Author: Mintel Group Ltd.
Last saved by: HTTP server

The Customer Journey for the Home - UK - October 2015

OVERVIEW
What you need to know
What is covered in this report
Excluded
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The market
Figure 1: Consumer spending on furniture, 2010-20
The market by segment
Figure 2: Consumer spending on furniture, by segment, 2015 (est)
How much spending is going online?
Figure 3: Market shares by furniture retailer, 2014 (est)
Innovation
The consumer
ABs and 16-34s buy furniture most frequently
Figure 4: Furniture purchases in the last three years, August 2015
Living room furniture purchased most recently
Figure 5: Most recent furniture purchases in the last three years, August 2015
The internet is a favourite place for getting ideas
Figure 6: Looking for ideas, August 2015
More purchasing in-store than online
Figure 7: Channels used for most recent furniture purchase, browsing and buying, August 2015
Tipping points in the decision process
Figure 8: Factors influencing the actual decision, August 2015
Attitudes towards buying furniture
Figure 9: Attitudes towards buying furniture, August 2015
Figure 10: Customer typologies when buying furniture, August 2015
Shopping preferences
Figure 11: Preferred methods in the buying process for furniture, browsing, August 2015
Figure 12: Preferred methods in the buying process for furniture, speaking to staff, August 2015
Figure 13: Preferred methods in the buying process for furniture, catalogues and reviews,  August 2015
What we think
ISSUES AND INSIGHTS
Will more furniture purchases involve online shopping?
The facts
The implications
What innovations are likely to affect the way people shop for furniture?
The facts
The implications
What are the strengths and weakness of online or in-store shopping?
The facts
The implications
THE MARKET – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Growth in furniture spending
Upholstery is 26% of the market
Smartphones and PCs driving online shopping
Buoyant housing market
5.2 million UK homes rented privately
Growth in household numbers
MARKET SIZE AND FORECAST
Figure 14: Consumer spending on furniture and furnishings, 2010-20
Figure 15: Consumer spending on furniture and furnishings, 2010-20
SEGMENT PERFORMANCE
Large and diverse market
Figure 16: Consumer spending on furniture, by category, 2015 (est)
MARKET DRIVERS
Personal technology ownership
Figure 17: Personal technology ownership, by age, April 2015
Revival for residential housing sales
: Figure 18: Property transactions, UK, December 2013-August 2015
Home improvements
The buy-to-let effect
Figure 19: Housing tenure, UK, June 2015
House prices rise fastest in London
Figure 20: House prices by region, UK, 2013-14
4.7% more households 2015-20
Figure 21: UK households, by size, 2010-20
CHANNELS TO MARKET
Market shares by retailer
Figure 22: Market shares by furniture retailer, 2014 (est)
Category specialists play a huge role in furniture retailing
General furniture retailers
Intensifying competition for furniture
Other competitors
Shopping from home or on the move
Figure 23: Online furniture specialists, 2015
Independents
INNOVATION AND LAUNCH ACTIVITY
Cloudtags tracks the in-store journey
Wearable technology
Ikea’s augmented reality
B&Q’s design app
3D printing
DFS uses iPads in-store
Argos goes digital
Mobile payments
THE CONSUMER – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
ABs and 16-34s are the most active shoppers for furniture
Highest volumes in living and bedroom
Browsing often begins online
More in-store than online purchasing
16-34s heavily influenced by online shopping
Attitudes vary with age
People enjoy browsing online and in-store
Four main shopper clusters
Customer journey preferences
FURNITURE PURCHASES IN THE LAST THREE YEARS
Figure 24: Furniture purchases in the last three years, August 2015
Figure 25: Most recent furniture purchases in the last three years, August 2015
LOOKING FOR IDEAS
Online browsing influences half of purchasers
People restrict the number of shops they visit
Making use of online advice and comments
Expert reviews please
Brochures popular with wealthier
Least experienced shoppers ask for advice
Figure 26: Looking for ideas, August 2015
CHANNEL USED FOR LAST FURNITURE PURCHASE
54% browsed online, 30% browsed in-store
More people go on to buy in-store
Figure 27: Bought in-store or online, by age, August 2015
Figure 28: Channels used for most recent furniture purchase, browsing and buying, August 2015
Little variation by room
Figure 29: Channels used for most recent furniture purchase, by room, August 2015
Tipping points when buying furniture
Figure 30: Factors influencing the actual decision, August 2015
ATTITUDES INFLUENCING BUYING FURNITURE
Figure 31: Attitudes towards buying furniture, August 2015
Figure 32: Attitudes towards buying furniture, agree, by age and socio-economic group, August 2015
Four target groups
Figure 33: Customer typologies when buying furniture, August 2015
Figure 34: Bought online or in-store by target group, August 2015
Social Smartphoners
Figure 35: Customer typologies when buying furniture, Social Smartphoners target group, August 2015
Figure 36: Customer typologies when buying furniture, Touchers target group, August 2015
Figure 37: Customer typologies when buying furniture, Onliners target group, August 2015
Figure 38: Customer typologies when buying furniture, Service Seekers target group, August 2015
PREFERENCES IN THE BUYING PROCESS
Figure 39: Preferred methods in the buying process for furniture, August 2015
Online stands out for getting ideas
Figure 40: Preferred method for getting ideas, August 2015
Best way to get advice is speak to staff in-store
Figure 41: Preferred method for getting advice, August 2015
Stores are best for viewing items
Figure 42: Preferred way to view items, August 2015
Stores stand out as the best place to judge quality
Figure 43: Preferred way to judge quality, August 2015
They judge comfort in-store without speaking to staff
Figure 44: Preferred method for judging comfort, August 2015
Looking in-store is just ahead of online for choosing colours
Figure 45: Preferred method for choosing colours, August 2015
Online is just ahead for getting size details
Figure 46: Preferred method for getting size details, August 2015
Online just wins out for planning
Figure 47: Preferred method for designing plans, August 2015
People are divided about the best place to get quotes
Figure 48: Preferred method for getting quotes, August 2015
Split opinions for online and in-store for making payments
Figure 49: Preferred method for making payment, August 2015
Credits arrangement are of no interest to 38%
Figure 50: Preferred method for arranging credit, August 2015
APPENDIX – DATA SOURCES, ABBREVIATIONS AND SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Data sources
Market sizing and segment performance
Fan chart forecast
Abbreviations

This report is supplied in accordance with Mintel's terms and conditions.  
© Mintel Group Ltd.