Category Archives: Consumer insight

09
Aug

This report investigates consumer expectations for kitchen worktops in terms of performance levels and the attributes influencing the purchase of their next kitchen worktop.

Kitchen category Insight Partners only

The growing importance of worktops in kitchen design has resulted in new materials, colours and textures coming into the market and consumers are now faced with an increasing array of worktop products to choose from.

Consumer expectations in terms of how a kitchen worktop should perform in today’s multi-functional kitchen are complex and often tied into daily habits and household circumstances rather than product knowledge or the price tag.

For this purposes of this research, TREND-MONITOR was pleased to partner with WILSONART a leading manufacturer of laminate, quartz and solid surface worktops.

This partnership has resulted in a focused piece of industry research that is directly relevant to manufacturers and retailers in this fast growing market sector and answers some important questions in terms of consumer purchase decisions, product usage and the performance versus price ratio.

This report identifies consumer needs and expectations with regards to the performance levels of worktop, assesses worktop usage within the kitchen, and evaluates the price versus performance ratio for worktops

The research collected and analysed data in order to understand four key aspects of kitchen worktops:-

• The type of worktops currently in kitchens and utility rooms
• Worktop purchase influences
• Worktop performance levels in-situ
• Attributes which influence future worktop purchases

Key Findings

The popularity of laminate worktops is highlighted in this research with half of the householders surveyed having a laminate worktop in their kitchen.
Over half of homeowners surveyed hadn’t changed their worktop since moving into their current home. Laminate worktops are kept for the longest, a third are over 10 years old.
40% of homes have a separate utility room, although 14% of these utility rooms don’t accommodate a worktop.
Aesthetics (colour and finish) and heat resistance are the key purchase influences for kitchen worktops.
Worktop practicality is more important than price when choosing a new worktop, with 3/4 of householders prepared to pay more for greater worktop practicality.

Methodolody

The research was undertaken via an online consumer survey with a representative sample of UK householders.

The survey was conducted online during April 2018 and targeted a response rate of 1000+ respondents.

The survey consisted of 34 multi-choice questions, plus qualifying and status questions

For the purposes of the research, the different worktop types are categorised as follows:-
– Laminate
– Compact Laminate e.g. Zenith
– Solid Wood
– Solid Surface e.g. Corian
– Quartz e.g. Silestone
– Granite
– Porcelain e.g. Neolith*

If you are a Kitchen category Insight Partner, this report will automatically be added to your account

Bathroom, Consumer insight, Featured Post, Kitchen, News And Views, Videos

Introducing Trend-Monitor Interactive

1st August 2018

Find out more about Trend-Monitor Interactive >

01
Aug

Our new Interactive Insight Partner Plan is about to go live.

Subscribers to the Interactive Insight Partner plan are able to interrogate and analyse the data behind our consumer insight surveys to gain specific insights for their brand.

This video explains Trend-Monitor Interactive in more detail

The data from our consumer insight survey is broken down into a series of online dashboards which focus on the different aspects of the research and have a number of ways to filter and analyse the relevant data.

Track the purchase journey for your target market from their purchase motivations, their research resources prior to purchase, through to their choice of retail outlet. Find out why they chose one retail outlet type over another. Investigate the factors which influence product choice, filtered by age grouping, gender, household structure, income or budget, and build up a demographic profile for each product category.

Filter and compare the data, before downloading and embedding charts into your marketing plans and presentations

Bathroom, Consumer, Consumer insight, Reports

Bathroom Product Purchase Process, Consumer Insight 2018

1st May 2018

01
May

This report evaluates the ‘how, what, why and where’ decisions within the consumer purchase process for a complete new bathroom.

Our research investigates the motivations behind the purchase of a bathroom, where consumers research prior to purchase, how they chose between different products, how the area is planned and designed, the barriers to sales, the major influences during the process, why a retail outlet is chosen and much more

This report will be published in September 2018

If you are a Bathroom category Insight Partner, this report will automatically be added to your account

Note: This report is a collaboration between Trend-Monitor and the Bathroom Manufacturers’ Association. If you are member of the BMA, you will receive a promo code which will allow you to access this report.
If you haven’t received this code, please contact the BMA.

Consumer, Consumer insight, Kitchen, Reports

Kitchen Product Purchase Process, Consumer Insight Report 2018

12th April 2018

12
Apr

This report evaluates the ‘how, what, why and where’ decisions within the consumer purchase process for a complete new kitchen.

Our research investigates the motivations behind the purchase of a kitchen, where consumers research prior to purchase, how they chose between different products, how the area is planned and designed, the barriers to sales, the major influences during the process, why a retail outlet is chosen and much more

This report will be published in August 2018

If you are a Kitchen category Insight Partner, this report will automatically be added to your account

Consumer, Consumer insight, Demographic, Design and Innovation, Kitchen, Reports

Kitchen Purchase Behaviour, Consumer Insight Report 2016

18th February 2018

18
Feb

This consumer insight report looks at the motivating factors behind the decision to purchase a new kitchen, investigating multi-family households, the ageing demographic, flexible working conditions, the space available, even the TV programmes we watch, to understand how these influence the way in which we use our kitchen space.

