Home and houseware products make great gifts for any occasion, but they really make an impact for life-changing moments, such as weddings, housewarmings, baby showers, and retirements. Sponsored by Newell Brands, survey results of the 2023 International Housewares Association (IHA) Occasions Report provide insight on the opportunities for brands in the home and housewares space to serve upcoming personal, family and friend celebrations.
Engagements, Bridal Showers, and Weddings
A quarter of survey respondents said that they were very likely or somewhat likely to attend a wedding in 2023, while 21% were very likely or somewhat likely to attend an engagement party and 20% expect to attend a bridal shower.
- Consumers ages 18–34 years old lead the category as this group tends to be the ones going through a lot of these transitions.
- In fact, 7% of responders in this age group would likely attend 5+ weddings this coming year.
- The survey shows that bridal showers are where guests are more likely to buy a specific gift instead of a gift card with 49% vs 31%. Followed narrowly by weddings where 48% of guests say they expect to buy a specific gift and 34% expect to buy a gift card.
- The survey suggests that this is the case because gifts are open in front of family and friends at bridal showers and have a more emotional aspect, where wedding gifts are opened by the couple after the fact.
- Popular gift buying categories for these occasions are kitchen products, bedroom items, organization, home products, bathroom, and personal care products.
Pet Ownership and Baby Showers
Homes are expecting new family members in the new year, whether human or furry, parents plan to celebrate their new bundles of joy!
- 64% of consumers expect to celebrate at least one new pet ownership welcoming, with 49% saying they would likely purchase cleaning products and 25% looking to grab organization and home décor products for the occasion.
- According to a spokesperson for the American Pet Products Association (APPA) pointed out in their 2021-2022 survey that pet ownership grew from an estimated 67% of U.S. households to 70%.
- Similarly, 62% of survey respondents anticipate attending a single baby shower in 2023. Family and friends plan on gifting expecting parents bathroom or personal care products, with 38% saying so. Other gifts include bedroom products (28%) organizational and home storage (27%), organization or home décor (27%), cleaning or home environment products (22%) and kitchen products (12%).
Home Ownership, College-Bound, and Retirement
No matter what stage you are in life, we are constantly on the move. Moving and changing can be hard but having the right friends, family, and products can help with the transition.
- 68% of responders said they were expecting to participate in a household related occasion, like a housewarming, with kitchenware being the top gift categories at 64% followed by home décor products at 46%.
- Those college-bound are unsurprisingly led by those 18–34-year-olds with 9% saying they are very likely to be college-bound and 11% somewhat likely.
- The lead is only narrowly followed by 35–44-year-olds where 10% are very likely and 9% are somewhat likely. The survey suggests that this is because this age group is considering going back to school as they have a high interest in academia.
- A third of respondents anticipate purchasing kitchen products such as hot plates, mini fridges, and microwaves. 41% were thinking about bathroom or personal care products, and 48% were looking at bedroom products.
Those headed toward retirement expect to see household changes such as downsizing. With more time on their hands, gifts for this stage of life expect to support hobbies such as gardening and cooking.
- The survey shows that consumers are looking to buy organization or home décor with 34% saying so, followed by kitchen products with 23%. Overall, 44% are likely to buy a gift card, with 31% buying a specific gift. This shows that those celebrating family members or friends’ retirement want the retiree to decide what they want and how to spend their time.
Looking at the overall survey, 18–34-year-olds lead almost all categories. This makes sense as this age group tends to be in the biggest transitions of their life and are surrounded by those who are going through the same, from moving to college, going out on their own, starting their careers, falling in love, starting a family, and settling down, this age group experiences the most transitions before settling down in their late 30s and early 40s. However, no matter your age or occasion, home and housewares products can always be helpful to anyone’s household or dorm, making day-to-day life easier. Every time your family member uses that kitchen appliance, shower organizer, or looks at a piece of décor, they will think about you, bringing families closer together even when they are apart.
Looking to use this data to leverage your home and housewares product marketing in 2023? Contact our team to turn your brand into a home and lifestyle staple!
The 2023 IHA Occasions Survey was conducted by Morning Consult in September 2022. More than 2,200 interviews were conducted online, and the data is weighted to approximate a target sample of adults based on gender, educational attainment, age, race, and region. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.