Growing stress, plus baby boomers’ continuing issues with back and neck pain, headaches, injuries, arthritis and repetitive strains are spurring the growth of therapeutic-style chairs that go well beyond simple massage mechanisms.

Sales of therapeutic massage chairs were $300M in 2008, up 5.3% from 2007; up 19% from $243M in 2004.

With the 2008 loss of Sharper Images and Linens ‘n Things, massage chair suppliers are now looking for new distribution channels including furniture and consumer electronics stores. Sales are expected to continue strong as new products enter the market at lower price points and styling more suitable for these stores.

With the therapeutic look of these chairs in the past, consumers typically placed them in basements rather than living rooms. But new looks are less bulky and being influenced by home theater-style massage chairs without sacrificing Shiatsu, Swedish and chiropractor features.

In late 2008, Panasonic introduced its first chair under $2,000, and Costco carried its first in-store therapeutic chair at $1388.

Check out the new Ready-to-Assemble furniture introductions that received a 2009 Housewares Design Award… click on ‘Furniture” at  www.housewaresdesignawards.com/hda/links/finalists.asp?yr=2009.

Among the winners… a folding table and chairs that’s a ginormous step up from the old metal versions (by Meco Corp)… a massage chair you might even put in your living room (by Panasonic), an uber chic RTA chair  (by Avenue Six) and a TV stand that gives you the look of a wall-mounted TV (by Whalen).

After advising consumers they might not be able to watch TV after February 17th unless they buy a transition box or a new TV… many opted for the new TV. With aggressive pricing, sales of TVs and TV-watching furniture has been a bright spot in a tough economy. So what can we expect on February 18th?

When it comes to their TVs, here are a few of the latest stats on what consumers are planning for their home in 2009 and beyond…

 * 56% of young adults say they’re likely to watch a movie in the kitchen. (More comfortable chairs, anyone?)

* 44% of young adults want to watch TV cooking shows on demand via a kitchen computer

* 89% of consumers say a more energy-efficient TV is #1 on their wish-list for their next TV. Energy-efficient TVs are a growing story, as seen at the Consumer Electronics Show this month, and could fuel continuing sales.

* 71% want to download movies directly onto their TV, supporting the trend to go out less, even to the video store.

* 55% of all HDTVs sold in 2009 will be 1080b, fueling the trend to super-thin TVs. smaller entertainment units and TV stands with brackets. Experts believe thinner TVs may entice housholds to upgrade to Bu-ray players and subscribe to HD channels. More TV watching would logically translate to more comfortable TV-watching furniture.

* 32% of consumers are interested in a new 3-D TV.

* 20% of consumers want an outdoor TV.

While going on vacation and dining may be down in 2009, watching TV won’t be. Consumers are still excited about a flat-screen TV and more channels to watch, and as seen in my last post, TV and cable spending will be one of the last places they cut expenses.

So the future still appears promising for TV-watching in every room in the house… from living rooms, family rooms, man caves and kitchens to home offices and kids rooms. 

They’re everywhere… being talked about on Oprah, DIY network, and they could just become a bright spot for consumer spending in 2009. According to a recent survey by BillMeLater, nearly 11 million American homes already have a ‘man cave’, and men living in those homes spend more than 11 hours every week in their caves.

So what’s a man cave? A place where guys can be guys. Think big screen televisions, comfortable seating, pool or poker tables, gaming consoles, wet bars, mini-refrigerators and sports memorabilia. If there’s a decorating style, it’s male-centric, comfortable and casual.

For consumers thinking about transforming a den, basement or a single room into a place where men can disappear without a trace, the right furniture is needed… large, comfortable recliners and sofas, hearty coffee tables, game tables, bars, TV consoles and more (one coffee table I saw recently had a built in ice box for drinks).

Man caves also make a great promotion for a furniture store… a contest for the best one, a sweepstakes to win one, or a group of products packaged together. And a great idea in time for Super Bowl Sunday!

In a recent article in CE Pro magazine (Dec ‘08), consumer electronic stores were encouraged to take home theater seating more seriously. Here’s what writer Michael Laurino had to say:

* seating is key investment in comfort and style when creating a home theater

* furniture and manufacturers should partner up - carry more home theater furniture in consumer electronic stores.

* seating should represent 12-22% of the total retail value of a home theater room. “A $100,000 client could and should invest $12,000 to $200,000 in what would typically be two rows (or 5-7 recliners). This puts a quality recliner (in the $1700 to $3500 price range)”.

* electronic stores could also consider carrying the ‘cheap seats’ - under $999. Michael didn’t speak too well about these chairs.  (But as a furniture person, I can vouch for the fact that many of these ‘cheap seats’ are perfectly fine if your budget isn’t a hundred grand for a home theater room!) Like with anything, though, better quality is always better.

With big screen TVs more affordable and more consumers spending time at home… the timing couldn’t be better for furniture and electronics to work together… offering consumers complete home theater packages with electronics and furniture at a range of price point and room size options.  

In an interview with Advertising Age (Oct 20), Antonio Lucio, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for VISA said the following when asked if the company would re-think their branding concept “Life takes Visa” in their efforts to keep consumer confidence up. 

“We need to establish a better balance between rational and emotional mind-sets… we need to help increase the (rational) cash and check transactions… but I also believe that especially in times of uncertainty, when more people are spending more time at home, uplifting people or providing that message of “what life should be” would be equally important…. It’s probably more important than ever.”

