Home is a place of comfort where every item contributes to the happiness and wellness of you and your family. Since the pandemic, homecare and comfort have become increasingly important as more people are staying home. HomePage News created a first annual Consumer Outlook Survey commissioned in partnership with IHA, which reached about 4,000 U.S. adults in November 2021. Their report reveals consumer purchase decision factors, and more, spanning over the course of 2022. Read on to learn our key takeaways as we see these trends continue into 2023.
Motivation for Purchase
The survey found that most people will buy to replace broken or old items over making a first-time purchase or upgrading for new features. This statistic affects houseware categories, bakeware, cookware, floor care electrics, home environment products, kitchen electrics, and kitchen tools and gadgets. In the Floor Care category, the survey shows that buying intention is low, but replacement buying is high with 36% of consumers looking to replace their current floor electronics. In the kitchen electrics category, 41% of respondents are looking to buy in order to replace their electronics. This is similar to the kitchen textiles industry, where 42% of responders say they will purchase to replace. Therefore, we can infer a steady pace over the years in these categories as consumers will buy at an as needed basis.
Millennials are Lead Buyers
Another trend seen across categories was that of Millennials being the top generation of buyers, with Gen X and Gen Z as runner-ups, while Boomers fell behind in the market. In houseware categories such as cleaning tools, floor care electrics, and home environment, Millennials lead the way. In floor care electrics, Millennials are the top generation to market to, with 28% saying they are very likely to make a purchase while 30% are somewhat likely. This shows how Millennials are growing into homeowners and are looking for the proper equipment to suit their home lifestyles.
Influence of Social Media
Anything we see on social media can spark our interest and influence our purchases. This holds true in the housewares industry. The cookware, flatware, and glassware industries were some of the most affected by social media. With simple recipes available directly in our social media feeds, home cooks feel like they can test their skills and cook outside of their comfort zone. With more people cooking from home, comes more wear on current cookware causing, again, for consumers to replace their current cookware. Because of this, 55% of respondents stated they were very likely or somewhat likely to make a cookware purchase this year. Additionally, with these newfound recipes, consumers need to cater to their own social media, and they need flatware and glassware that best matches their aesthetic to show off their latest dinner or cocktail creation. The new shapes and designs of these industries offer a fun and interesting setting when entertaining, and, as a bonus, they make your foodie posts look more appealing.
Self-Expression
With so many product options and designs readily available to us, it is becoming increasingly important for consumers to buy products that best showcase their personality and suit their style. Like showcasing your best self on social media, categories that cater most towards self-expression are dinnerware, flatware, and glassware. According to the survey, “self-expression is an increasingly important attribute among consumers, especially among Millennials and Gen Z,” when addressing dinnerware. The same can be said for its industry partners glassware and flatware. The survey also points out that flatware vendors are often tapping into consumer research to gauge what personal styles consumers want. Every piece of your dinner table is increasingly becoming a representation of you as the dining industry is helping you and your guests indulge in your style and personality.
Stand out Categories
To round out the key trends, we must discuss some of the categories that stood out in terms of consumer interest. Drinkware seems to be one of the more popular categories, specifically in terms of portable drinkware. So important, that in fact, consumers don’t mind spending a bit more money for a quality product in this category, with 47% willing to spend between $10 to $39.99. Even coffee/teacups and tumblers (glassware sub-categories) each received 50% of respondents saying they planned on making a purchase this year. Most important to them is that the product is easy to clean, 65% say so, and durability, 64%. This all makes sense, as there are so many different bottle designs to showcase personality, the ability to take the bottle to various activities (gyms, work, school), and the growing importance of sustainability. This ties into the increase of sales in the kitchen textiles industry. 71% of respondents said they were most likely to purchase towels and cloths during this year. Another interesting fact in this industry is that the survey found that nearly a quarter of consumers said eco-friendliness is important in their consideration of purchasing kitchen textiles and 38% say it is somewhat important, as opposed to the 12% that say it is unimportant. Both industries should continue to see growth during the rest of the year and start of next year.
The kitchen tools and gadget category cover a lot of different products, but these were the products that stood out; scoops, batter dispensers, and food scales, which each provide precise results and proper portion sizes. In such a broad category, 65% of responders gave a price range of purchasing products of $5 to $39.99, however, they also indicated that they are willing to accept a higher price range on tools such as a wine opener, aerator, spiralizer, or manual food chopper, that satisfy their needs. As the newest gadgets get released that can help consumers make prepping and cooking easier, and at the right price, it is safe to assume that they will be interested in buying.
Keeping up with these key trends in the housewares industry can help market to the right audience. The houseware industry overall should see solid and steady earnings as consumers continue to purchase the products that need to be replaced, suited to their lifestyles and personality.
Looking for guidance on how to implement these trends in your homewares business? Contact our team to see how we can help!
All information and statistics mentioned above comes from research done by the HomePage News 2022 Consumer Outlook Survey commissioned in partnership with the International Housewares Association.
