World

With sales slowing down, home and garden retailers around the world made innovative investments to provide consumers with a shopping experience upgrades, with strong efforts to stimulate demand. Compact urban stores to be close to new footfall…

This report examines inflation levels and drivers globally and in key countries in 2024. Global inflation is moderating, although divergence among the key economies remains. Supply chain and commodities markets disruptions remain the key risks for…

Technological advances in 2024 will continue to reshape consumer behaviour. This annual report explores the top five digital shopper trends that will redefine commerce the most in the year ahead. Some of the trends included in this report’s edition…

Following a decade of low borrowing costs, businesses and consumers now face increasing financial pressure due to a surge in interest rates in 2023. High interest rates have far-reaching consequences on economies, businesses and households, impacting…

This report examines inflation levels and drivers globally and in key countries in Q4 2023 and 2024. Global inflation is moderating, although divergence remains among the key economies. Higher volatility in the energy markets and disruption of…

Acquisitions are focusing on reacting to shifts in demand or increasing capabilities in sustainability, which is now a key planning priority, giving glimpses of how brands will meet 2030 goals. Cross-industry efforts to attract new DIYers are…

The home cushions consumers from a mindset of resource abundance to one of short-term crisis, ultimately leading to long-term compromise. The sustainable home will be centred on the adoption of new technologies, with properties integrating reuse,…

The cost-of-living crisis harmed big-ticket and larger renovations, ending the home improvement boom and resetting demand. DIY activity fell below 2019 levels, whilst gardening retained demand due to the grow-your-own food trend and bringing more…

Amid post-pandemic shifts, IKEA demonstrated remarkable resilience in the face of market challenges. Through strategic investments and enhanced omnichannel prowess, the company adeptly managed pricing amidst escalating costs. Notably, sizeable…

Consumer Types can be a powerful tool to help companies better understand and appeal to their target markets. Consumers are grouped based on shared traits and preferences, companies can better develop products and marketing campaigns that resonate…

In the upcoming years, consumers and businesses face an array of challenges, with income inequality, mass migration and rising uncertainty about another crisis being among the major ones. Nevertheless, within this lie untapped opportunities. This…

This report examines inflation levels and drivers globally and in key countries. Global inflation is moderating, although divergence among the key economies increases. Higher volatility in the energy markets and disruption of agricultural commodities…

Demand was saturated during the pandemic-induced boom. Big ticket purchases are now suppressed by a cost-of-living crisis. Not having a fully realised omnichannel strategy created vulnerabilities; new small store openings are part of a correction, as…

Western Europe emerged from the pandemic into a period of rising inflation, with rates hitting levels not seen for decades in many of the region’s countries. This was negatively impacting the home and garden market in 2022, as was the fact that some…

The Asia Pacific home and garden market, having seen a pan-regional decline in 2020 due to COVID-19, suffered again in 2022, after the recovery seen in 2021, as case numbers surged across China. However, the forecast period offers better prospects,…

Facing supply chain issues and raw materials inflation, Akzo Nobel slightly underperformed the home paint market over 2019-2022, owing in part to significant price increases. Focused on improving profitability in uncertain times, beyond cost cutting,…

Self-care at home, as an aspect of the wellness trend, needs to be evaluated as a strategic planning priority as this will sit alongside sustainability long term as a core value pillar. This topic accelerated over the pandemic and keeps accelerating…

As e-commerce growth rates slow from historic highs, the online channel is no longer a rising tide for all categories and brands. While potential exists with e-commerce accounting for 50% of retail’s expected growth in the next five years, retailers…

The Asian consumer is changing. Traditional values that served the collective in terms of both society and the family are on the wane, with COVID-19 lockdowns accelerating a new focus on individualism and the self. This report explores how Asian…

This report examines inflation levels and drivers globally and in key countries. In 2023, global inflation is expected to ease from its peak in 2022, but remaining significantly above-trend. Geopolitical risks and uncertainty in the energy market are…

Now in its seventh edition, this report explores the top digital shopper trends that will redefine commerce the most in the year ahead. Some of the trends included in this edition touch on topics such as second-hand shopping, community group buying,…

Challenges for the home and garden industry in 2021 and 2022 included unreliability in supply, with demand vastly exceeding supply, causing shortages and thus cost spikes. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the challenge in the short term is…

A growing health and wellness trend brings with it an increased focus on sleep health. Whilst the bulk of innovation is product-centric, brands are beginning to explore the broader sleep ecosystem. Retail channels are visually merchandising aspects…

Pet food volume sales surged over the pandemic, with premiumisation fostering even higher value sales growth. Surges in commodity prices continued generating sharp unit price increases and forced online portfolio reductions. The recessionary…

Challenges for the home and garden industry in 2021 and 2022 included unreliability in supply, with demand vastly exceeding supply, causing shortages and thus cost spikes. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the challenge in the short term is the…