Kitchen Category Insight Partners only

This research takes a step back and starts from before the actual purchase process in order to explore the way UK homeowners use their kitchens; how they cook, shop for groceries, socialise and relax. It investigates how family circumstances and household demographics, multi-functional space issues and emerging smart technologies can impact on how kitchens are planned and which products are purchased.

The results of this research have enabled us to produce 6 different kitchen consumer profiles, which will aid manufacturers and retailers of kitchen products in identifying their target market and creating a structured approach to product development and marketing communications.

The report gives a fascinating insight into people’s diverse requirements for their individual kitchens and highlight a number of opportunities for innovation and growth for kitchen product brands.

Key Findings

Spending is back on the agenda with homeowners showing a willingness to invest in a new kitchen because they are not prepared to wait any longer for a new one
Luxury goes mainstream as what were previously considered high-ticket appliances rise steeply in popularity
Kitchens are not as social as we would like with homeowners complaining that their new kitchens don’t provide enough space to entertain.
Lack of space continues to be the main issue with new kitchens and although there many be opportunities to add an extension or create an open plan space, making the best use of storage and work surfaces is more important for many new kitchens
Although the smart kitchen is a trend that has grown significantly over the past 3 years, many homeowners are still failing to understand how the technology will work in their own homes.

The 2018 edition of this report will be published in August 2018

Also published in August 2018 – Kitchen Behaviours and Product Usage 2018

If you are a Kitchen Category Insight Partner, these reports will automatically be added to your account

Bathroom, Consumer, Consumer insight, Reports

Bathroom Purchase Behaviour, Consumer Insight Report 2017

10th January 2018

10
Jan

This bathroom industry report investigates the purchase of a new complete bathroom and the key influences on consumers as they progress through the purchase process, such as budget, family circumstances, brand awareness, research methods and advice sources. The report reveals how consumers choose their suppliers, how they plan and design their new bathroom and how they find a bathroom fitter.

Bathroom Category Insight Partners only

The report has had the benefit of a 1285-strong respondent base which was accessed via a collaboration with the online bathroom inspiration platform Foam & Bubbles. The respondents, all UK consumer-homeowners, have all recently fitted a complete new bathroom, or are actively planning a complete new bathroom for installation in the near future, resulting in a highly-engaged survey audience.

“Direct access to people who are actively engaged in the purchase of a new bathroom has enabled Trend-Monitor to obtain high-level insights into the purchase process. The result is an invaluable resource for bathroom brands, bathroom retailers and industry professionals, providing a focus and structure for new product development and customer engagement programmes”.
Jane Blakeborough, Research Director, Trend-Monitor Ltd

“This report will allow bathroom brands and other interested parties to have a deeper and more insightful knowledge of the bathroom purchase and replacement processes, outlining motivations and demographic patterns, with the result that we will have a deeper understanding of the way consumers refurbish their bathrooms today – and in the future”.
Avinash Doshi, Founder and CEO, Foam & Bubbles

Find out more about Foam & Bubbles brand partners here

Key findings from the research include:-

Brand awareness within the bathroom market remains low, clearly illustrated by the 90% of survey respondents who were unable to name any of the brands they had used or were planning to use in their new bathroom. Brand awareness does however increase slightly as the bathroom budget increases to the point where more research is done online, and more purchases are made via local bathroom showrooms instead of DIY and retail chains.
Research prior to purchase continues to move online over the past year with 45% more people researching via online bathroom inspiration websites, in particular for the higher-budget bathrooms. 46% more people are researching via e-commerce websites and these tend to be focused on the lower-budget bathrooms.
The design services offered by bathroom retailers and installers have a relatively low uptake with a third of homeowners choosing to plan their new bathroom themselves and a further 29% of new bathrooms keeping the same layout as before.
Interestingly 24% of those homeowners who plan their own bathroom choose to do so on paper, compared to only 10% who use an online design tool.
Water saving features have recently increased in importance within the bathroom purchase process. This is shown by people currently in the planning stage of their bathroom installation being twice as likely to consider water-saving features to be important when purchasing a bathroom product than those who have already installed their bathroom.
The influence of the bathroom fitter on the modern-day bathroom is evident throughout the whole bathroom installation process, however consumers sourcing a bathroom fitter for their new bathroom are still doing it the traditional way – by personal recommendation. Bathroom fitters are over twice as likely to be appointed based on a recommendation from a family member or friend than any other sourcing method.

Contents
Key Findings
About the Survey Respondents
UK Bathroom Market Overview
Section One: Motivating Factors
Section Two: Research Prior Purchase
Section Three: Design and Planning
Section Four: Personalising the Bathroom
Section Five: Brand Awareness
Section Six: Water Saving in the Bathroom
Section Seven: Choice of Purchase Outlet
Section Eight: The Influence of the Bathroom Fitter
Section Nine: Bathroom Style
Section Ten: How we use our Bathrooms
Appendix one: Methodology

Foam & Bubbles brand partners have access to this report as part of their partnership agreement with Foam & Bubbles