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Gazing into the Crystal Ball: The American Housewares Consumer in the Future
By A.J. Riedel, Sr. Partner, Riedel Marketing Group
Riedel Marketing Group has been managing a panel of U.S. consumers we call the HomeTrend
Influentials (HIPsters) since 2004. HIPsters are a segment of home owners who act as the
bellwether for mainstream America. HIPsters tend to be two to five years ahead of the rest of the
population on many important trends.
HIPsters are among the first to exhibit major changes in attitudes towards their homes. They are
among the first to change how they do things around the house and to pick up on new homerelated
trends. They embrace new home goods much sooner than the rest of the U.S. population.
By monitoring and tracking changes in the behaviors, habits, practices and attitudes of HIPsters,
we predict mainstream population changes over the next few years.
Our research indicates that we will see significant changes in what Americans eat, where they eat
and how they prepare food. We will not see a decline in the amount of money, time and energy
Americans spend on remodeling and redecorating their homes. Home organization and home
storage will be among the hottest housewares product categories through 2010.
Concern about the environment and global warming will become almost universal. The vast
majority of Americans will embrace a wider variety of environmental initiatives over the next
few years. Within five years, a large minority of Americans will be "extremely green."
Changing Habits
Fully half of HIPsters spend more time on food preparation now than they did a year ago, many
because they are trying to eat healthier. Half of HIPsters also report that in the past year or so
they have made major changes in the types of foods they eat. HIPsters are eating more organic
products, especially produce and meat, and more fruits and vegetables in general. They are
eating less fat, carbohydrates, red meat, fast food, processed food and junk food.
Almost half of HIPsters eat at home more often than they did a year ago. The most common
reason – although certainly not the only reason – is financial. About one-third who eat at home
more now do so to cut down on costs and save money.
Perhaps because they spend more time on food preparation, HIPsters are looking for other ways
to save time. They order groceries online more often than they did a year ago. They use new
"meal assembly" services such as Dream Dinners, Dishin' It Up, Dinners to your Door, Home
for Dinner and What's Cookin' more often than they did a year ago.
HomeTrend Influentials do not spend much more time on household cleaning or laundry and
garment care than they did several years ago, unless they have had some sort of change of
lifestyle or life stage.
HIPsters tend to spend more time on household cleaning and laundry and garment care when
they have more people living in their house. Those HIPsters who have a new baby, have a child
home from college, or have an aging parent with them report that they spend more time on
household chores than they did prior to the change in family size.
HIPster parents also spend more time on household cleaning, laundry and garment care when
their children move into certain stages of life. For example, HIPsters with young children
generally find they spend more time on household chores when their babies move into the
toddler phase and again when the children start school and have more outside activities.
HIPsters also spend more time on household cleaning when they are either in a new house or
have recently completed a remodeling project. Being in a new (or newly remodeled) home
makes them want to keep their home, in the words of one HIPster, "cleaner and nicer." In many
cases, their new (or newly remodeled) home is also larger, so not only are they cleaning more
often, they have more rooms to clean.
Many HIPsters may not spend more time on household cleaning, laundry and garment care
because they use new household cleaning and laundry products. These new cleaning products
are designed to make house cleaning easier or faster and are environmentally friendly, organic or
natural. Some HIPsters are cutting down on the number of cleaning products that they use and
are going back to using a few "old fashioned" products like ammonia and vinegar instead.
Some of the new laundry and garment care products that HIPsters like are front-load washing
machines and high-efficiency detergents that these washers require; environmentally friendly,
"green" or organic detergents; and products that save time such as new detergents with fabric
softener and stain remover all in one.
No Sign of Reduced Spending
The housing market may be cooling and sales may be declining at building supply retailers but
HomeTrend Influentials show no signs of losing interest in home improvement. Fifty-five
percent of HIPsters did at least one major home improvement or remodeling project in 2006 and
even more – 71% – plan to do a major home improvement and/or remodeling project in 2007.
HIPsters focus on: renovating and updating bathrooms; adding to, replacing or repairing decks,
back patios and fences; landscaping the back yard; replacing floors improving the energy
efficiency of their home to reduce energy usage.
HIPsters also constantly redecorate. Seventy-five percent of HIPsters redecorated one or more
rooms of their home in 2006; 74% painted one or more rooms; and 76% plan at least one
redecorating and/or painting project in 2007.
In addition to how their homes look; HIPsters are passionate about how their homes are
organized. Fifty-seven percent of the HIPsters have done at least one home organization project
in the past six months; 55% have purchased home storage or home organization products; and
63% plan to do at least one home organization project and purchase home storage or home
organization products in the next six months.
America Going "Green"
The number of HIPsters who report switching to organic or natural food and environmentally
friendly "green" household cleaning products has been gradually increasing over the past few
years. Up until now, the environmental movement has remained the purview of a small group of
fairly fanatic HIPsters. Now, the environmental movement has reached critical mass with
HIPsters. Seventy-seven percent of HIPsters are "extremely concerned" or "somewhat
concerned" about the environment; 63% are "extremely concerned" or "somewhat concerned"
about global warming; 80% are either an active participant in the environmental movement or
sympathetic toward it.
More than three quarters of HIPsters have embraced behaviors that protect environmental
quality. Ninety-seven percent of HIPsters voluntarily recycle; 87% are reducing energy use;
77% buy certain products seen as being better for the environment; 41% contribute to
environmental, conservation, or wildlife preservation groups.
Based on what the HIPsters now do, we expect the broader base of U.S. consumers to look to
housewares manufacturers for new products that help them eat healthier and save time in the
kitchen; "greener" laundry and cleaning products; and products that help lower their home's
energy usage or that use less electricity themselves.
