Skip to content
Building Materials & Furnishings Companies:

You Need an AI-Powered Buying Journey in 2025

(The 12 Numbers That Prove It)

For building and furnishings companies, AI represents more than just a technological upgrade—it's becoming the key to unifying and optimizing the entire custom buying journey. As we move through 2025, the traditional sales process is showing significant strain under evolving buyer expectations and market demands.

However, emerging data presents a compelling case for AI's transformative potential across every stage of the customer journey. Let's examine the numbers that make this case undeniable.

icon25 ai visual discovery

Product Discovery: The First 5 Seconds Matter

The stakes for effective product discovery have never been higher.

61%

of buyers will abandon a website within just five seconds

if they can't find what they're looking for. This statistic alone underscores the critical need for AI-powered discovery systems that can instantly understand and fulfill buyer intent.

47%

of contractors now preferring AI-recommended product selections

This preference isn't just about convenience—it's driving real business results.

28%

increase in cross-selling for home improvement purchases with AI-powered recommendation engines

(Clasko, Faster Capital)
ai guided selling office space
icon25 ai guided selling

Guided Selling: The Human-AI Balance

The transformation in guided selling is perhaps most striking. McKinsey reports that

62% of building material manufacturers are implementing AI-driven CRM platforms

to personalize interactions with dealers and contractors. This shift comes as virtual showroom technologies are reducing in-person sales interactions by 35%.

These changes align perfectly with evolving customer preferences. 70% of people want zero interaction with store personnel while shopping. Supporting this trend, McKinsey projected that AI virtual assistants would handle 45% of basic material inquiries, freeing human staff for more complex consultations.

(McKinsey, Commerce Times)

Learn more
icon25 visual configurator

Visual Configuration: Manufacturing Leads the Way

The manufacturing sector's embrace of AI-powered configuration tools is particularly noteworthy.

45%

of companies are now using AI-powered configuration tools for complex products

setting a standard for the industry and demonstrating the technology's practical value.

(Venture Beat)

Purchase: The Bottom Line Impact

The financial implications of AI integration are compelling.

AI-powered pricing tools were expected to help buyers save 12-18% on material costs through predictive analytics.

Projects that dynamic pricing systems will reduce overpayment on bulk orders by 15-20%.

The benefits extend beyond cost savings. Companies using AI configurators saw a 28% increase in customer satisfaction scores and AI recommendation engines were expected to improve order accuracy by 30%.

(Data Science Central, The Boston Consulting Group, Master of Code, Comarch) 

The Path Forward

These numbers tell a clear story: AI isn't just enhancing the buying journey—it's fundamentally reimagining it. For building and furnishings companies, the question is no longer whether to implement AI-powered solutions, but how quickly they can be deployed to meet evolving customer expectations and stay competitive in an increasingly digital marketplace.

Success in 2025 and beyond will belong to companies that embrace AI not as a standalone solution, but as an integral part of a unified, customer-centric buying experience.