by online brands is the most prominent feature of this upgrade. Data from iimedia Research shows that over 72% of online home furnishing brands plan to accelerate their offline expansion within two years.
Sourceji Mu Yu has recently adopted the "self-operation + regional franchise" model, with its offline stores exceeding 1,500; Lin's Home furnishing has over 1,000 stores worldwide, and the growth rate of its large-store model was very rapid last year; Original Element has been deeply involved in all-channel operations, and Skelin has over 200 offline stores."
Data-driven operation is the second core feature of model upgrading. The core competitiveness of home new retail has shifted from "traffic" to "data". Through multiple channels such as online platforms, offline stores, and smart devices, user data (including consumption preferences, room size, decoration style, budget range, etc.) is collected to build precise user profiles. Then, based on this, the research and development, marketing, and inventory management are optimized to achieve cost reduction and efficiency improvement, reflecting the operational logic of new retail where "data is the core asset".
Many new retail brands participating in the China Home Industry Expo (Guangzhou) have informed Home New Paradigm that during the exhibition, they will establish a direct link between live-streaming explanations and order placement, thereby creating an immediate connection between content and sales. This will enable the efficient conversion of traffic into business results.
The upgrade of scenario-based experiences is the third major feature. New retail brands have abandoned the traditional single-item display model and, based on user needs, have strengthened cross-category collaboration. Through innovative displays, interactive experiences, and scenario-based arrangements, they have driven the industry to shift from "selling products" to "selling lifestyles", more effectively attracting users' attention and participation.
Furthermore, modernization and intelligence have become crucial supports for the upgrade of the model. New retail brands mainly target consumers under the age of 45, winning by offering high-quality products and fashionable designs, and they are adept at innovating in new product categories that are easily accepted by young people, such as smart technologies.
Among them, the lightweight design of the Rui Furniture Orange Fruit series is suitable for young families. Artobi revitalizes traditional craftsmanship with a trendy touch. Shiwai focuses on children's growth spaces. The intelligent new products such as the "Cloud Enjoy Intelligent Adjustment Series" functional sofa and the "Yuanjiu Wood Language Electric Storage Solid Wood Bed" precisely capture the current consumption trend.
This year's Home Expo featured an exhibition area of 850,000 square meters and over 4,900 participating brands. It showcased the world's first new products across the entire industry chain, as well as online promotion, offline experience, and cross-regional collaboration. These efforts aim to address the same question: As the traffic红利 has peaked， where is the direction for model upgrading？
Ecological Symbiosis: Full-chain Empowerment and Trend Dance
The ultimate stage of the "New Home Retail Evolution in Three Stages" is the "Ecological Coexistence Period" - breaking down the barriers among brands, channels, platforms, and exhibitions, achieving coordinated empowerment throughout the entire chain, and upgrading the new retail model from a single mode to a full industrial ecosystem.
At the brand aggregation level, the 57th CIFF Guangzhou precisely aggregated forces from the entire new retail sector, including Yashio Wood Language, Lin Home Furnishings, Lai Furniture, Original Essence, Beyond Life, Mu Mo, Sike Lin, Farkus, Atobi, De Xian, and Shi Jian. Leading players, up-and-coming challengers, and traditional brands in transition all shared the stage, presenting an ecological symbiotic scene. The aim is to provide an efficient platform for this booming sector to explore trends, connect resources, and embark on an overseas journey.
In terms of channel empowerment, the absolute advantages of China Home Expo (Guangzhou) in the dual circulation of the international and domestic markets will bring more possibilities to international new retail brands. Currently, Lin's Home Furnishings has established a presence on international platforms such as Amazon, and its products are exported to 67 major countries and regions; Artobi will present the global shipping solution at China Home Expo (Guangzhou).
During the exhibition, the "SOFA PLUS", Smart Ecology Pavilion, Cross-border E-commerce Pavilion and other specialized zones will also assist brands in connecting with global channel resources.
At the industry empowerment level, the Xiaohongshu account of the CIFF Guangzhou Home Expo, @CIFF Guangzhou Home Expo, has been fully upgraded. It has created the "Revealing Storytelling Studio of Home", "Good Products Appreciation Area of Home", and "Inspiration Collection of Home", presenting electronic guides, physical lists, and decoration tutorials. It breaks the boundaries of the exhibition hall and realizes the ecological loop of "online promotion, offline experience, and on-site transaction".
For buyers, distributors, designers, etc., the exhibition is an excellent platform to grasp trends, select brands, and learn models - here, one can not only connect with leading new retail brands, but also discover emerging talents and黑马 (rarely used term， might mean "dark horse" or "underdog")， and also learn core capabilities such as data operation and scene setup, thereby reducing risks in entrepreneurship and transformation.
Of course, there are still challenges during the ecological symbiosis period: The supply chain and business model need to be further restructured, cross-category collaboration capabilities need to be enhanced, and the habit of "online promotion + offline experience" by consumers still needs to be cultivated. The China International Home Furnishing Fair (Guangzhou) is precisely the "solution platform" for these challenges. Through the integration of all-chain resources, it "renews the chain" and promotes the common progress of the industry.
From the single-point breakthrough during the traffic accumulation stage, to the all-encompassing collaboration during the mode upgrading stage, and finally to the full-chain empowerment during the ecological symbiosis stage, the "three-stage evolution of home new retail" clearly delineates the transformation path of the industry.
