Modern marketing communications in the forest sector as a factor to increase the added value in terms of COVID-19

The closure of international borders due to COVID-19 has made it difficult to plan the timing of orders along the entire global value chain. This negatively affected the ability to timely produce the desired and ordered customers‘ furniture. As a result, when communicating with customers and suppliers, a shorter period of validity of the price offer was introduced. It required a review and update of the price offer and additional delay in the negotiations. A study of the main marketing strategies of the Bulgarian companies in the furniture industry is needed to outline to what extent they have been able to meet customer expectations. This research presents the role and significance of modern marketing tools for furniture manufacturers and clients in crisis conditions. Hence, the trends in the furniture market compared to consumer desires in the context of the new working and living conditions. The research methodology includes a study of 85 Bulgarian furniture manufacturers. The data were collected using a large-scale questionnaire distributed on the spot during the months March-April 2022. In addition, 80 furniture consumers were questioned regarding the used and preferred marketing communications by furniture manufacturers. The questionnaires were distributed in the period of September-October 2022. The results of the survey show that furniture manufacturers in Bulgaria have not yet met consumer expectations, using mainly traditional marketing methods of communication