Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- Figure 1: Any event hosted in the last three years/last year, by age, October 2015
- The issues
- Formal entertaining at home is less appealing
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- Figure 2: Types of events planned, by gender, October 2015
- Entertaining can be a stressful prospect
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- Figure 3: Attitudes toward entertaining – Party stress, October 2015
- Women are planning more than their fair share
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- Figure 4: Responsibility for planning, by gender, October 2015
- Party planners are likely working parents
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- Figure 5: Responsibility for planning, by employment status, October 2015
- The opportunities
- Text message may be the new mode for party invites
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- Figure 6: Party planning tasks, October 2015
- Hispanic consumers over index as party hosts and purchasers
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- Figure 7: Types of events hosted in the last three years, by Hispanic origin, October 2015
- Grocery retailers may want to step-up the party aisle
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- Figure 8: Party supply retailers, October 2015
- Black party hosts are ready to “go all out”
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- Figure 9: Attitudes toward entertaining – Party preparation, by race, October 2015
- What it means
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The Market – What You Need to Know
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- At-home events are common for most
- Entertaining at home remains culturally relevant
- Demographic factors have opposing impact
Who Are Party Planners
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- Figure 10: Any event hosted in the last three years, by key demographics, October 2015
- Sentiment toward at-home entertaining remains stable
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- Figure 11: Enjoyment of entertaining, July 2014-September 2015
- Married women aged 25-34 most likely to enjoy entertaining
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- Figure 12: Enjoyment of entertaining, by gender, age, race, and marital status, July 2014-September 2015
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Market Perspective
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- Declining costs increase sales of high-quality televisions
- Abundance of available alternatives create barriers to entertaining
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- Figure 13: Communication activities conducted online in past three months, July 2013 versus April 2015
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- Figure 14: Subscription to pay TV, DVR, internet, 2013-15
- Dining out grows in popularity, fueled by low gas prices
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- Figure 15: Food sales at home and away from home, January 2003-December 2015
- Social media drives visibility of home entertaining
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- Figure 16: Social media use, 2012-15
- Culinary arts see a revival in popularity
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- Figure 17: Interest in dining out and cooking for fun, 2008-15
Market Factors
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- Improving economy may relax entertainment budgets
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- Figure 18: Consumer Sentiment Index, January 2007-December 2015
- Delay in marriage and children slow entertaining in younger age groups
- Growth in Hispanic population a boon for entertaining
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- Figure 19: Total US population growth trends, by race/Hispanic origin, 2010-20, 2010-15, and 2015-20
- Rise in single-person households
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- Figure 20: US households by number of persons in household, 2013
- Figure 21: Hosted an at-home event in the last three years, by household size, October 2015
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- Walmart and grocery are lead retailers
- At-home entertaining sustains as party types evolve
- Parties for kids continue to impress
- Food remains the center of at-home events
Retailer Overview
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- Walmart
- Overview
- Demographics
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- Figure 22: Profile of party hosts – Demographic index, Walmart, October 2015
- Grocery stores
- Overview
- Demographics
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- Figure 23: Profile of party hosts – Demographic index, grocery stores, October 2015
- Target
- Overview
- Demographics
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- Figure 24: Profile of party hosts – Demographic index, Target, October 2015
- Party stores
- Overview
- Demographics
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- Figure 25: Profile of party hosts – Demographic index, party stores, October 2015
- Dollar/discount stores
- Overview
- Demographics
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- Figure 26: Profile of party hosts – Demographic index, discount/dollar stores, October 2015
- Online retailers
- Overview
- Demographics
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- Figure 27: Profile of party hosts – Demographic index, online stores October 2015
What’s In
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- Types of at-home events
- Viewing parties
- Millennials drive resurgence of board games for adults
- Gender reveal parties add another occasion for mothers to-be
- Children’s party trends
- Kids’ parties can be created from scratch or ordered online
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- Figure 28: Potentially popular themes for kids’ parties: Dolls owned, action figures owned, movies watched, April 2014-June 2015
- Accessible entertaining advice for all
- Hotel Commonwealth offers courses in the art of entertaining
- Lifestyle blogs drive the category
- Magazines remain relevant in the entertainment space
What’s Out
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- Traditional notions of entertaining fade
- Young consumers more likely to start and end a party online
- No need for a playlist
- Direct selling companies find new channels
What’s Next?
