ROSEMONT, IL (Nov. 19, 2020) – The home textiles category is exploding as consumers place a renewed focus on the home environment – from floor and window coverings to bed and bath to kitchen, all categories are experiencing tremendous growth during the coronavirus pandemic. And as consumers desire to enrich their living spaces with these items, textile manufacturers are looking for new ways to bring their products to market.

The International Housewares Association will take a deeper look at the textiles category and the overall trends shaping consumer buying in a new webinar, “Trends in Home Textiles” on Thursday, Dec. 3 at 12 p.m. CST. Joe Derochowski, vice president and home industry advisor at The NPD Group, and Leana Salamah, vice president, marketing, at IHA, will discuss consumer trends in textiles; key opportunities for home textiles in the year ahead; and how suppliers can align their products with the new consumer needs emerging out of the pandemic. Warren Shoulberg, retailing & home furnishings industry journalist and consultant, will moderate the program and a Q&A session after the presentation.

Throughout the pandemic, the focus on the home has not been limited just to the comforts of cooking and baking, but also has led to real growth in textiles as consumers remake their bedrooms and bathrooms with cozy comforters, linens and towels as a refuge to the uncertainties outside the home.

“IHA’s premier marketplace, The Inspired Home Show, brings all of the home industry together and textiles is a key component of the space,” said Salamah. “We look forward to having an increased presence of the textiles category at the 2021 Show, providing home retail buyers a comprehensive destination for the products their customers are seeking.”

Registration for the webinar is available here.

Further information on The Inspired Home Show 2021, including exhibiting opportunities and attendees badge registration, is available at TheInspiredHomeShow.com.

Today’s consumers are acutely aware of potential threats to the environment, the economy and society. And they’re ready and willing to use their purchasing power to support the brands and retailers they deem as responsible citizens of the world.

Responsibility was the fifth and final macro lifestyle trend addressed in the webinar series on the IHA Market Watch report. So, what does corporate responsibility mean to you?

“It’s one of those things if you ask 10 people, you’re going to get 10 different answers,” said Tom Mirabile, principal and founder of Springboard Futures. “But for this report, we looked at environmental protection, social equity, economic health and cultural vitality.”

While younger generations may have provided the initial fuel for the responsibility trend, “it’s trickling up the generational ladder,” said webinar moderator Peter Giannetti, editor-in-chief of HomeWorld Business.

The IHA Market Watch report was compiled in early 2020, with a planned launch at The Inspired Home Show in March. Because of the Show’s cancellation, IHA produced a webinar series taking a deep-dive into the report’s five lifestyle trends and providing updates in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Report authors were Leana Salamah, IHA vice president, marketing; Joe Derochowski, vice president and home industry advisor for The NPD Group; and Mirabile. Cadent Consulting provided data and support.

Of the five macro trends in the report, responsibility was the one that changed the most in recent months:

• Generational relevance jumped from an initial rating of 6 to 9
• Actionable quality jumped from 5 to 8
• Rational need increased from 6 to 8

Ratings for category breadth (10), aspirational value (9) and trend longevity (10) remained the same. (10 is the highest rating possible.)

Many of the changes had to do with how consumers are reacting to social issues related to the pandemic, as well as social equity and justice issues that have come to a head in recent months.

Salamah explained that when the authors compiled the initial report, they were more focused on environmental issues. But social responsibility has now jumped to the forefront, increasing both its rational need and actionable quality.

Today, responsibility is less about “What is the environment going to look like for my children and my children’s children?” which is more aspirational, she said. The urgent or rational need occurs when people say responsibility “is about safety and security for myself and my fellow man…..there are people out there who are being hurt by irresponsible practices as it relates to COVID-19, and also irresponsible practices of how we treat each other in society.”

Mirabile said many in the home and housewares industry still focus on the environmental part of responsibility and not as much the social part. “You have to look at both,” he said.

Derochowski pointed out that responsibility becomes a lot more actionable for both suppliers and retailers when you look at the social equity part.

But it’s not enough to just say you support sustainability or social equity, Mirabile added. “In fact, if you say it and your practices don’t support it, consumers are very quick to call you on it.”

Responsibility is a “highly personal and extremely sensitive issue,” Giannetti said.

For that reason, responsible corporate values must be authentic and incorporated into your company’s mission and vision, said Derochowski. “You have to make sure (that mission) is built into the fiber of your organization, and it has to be constantly updated.”

But don’t let that deter you, he advised. “This is one of the greatest times right now to build a brand. A brand is an emotion.” And, with consumers’ emotions running high right now, companies that connect with those emotions will be rewarded.

There are tremendous opportunities right now for companies that are nimble and pivot to address consumers’ wants and needs in terms of responsibility, said Salamah. Newcomers who are just establishing their brands may also benefit from incorporating responsibility from the get-go.

