Reality Check: Would You Order a Sofa...From Your Phone?

It's tough enough to shop online for furniture and home goods, so why would a major retailer like Crate and Barrel decide to jump into the newfangled world of iPhone apps? It's not like Crate and Barrel is alone -- just about every retailer, including home furnishings stores such as IKEA and Sears -- seems to be debuting a cute and snappy app for the growing world of mobile shoppers.

Still, ordering software or a pair of shoes online is one thing, but how many of us would order a major item, like a sofa over the Internet, especially from a phone? Does it make any sense for any furniture retailer, like Crate and Barrel, to join the app frenzy?

To be fair, Crate and Barrel is still testing the waters on what will and what won't sell over a phone. Though furniture and the gift registry were two of the top visited sections on the store's iPhone app during the holiday season, the company plans to use the experience to further refine the mobile site. They can't be sure exactly where the sweet spots will be. "However, we've had customers thank us for the convenience of being able to order a last minute gift while waiting at an airport gate," says Dave Widmer, Crate and Barrel's Internet guru, in an interview with ShelterPop. "Another customer who forgot to buy a wedding gift was able to place an order from their phone while at the church."

You might be swayed towards ordering home goods from a specific retailer if you knew there were coupons involved, and that's just what Crate and Barrel is offering through a partnership with Yowza.com, a mobile coupon application. To get a head's up on current coupons and promotions that are going on the stores, you have to download the Yowza!! app on iTunes (it's free). If Crate and Barrel is one of your favorite haunts, then by all means this or another furniture retailer's app may be for you. But if it's too much work to check in on coupons and promotions, it's probably best to actually enter a store to kick the tires on a real, live piece of furniture.