The idea of uplifting people at home is compelling. We could all use a little uplifting right now, and furniture might be in a better position to do that than we realize… more tranquil bedrooms where we can get a better night’s sleep, more exciting home entertainment rooms to watch our new flat screen TVs, and more comfortable dining rooms where we can spend quality time with family… might be just the kind of messages that are needed right now. 

Entertainment seems to be recession-proof, and aggressive pricing on flat panel TVs is helping. According to the Consumer Electronics Association, flat-paneled TV sales rose 40% in August vs. the same period in 2007, unit sales of TV and stereo equipment increased 4.7%, while auto sales fell 13.5%.

“People really value TV subscriptions as their primary form of entertainment,” says Jessica Insalaco, CMO for EchoStar’s Dish Netork. “Americans’ appetite for TV is pretty intense. It’s a big part of their lives. We’re there on the list by gas and food and electricity.”

The trend should also bode well for the furniture that goes with it.

Construction is booming in backyards across the country. Shorter, milder winters in many areas combined with higher airline fees, food prices, gas prices and stress add up to more people taking time to enjoy the great outdoors at home.

A survey by the American Institute of Architects in 2006 first revealed the trend from the architects’ perspective. When asked which areas are ‘increasing’ in activity based on homeowner requests, here’s what they said:

1. 64% reported “outdoor living”, up from 47% from just one year earlier.

2. 56% reported “upscale landscaping”, up from 48% one year earlier

3. 43% reported “lot boundaries”, up from 30% one year earlier.

4. 30% reported “lot boundaries”, up from 25% one year earlier.

5. 7% reported ”lot size”, up from 5% one year earlier.

Those aren’t sizable increases, they’re gi-normous, especially over just one year. At the same time, architects also ranked indoor amenities such as more square footage and even finished basements on the decline. (Some would argue that finished basements are still a viable area of consumer interest for new home entertainment areas).

So what are consumers saying? They want to live in a more park-like setting (upscale landscaping), they want to do many more of the same things outside that they do inside (outdoor living space), they want to be comfortable doing them (outdoor amenities), they want security and privacy (lot boundaries), and that the quality and comfort of their outdoor space is much more important than how much of it they have (lot size).

Technology is responding with outdoor TVs, speakers, screens and audio equipment. The Electronic House Expo in California this fall will feature an Outdoor Destination display on the show floor, marking the first time they’ve ever featured an exhibit for the outdoors. Home improvement stores and gardening shops are riding the wave with more landscaping goods. With food prices high and food contamination stories in the news, consumer interest in gardens is also growing.

All this bodes well for more and better outdoor furniture, though many furniture retailers have yet to catch the wave.. even as an online option if they don’t have the selling floor space (see my post July 2nd: outdooor living fueled by internet and catalog). Spending more time doing more things outside means demand for more comfortable and more ‘indoor-inspired’ outdoor furniture will continue to grow, not just the garden variety available at mass merchants and even local supermarkets these days.

When it comes to furniture… a largely unbranded consumer purchase… do manufacturer’s name brands or retailer’s store brands have an advantage?  According to a recent survey (May ‘07), here’s what surveyed consumers had to say:

* almost 2/3 (62%) thought they’d purchased name brand furniture at some point, while less than half (43%) thought they’d purchased a store brand, but generally consumers were unsure what brand of furniture they’d purchased

* consumers believe that name brands offered more choice and better quality, while store brands were better priced, more stylish and delivered more quickly

* consumers were most likely to consider a manufacturer’s name brand for bedding (73%) or a recliner (59%)

* consumers were less likely to consider a manufacturer’s name brand for ready-to-assemble products (33%), sofas (21%), bedroom (18%), while the least number are likely to consider a name brand for occasional tables (11%), dining room and dinettes (8%) and youth furniture (8%).

Source: Home Furnishing Business, July 2008

More consumers want to spend time outdoors… inspired by some interesting trends:

* affluent consumers are driving the trend to more and better outdoor furnishings. With indoor spaces already comfortably furnished or memories of favorite resort destinations fresh in their memory, priorities are shifting to fixing up and furnishing decks and yards (many spending upwards of $2,500 for a stainless steel grill alone) as a way to live the good life everyday.

* outdoor living ‘appeal’ is being driven by internet and catalog more than brick-and-mortar retail. Images seen in catalogs like Horchow, Frontgate, Smith & Hawkin, and catalog retailers such as Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel are encouraging consumers to imagine an outdoor space that’s an extension of the indoors. “If you’re sitting at home, looking through a catalog and you see a lot of outdoor lifestyle themes, it can really intrigue you,” says Gregg Bond, managing partner at The Helman Group. “For space reasons, it’s hard for brick and mortar retailers to merchandise products in an outdoor lifestyle theme. They can’t tell a story.” (Internet and catalog retailers also don’t have to worry about replacing retail floor space with another category during the off-season)

* outdoor living isn’t confined to warm weather states… “One of the findings we uncovered… which was really kind of surprising, is that in Chicago, which has a pretty long winter season, outdoor living was even more important than in warm weather locations,” says Pam Danzier, President of Unity Marketing (HomeWorld Business, May 11/08). “In warmer areas we found that people are heading indoors when it gets hot and turning on their air conditioners.”

* many consumers are looking for outdoor rooms as comfortable as indoor rooms, including outdoor lighting, fire pits, fans, comfortable seating, umbrellas and canopies, outdoor TV screens and more

* high gas prices are expected to increase demand for outdoor furnishings, with a back yard oasis an inexpensive vacation destiny and a stress reliever for difficult times and hectic lifestyles.