Product developers can:

• Demonstrate responsible corporate values
• Create products that replace disposable ones
• Create products that extend the life of other products or make the unusable usable

There has been some back-sliding recently on the environmental front due to the pandemic, said Mirabile. Many stores are prohibiting the use of reusable bags to slow the spread of germs, and consumers have taken to using paper plates more to cut down on dishwashing while they’re staying at home, he explained. But those changes are more circumstantial and are expected to revert when the virus is more under control.

Retailers can:

• Support responsible product lines
• Review supplier practices
• Provide access to responsible disposal options

Everyone agreed that retailers need to fully vet supplier/product claims on the responsibility front because they are, in essence, endorsing a product by selling it. Many consumers view retailers as the local experts, which is a tremendous opportunity but also carries its own responsibility.

All of the IHA Market Watch webinars are posted on the Show website at TheInspiredHomeShow.com/marketwatch2020. Recaps of the programs are posted at TheInspiredHomeShow.com/blog

To download a complimentary copy of the 2020 IHA Market Watch Report, go to https://theinspiredhomeshow.com/downloads/marketwatch-2020/

 

Living spaces are getting smaller and more urban. Many consumers are living with roommates. More family living arrangements now involve multi-generations. Add in a global pandemic in which many are now sheltering at home…and space becomes a pretty hot commodity.

Housewares product developers and retailers looking for guidance on where to focus critical resources in the coming months and years heard some valuable insights during an IHA webinar on how to help consumers make the most of their space.

This was the second in a six-part series featuring the newly created IHA Market Watch report. The first five sessions will each offer a deep-dive into one of five key consumer lifestyle trends, highlight shifts in light of COVID-19 and include implications for both suppliers and retailers. The sixth session will recap all the trends and look ahead to the rest of 2020.

Presenters were report authors: Leana Salamah, IHA vice president, marketing; Joe Derochowski, vice president and home industry advisor for The NPD Group; and Tom Mirabile, principal and founder of Springboard Futures. Peter Giannetti, editor-in-chief of HomeWorld Business, served as moderator.

Like time, “No matter where you are, you always want more space,” said Mirabile. “It doesn’t matter what size your home is.”

And the reality is that many more consumers are living in smaller spaces…or sharing their space with roommates or different generations of family members. So, what happens when you factor in COVID-19 which has forced many people to work from home, go to school from home…basically do everything from home?

“The amount of time we’re spending in our homes right now just makes everyone re-evaluate the space they’re in and what it really means to them,” said Salamah.

Our living spaces have evolved from a physical need to an emotional need. In other words, what started out as more of a place for shelter is now considered an oasis.

“It used to be that space was very much a rational thing; but now, it’s also a very personal thing…as in ‘I need some space to breathe,’” said Mirabile.

That explains why space’s aspirational value jumped from a rating of 4 in March when the IHA Market Watch report was released to an 8 today. Ratings for generational relevance and trend longevity increased slightly, while the other ratings stayed the same (including a rational need of 10). The trend viability mapping system was developed by Springboard Futures for IHA.

 

Both effective storage and organization address not just a functional need, but a higher need that consumers have in terms of health and wellness. “It brings feelings of calmness and control,” said Derochowski, and promotes our ability to relax at home.

Three ways product developers can help consumers meet their physical and emotional space needs:

• Combine the functions of two or more separate products
  • Derochowski shared that consumers are now eating 15% more dinners at home, and that creates more pressure to diversify meals. Any product that helps them make more than one type of meal – or does more than one thing – helps relieve this pressure, without creating clutter.
• Store products in a compact manner
  • This doesn’t just apply to kitchen items like nesting bowls or measuring cups. Salamah encouraged developers of products for all parts of the house to think about how design can help consumers save space.
  • “This is low-hanging fruit,” said Mirabile. “Better design in terms of the space things occupy should be your first order of business.”
• Make storage beautiful
  • Clear plastic bins may do the trick, but the decorative quality is important, said Salamah.
  • Anything that helps consumers feel organized, but also projects their own personal style achieves two goals.

For retailers, advancements in technology and logistics can make a small store seem much larger – and help merchandise the space trend to consumers. Ways retailers can take advantage include:

• Focus on fit
  • Share storage dimensions upfront, and consider displaying products in both storage and full usage mode.
  • Consider augmented reality (AR) to help consumers visualize how a product will fit in their space.
• Bring online inventory in-store
  • Even small retailers can now use technology to let a customer see all the color, style or function options that are available for a given product – and easily order in-store for home delivery.
  • With the advent of online shopping, consumers are more willing to wait a day or two for a product to be shipped to them, moderator Giannetti pointed out.
• Demonstrate accessibility
  • Showing in advance how a product can work for multiple generations can help eliminate the need to buy multiple products. Both vendors and retailers can help here, said Derochowski.

Upcoming sessions in the IHA Market Watch webinar series include:

• Thursday, July 16, 1 p.m. CDT. Macro trend – Experience. Register here.
• Tuesday, July 21, 1 p.m. CDT. Macro trend – Wellness. Register here.
• Thursday, July 23, 1 p.m. CDT. Macro trend – Responsibility. Register here.
• Tuesday, July 28, 1 p.m. CDT. Trend Wrap Up and Look Ahead. Register here.

