Tableware - US - April 2021

OVERVIEW
What you need to know
Key issues covered in this Report
Definition
COVID-19: US context
Economic and other assumptions
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 
Top takeaways 
Impact of COVID-19 on tableware
Figure 1: Short-, medium- and long-term impact of COVID-19 on tableware, April 2021
Opportunities and challenges 
Position tableware as a way to treat yourself
Figure 2: Reasons for purchasing tableware, January 2021
The “can’t see it, won’t buy it” mentality challenges retailers to get creative 
Create layered shopping experience with emerging technology 
Figure 3: Select shopping attitudes and behaviors toward tableware, by generation, January 2021
Offer alternative ownership options 
THE MARKET – KEY TAKEAWAYS 
The need to convey value heightens amid down economy 
Align tableware with sustainable lifestyle ambitions
Rental concepts offer a new opportunity
MARKET FACTORS 
Learnings from the Great Recession 
Home market trends bode well for tableware 
Shifts in household types impact demand for tableware
Figure 4: Households by detailed type, 2010 and 2020
Marriage delays and declines pose shift in gift registries 
MARKET OPPORTUNITIES 
Promote sustainable lifestyles through tableware investment 
Figure 5: Ekobo, October 2020
Explore alternative ownership options 
Figure 6: Rent the Runway/West Elm partnership, March 2020
Prepare for potential resurgence of at-home entertaining 
Figure 7: Anthropology, February 2021
COMPANIES AND BRANDS – KEY TAKEAWAYS 
Evolve the tableware shopping experience 
Circular economy plays a role in tableware market
COMPETITIVE STRATEGIES
Create interactive and immersive retail experiences
Figure 8: The Table at Crate, April 2020
Circular economy could gain ground in tableware 
Figure 9: Method of acquiring tableware, any pre-owned (net), January 2021
THE CONSUMER – KEY TAKEAWAYS 
Universal penetration reflects category challenges
Shifts in registry trends reflected in acquisition 
Mass merchandisers attract convenience-minded shoppers
Visual inspection required
Tableware can serve as reflection of personal style 
TABLEWARE OWNERSHIP 
Align tableware with home décor to boost engagement and growth
Figure 10: Repertoire of tableware ownership, January 2021
Figure 11: Tableware ownership, February 2020 and January 2021
Apply eco-friendly principals to drive appeal among younger generations
Figure 12: Tableware ownership, by generation, January 2021
Love and marriage and tableware
Figure 13: Select tableware ownership, by marital status, January 2021
METHOD OF ACQUIRING TABLEWARE 
Most items purchased new for themselves
Figure 14: Method of acquiring tableware, January 2021
Wedding registry trends impact tableware acquisition 
Figure 15: Received tableware new as a gift from a gift registry, by marital status, January 2021
REASONS FOR PURCHASING TABLEWARE 
Replacement drives most purchases providing stable baseline
Figure 16: Reasons for purchasing tableware, January 2021
Fuel impulse purchases among Millennials with affordable, style-focused offerings
Figure 17: Select reasons for purchasing tableware, by generation, January 2021
Parents, single shoppers more impulsive than others 
Figure 18: Purchase to treat themselves, by parental and marital status, January 2021
Position tableware alongside home projects 
Figure 19: Select reasons for purchasing tableware, by major life changes in the next year, January 2021
RETAILERS SHOPPED FOR TABLEWARE AND METHOD OF SHOPPING
Convenience prompts consumers to shop mass merchandisers more than home furnishing retailers 
Figure 20: Retailers shopped for tableware, any method (net), January 2021
In-store shopping preferred, but many will shop online when necessary 
Figure 21: Retailers shopped for tableware, by channel, January 2021
Younger shoppers gravitate toward mass 
Figure 22: Mass merchandisers shopped, by generation, January 2021
Figure 23: Target, January 2021
Less affluent seek out deals at mass merchandisers
Figure 24: Select retailers shopped, any method (net), by income, January 2021
SHOPPING ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS 
If they can’t see it, many won’t buy it
Quality: consumers seek value in purchase
Figure 25: Shopping attitudes and behaviors toward tableware, January 2021
Generational divide in shopping behaviors
Figure 26: Select shopping attitudes and behaviors toward tableware, by generation, January 2021
TABLEWARE ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS
Style and versatility: consumers want both 
Figure 27: Tableware attitudes and behaviors, January 2021
Gen Z opt for convenience; Millennials seek versatility and style 
Figure 28: Select tableware attitudes and behaviors, by generation, January 2021
APPENDIX – DATA SOURCES AND ABBREVIATIONS
Data sources
Consumer survey data
Abbreviations and terms
Abbreviations
Terms