Who’s getting the best sleep? It depends what they’re sleeping on! More at http://www.WhatsNewAtHome.wordpress.com

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. 

An online study by Gfk Roper shows where consumers will cut spending in 2009. The study was taken between Sept 11th and Oct 10th, just after the worst economic news hit.

When asked which specific expenses they’d be cutting back on in the next six months, here’s how 2,000 Americans responded:

Dining out at restaurants - 82% 
Entertainment outside the home - 68%
Clothing for themselves - 64%
Pleasure travel and vacation - 63% 
Buying lunch - 56%
Hobbies - 48%
Major home improvements/furnishings - 47%
Subscriptions/memberships - 46%
Food shopping - 38%
Saving and investing - 25%
Cable or satellite TV - 23%
Credit-card payments - 18%

For home furnishings, the news isn’t all bad. Out of 15 mentioned expenses, home furnishings were 7th on the list. Here’s what else we learned:

* with a whopping majority of consumers not planning to dine out as much (#1 on the list), fixing up eating areas at home might be a consideration. 

* with a large number of consumers not planning to entertain outside the home (#2 on the list), entertaining at home might mean a new sofa or a few living room alterations  

* with a whopping majority of consumers not planning to give up on their cable or satellite TV bills, fixing up family and home theater rooms might be in order

Source: Advertising Age, Dec 1, 2008

In a tough economy, green talk seems down, or at least overshadowed for now. But there’s some good news on the green building home front.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that “green homes” in the Seattle area sat on the market half as long as others, and achieved an 11% price premium. 

Ok, it’s Seattle - home to a lot of avid environmentalists… but there’s more. According to Qualified Remodeler (Dec ‘08), 70% of consumers say they’re ‘more or much more inclined’ to invest in a green home, even in a down market. But here’s the clincher.

For most consumers, the green movement isn’t about saving the planet, per se. It’s as much about short term, personal gains as long term, universal side effects.

According to a McGraw-Hill Construction survey, 63% of green home owners said their green puchases were motivated by “lower operating and maintenance costs”, while 50% said their “family’s health” was a significant motivation for going green.

That’s food for thought for all green marketers. Consumers are going green based on how a green product enhances their lives here and now … by improving air quality, removing toxins, controling mold and mildew, saving energy or lowering costs, keeping kids safer and everyone warmer, cooler and healtheir. And most will spend more to maket it happen.

If you’re not convinced that the biggest change in consumer marketing (apart from social media!) is focusing on  target solutions rather than target markets, here’s more evidence.

I recently launched a new blog, what’s new at home to offer consumers new product information and helpful ideas about home. The blog isn’t a month old yet, and although I’m covering topics from color and style to increasing home value and healthier living, here are the top-read posts so far…

1.  Reducing back pain with a higher height dining table.

2. Creating the look of a wall-mounted TV without the cost.

2. Helping consumers get organized.

3.  Relieving back pain with a new mattress.

By finding out what matters most, furniture stores can promote products and messages that speak to consumer solutions, and move beyond just promoting just style or price!

Check out my new blog at www.whatsnewathome.wordpress.com.  

Students with home furnishing majors at a variety of universities were recently interviewed after they spent some time at the fall 08 High Point furniture market. Here’s the advice they had for the furniture industry…

“green is a hot issue… more needs to be done”

“incorporate more function and innovation into furniture”

“know who you’re designing for… today’s consumers are diverse”

“pick the consumer’s brain about how they actually use the furniture”

“reduce costs”

“make good design more widespread”

Good advice from those who can see the industry with fresh eyes!

Source: Furniture/Today, Nov 3

Consumers are spending more time at home, but it’s not just inside. Expanding their home’s outdoor space is helping consumers save money on vacations, de-stress, relax, increase their living space and home investment.

According to a recent HGTV/Casual Living magazine survey, an outdoor dining set tops the list of home furnishings consumers want in their outdoor space. Here’s what else (and how many of them) had on their wish list…

85% - an outdoor dining set
75% - an outdoor conversation group
73% - a professionally-landscaped garden
70% - a water fountain or water feature
64% - a fire pit or fireplace
58% - a screened-in area
52% - a grill
52% - a spa
48% - a sun-shade device
41% - an outdoor kitchen
29% - an entertainment center
22% - a children’s play area

Nearly 1/3 of surveyed consumers (29%) say they’re doing more work at home because of high gas prices, potentially driving a demand for home office products.

In addition, nearly 1 in 10 (9.5%) said they’re planning stay-at-home vacations, which could help sales of entertainment rooms and outdoor furnishings.

Source: ICD Research / HomeWorld Business magazine (Sept 28, 2008)  

According to recent research, the Internet is a key way to find hard-to-find items and bargains, and to save time. But some consumers still find internet shopping ‘complicated’, and many still dislike giving out their credit card number online…

By age, here’s what home furnishing consumers are saying about online shopping… (Gen X - age 18-29 / Gen Y - age 30-49 / Boomers - age 50-64 / Seniors - age 65+)

“The Internet is the best place to buy items that are hard to find.”
Gen X - 84% agreed
Gen Y - 82% agreed
Boomers - 70% agreed
Seniors -  61% agreed

“I don’t like giving my credit card or personal information online”
Gen X - 71% agreed
Gen Y - 74% agreed
Boomers - 79% agreed
Seniors - 82% agreed

“Shopping online saves me time”
Gen X - 70% agreed
Gen Y - 73% agreed
Boomers - 67% agreed
Seniors - 45% agreed

“The internet is the best place to find bargains”
Gen X - 62% agreed
Gen Y - 52% agreed
Boomers - 38% agreed
Seniors - 32% agreed

“Shopping online is complicated”
Gen X - 24% agreed
Gen Y - 24% agreed
Boomers - 30% agreed
Seniors - 34% agreed

Source: HGTV / Kids Today survey of 2,788 U.S. consumers / Feb 2008

A market filled with too many choices is going to impact how consumers shop, says Charles Kennedy, President of DIY Inc, a firm that tracks the impact of choice on consumer behavior. According to their research, 2007 marked the first year when the percentage of consumers who wanted a great deal of choice decreased, particuarly among younger consumers…

Generation Y (20-somethings) who want a lot of choice dropped from 72% to 63%

Generation X (30- and early 40-somethings) who want a lot of choice dropped from 63% to 62%

Baby Boomers who want a lot of choice dropped from 65% to 61%. 

Consumers are feeling overwhelmed by options for everything from entertainment (cable, dish, broadcast, internet, basic, premium, pay-per-view) to mattresses (innerspring, foam, soy-foam, latex, gel, air or water).

Kennedy recommends that retailers perform ‘choice audits’ to determine their ’story’, and cut those products that don’t directly help support their brand identity/offering, thereby helping consumers who are eager to simplify their lives in this new super-saturated world.   

Source: Furniture Style, Aug ‘08