The webinars are free, but registration is required. The webinars will be posted on the Show website, TheInspiredHomeShow.com after each is broadcast.

To watch the entire webinar on Space, go to TheInspiredHomeShow.com. To download a complimentary copy of the 2020 IHA Market Watch Report, go to https://theinspiredhomeshow.com/downloads/marketwatch-2020/

Time. We always seem to want more of it.

Housewares product developers and retailers looking for guidance on where to focus critical resources in the coming months and years heard some valuable insights today in a free IHA webinar on how to help consumers make the most of their time.

Presenters were:  Leana Salamah, IHA vice president, marketing; Joe Derochowski, vice president and home industry advisor for The NPD Group; and Tom Mirabile, principal and founder of Springboard Futures. Peter Giannetti, editor-in-chief of HomeWorld Business, served as moderator.

This was the first in a six-part series featuring the newly created IHA Market Watch report. The first five sessions will each offer a deep-dive into one of five key consumer lifestyle trends, highlight shifts in light of COVID-19 and include implications for both suppliers and retailers. The sixth session will recap all the trends and look ahead to the rest of 2020.

The IHA Market Watch report is a collaboration between IHA, The NPD Group, Springboard Futures and Cadent Consulting.

Time was the first macro consumer lifestyle trend to be addressed.

“Time is like space. We always want more than we have,” said Mirabile. “The pressure comes from a wealth of choices. There’s always a hundred things you feel like you could be doing with your time.”

While consumers might have been spending their time differently before COVID-19, that doesn’t mean the desire for products and retail experiences that help them save time is any less today. In fact, it’s actually increased.

Using a trend viability mapping system developed by Springboard Futures for IHA, the key consumer trends were evaluated against six criteria: generational relevance, actionable quality, category breadth, rational need, aspirational value and trend longevity. The webinar showed the trend viability maps from the report as originally compiled in March, as well as how they changed three months into COVID-19.

 

 

On a scale of one to 10 (10 being the highest), time originally received a rating of five in aspirational value. Today, its rating is eight. Ratings for the other five criteria stayed the same. Aspirational value is defined as how a trend can enhance a consumer’s desired lifestyle, goals or personal brand.

“Interestingly, time is a part of wellness….feeling better about how you’re spending your time,” said Giannetti.

A good portion of the webinar was dedicated to ways product developers and retailers can help consumers make the most of their critical time.

Product implications include:

• Eliminate the human factor in a process – Before COVID-19, this might have been more about saving consumers time so they can go do something else. But now it adds a health/safety benefit (less contact).
• Reduce the time, or eliminate a step, in the process – Salamah clarified that this is “about eliminating things that feel like a chore, not eliminating engagement or experience.”
• Reduce maintenance – Anything from automating the process of part replacement to making things machine washable creates a time benefit.

“It’s easy to look at time’s product implications from a technology point of view,” said Mirabile. “But make no mistake, this can be very simple. It’s as simple as brands relating to consumers and giving them what they want.”

“It’s important to point out that technology itself is not a benefit,” said Derochowski. “Technology needs to create a benefit for consumers.”

If consumers are looking to conserve time at home, they are likely to be attracted to retail establishments that are also sensitive to giving them time.

Retail implications include:

• Simplify product evaluation – “It’s surprisingly difficult to compare products online right now,” said Mirabile. Retailers could benefit by being clear about why they offer a product.
• Simplify purchase transaction – Moving forward, Salamah predicts that services such as online ordering for store pick-up, curbside pick-up and other services introduced by many stores in the wake of COVID-19 will still be expected.
• Expedite maintenance needs – Make it easier for consumers to get replacement parts or service they need.

“We’ve moved five years ahead in just a few months (in terms of shopping),” said Derochowski. “Consumers aren’t really interested in the difference between in-store and online shopping. They’re just trying to get a product to help solve a need.”

The last key takeaway? Notice how time rates on the trend longevity scale – it scored a maximum of 10.

“The why of this macro trend may change, but it’s been such an important consumer need for decades and it will continue to be for years to come,” Mirabile said.

Upcoming sessions in the IHA Market Watch webinar series include:

• Tuesday, July 14, 2:30 p.m. CDT. Macro trend – Space. Register here.
• Thursday, July 16, 1 p.m. CDT. Macro trend – Experience. Register here.
• Tuesday, July 21, 1 p.m. CDT. Macro trend – Wellness. Register here.
• Thursday, July 23, 1 p.m. CDT. Macro trend – Responsibility. Register here.
• Tuesday, July 28, 1 p.m. CDT. Trend Wrap Up and Look Ahead. Register here.

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The webinars are free, but registration is required. The webinars will be posted on the Show website, TheInspiredHomeShow.com after each is broadcast.

To watch the entire webinar on Time, go to TheInspiredHomeShow.com. To download a complimentary copy of the 2020 IHA Market Watch Report, go to https://theinspiredhomeshow.com/downloads/marketwatch-2020/