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- Kids’ parties grow up
- The extravagance continues, with a touch more sophistication
- Kid parties become family parties
- Food and drink solutions unburden hosts
- Deconstructed DIY
- Pay-share is the new potluck
- At-home events get creative
- At-home painting parties
- Brands join your at-home parties
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Majority of adults have hosted an at-home event
- Women do more of the planning
- Planners are purchasing party supplies at grocery retailers
- Impressing guests leads to stress
- Four distinct types of party hosts identified
- Black party hosts “go all out”
Types of Events Hosted
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- Three in four respondents have hosted a party in their home
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- Figure 29: Types of events hosted in the last three years, October 2015
- Informal events the most common in the last year
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- Figure 30: Types of events hosted in the last year, by gender, October 2015
- 25-34s are a key demographic
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- Figure 31: Any event hosted in the last year, by age, October 2015
- Formal ceremonies less likely to be hosted at home
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- Figure 32: Select types of events hosted in the last three years, October 2015
- Hispanic consumers an important demographic
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- Figure 33: Types of events hosted in the last three years, by Hispanic origin, October 2015
Responsibility for Event Planning
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- Men are hosting, but women are planning
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- Figure 34: Responsibility for planning, by gender, October 2015
- Party planners are busy adults
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- Figure 35: Responsibility for planning, by employment status, October 2015
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- Figure 36: Responsibility for planning, by gender and parental status, October 2015
Event Planning Tasks
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- Invitations and inspiration often come from online sources
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- Figure 37: Party planning tasks, October 2015
- Most are reluctant to hire professional help
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- Figure 38: Party planning tasks, by gender, October 2015
- Figure 39: Party planning tasks, by age, October 2015
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- Figure 40: Party planning tasks – Hired professional services, by household income, October 2015
Party Purchases
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- Primary party supplies: Beer, wine, cups
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- Figure 41: Party purchases, October 2015
- Beer and wine are must-haves; hard alcohol is a nice-to-have
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- Figure 42: Party purchases – Alcohol, by age, October 2015
- Alcohol purchases more common among higher income brackets
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- Figure 43: Party purchases – Alcohol, by gender, October 2015
- Women more focused on cake and decorations
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- Figure 44: Party purchases, by gender, October 2015
- Party favors and games more popular with younger hosts
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- Figure 45: Party purchases – Favors and games, by age, October 2015
Party Supply Retailers
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- Party City loses out to other retailers
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- Figure 46: Purchase locations, October 2015
- Women more likely to choose a discount store
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- Figure 47: Purchase locations, by gender, October 2015
- Walmart attracts Millennials
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- Figure 48: Purchase locations, by generations, October 2015
Attitudes toward Entertaining
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- Party hosts look to impress their guests
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- Figure 49: Attitudes toward entertaining – Party preferences, October 2015
- Entertaining is stressful for some
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- Figure 50: Attitudes toward entertaining – Party stress, October 2015
- Older consumers less prone to party stress
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- Figure 51: Smirnoff video – What kind of night is it? October 2015
- Figure 52: Attitudes toward entertaining – Worry that others won’t have a good time, by age, October 2015
- Hosts aged 25-34 enjoy taking and sharing photos
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- Figure 53: Attitudes toward entertaining – Photo sharing, by age, October 2015
- Black party hosts make a good impression
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- Figure 54: Attitudes toward entertaining – Party preferences, by race, October 2015
Types of Party Hosts (Consumer Segmentation)
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- Factors
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- Figure 55: Party host segments, October 2015
- Segment 1: Agreeable Entertainer (27%)
- Demographics
- Characteristics
- Opportunity
- Segment 2: Couch Potato (26%)
- Demographics
- Characteristics
- Opportunity
- Segment 3: Party Pooper (26%)
- Demographics
- Characteristics
- Opportunity
- Segment 4: Host with the Most (21%)
- Demographics
- Characteristics
- Opportunity
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- Figure 56: Party planning/home entertaining segments, October 2105
Key Drivers Analysis – Who Goes All Out?
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- Figure 57: Key demographic drivers of attitudes toward entertaining – Key driver output, November 2015
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- Figure 58: Key demographic drivers of attitudes toward entertaining, behaviors – Key driver output, November 2015
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- Figure 59: Key drivers of attitudes toward entertaining, demographics and attitudes November 2015
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Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Consumer survey data
- Consumer qualitative research
- Direct marketing creative
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
Appendix – Market
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- Figure 60: Social media use, 2012-15
- Figure 61: Interest in dining out and cooking for fun, 2008-15
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- Figure 62: Subscription to pay TV, DVR, internet, 2013-15
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- Figure 63: Enjoyment of entertaining, by gender, age, race, and marital status, July 2014-September 2015
- Figure 64: Enjoyment of entertaining, July 2014-September 2015
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Appendix – Key Players
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- Figure 65: Potentially popular themes for kids’ parties: dolls owned, action figures owned, movies watched, April 2014-June 2015
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Appendix – Consumer Segmentation
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- Figure 66: Attitudes toward entertaining – Any agree, by target groups, October 2015
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Appendix – Key Driver Analysis
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- Methodology
- Interpretation of results
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- Figure 67: Key drivers of attitudes toward entertaining – Key driver output, November 2015
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