Challenges for the home and garden industry in 2021 and 2022 included unreliability in supply, with demand vastly exceeding supply, causing shortages and thus cost spikes. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the challenge in the short term is the…

Stanley Black & Decker Inc, the global leader in power tools and garden equipment, is promoting electrification via cordless technology upgrades across the portfolio. M&A part fueled the company's rapid growth. The company has conducted seven such…

Serta Simmons Bedding is one of the precursors of the sleep ecosystem in North America. This ecosystem looks beyond the bed and into sleep behaviours and how to improve the consumers’ quality of life. The ecosystem allows for companies to partner…

This report examines inflation levels and drivers globally and in key countries. Global inflation is reaching a peak, although geopolitical risks and uncertainty in the energy market remain key risks. The impact varies between countries, with…

Home furnishings in North America saw growth slow markedly in 2021 after the spike in demand seen a year earlier, when consumers were directing more of their income into spending on their homes, given the large amount of time they were spending in…

Gardening sales received a clear boost from the pandemic in 2020, as consumers in home seclusion looked to their gardens as an outdoor oasis amidst the Coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions and worries. While growth slowed in 2021, it was still higher…

This briefing examines how the furniture industry is performing globally and in the largest countries in terms of furniture output. The report also provides data for production, market size, imports, exports, industry costs, industry profitability…

Consumers’ experience over the last two years has shown them that cooking at home can be healthier and cost effective. However, cooking at home is time consuming. Brands are responding to this with continuous innovations to enable the preparation of…

The global market leader in home paint, Sherwin-Williams, grew in line with the global market over 2019-2021 as a whole, performing more successfully in 2020 due to investment in e-commerce and fulfilment ahead of the crisis, but then seeing lower…

This briefing examines how the wood commodity is performing globally and in the largest countries in terms of wood supply and consumption. The report also provides data and analysis for wood prices, imports, exports and top consuming industries as…

The global market leader in floor covering, Mohawk Industries Inc rebounded swiftly from the peak of the pandemic, as pent-up demand for home renovations was released. Supported by strong global demand, the company will continue to pass on price…

The briefing introduces the Cities Households Necessities Spending Index. The index ranks 1,075 cities by household expenditure on non-discretionary items, namely food, housing, and clothing and footwear. This analysis focuses on 160 major cities.…

The report examines inflation level and drivers globally and in the key countries. Global inflation is forecast to accelerate due to higher energy and commodity prices, disruptions in supply chains and weaker business confidence. Impact varies…

The rise of new business models is linked to a radical overhaul in traditional concepts of ownership, while offering consumers the prospect of new services and improved experiences. Brands exploit the power of connectivity and data generated from…

Regulators are increasingly focused on taking action to address the environmental impact of consumer and corporate behaviour, and sustainability legislation will become an ever more prominent feature of the operating landscape for business, across…

This report identifies the 10 global consumer trends expected to impact during 2021, providing specific characteristics and how the trend manifests, consumer behaviour and motivation driving the trend, as well as insights on how industry is…

As the end of 2021 approaches, almost two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the emergence and rapid spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant has increased uncertainty and weakened the momentum of the global recovery. This series of quarterly reports…

The growing popularity of subscription boxes has led to a rise in M&A activity and funding for subscription box start-ups. Available across industries, they target specific consumer needs through different subscription models: pure convenience,…

With e-commerce accelerating in the food industry at record speed, it is now undeniable that a key strategy to gain market share in the grocery retail industry is through online channels. This report focuses on what strategies food manufacturers…

Our relationship with the home has been fundamentally changed by the pandemic. Our home has become a “hygienic sanctuary” where an increasing number of activities happen. With space a constraint, versatility of the living space has become a focus for…

Western European home improvement sales saw a clear spike in 2020. Coronavirus (COVID-19), and the measures taken to control its spread, contributed positively to sales in many countries in the region, given consumers were spending more time at home…

Home furnishings in Western Europe continued to stagnate in 2020. Coronavirus (COVID-19), and the measures taken to control its spread, benefited some categories, such as home office furniture or barbecues, but hit sales of other products like dining…

Robot vacuum cleaners emerge from niche penetration and are worth consideration as part of furniture selection priorities for a growing number of households. Furniture specifications can prevent robots from achieving 100% floor coverage, with…

Mixing-in-the-Moment (MITM) is a smart technology disruption of traditional value chains surrounding consumable additives (like detergents, fragrances, drinks, cosmetics and other fluids).This is proving to be a consistent and predictable disruption,…

In a world that now seems more about disruption than stability, it is always better to be the disruptor than the disrupted - and that means pushing horizons outwards. Strategy needs to be built as part of a wider consumer system rather than at…