As stores and services continue to evolve, so must retail design and its techniques, visual merchandising expert Anne Kong said during her Connect FALL session, “Enhancing Your Visual Toolbox.”

Kong is professor and program coordinator, Spatial Experience Design Program, Fashion Institute of Technology, and partner in A+D Kong.

Kong first discussed the concept of spatial design, which takes a wider look at the combination of the store’s architecture, exterior landscape, faćade, window displays and public art, along with the interior design of the store, its products, services and store experiences. In spatial design, retailers can communicate with customers through product presentation, product identification, furnishings as fixturing, incorporating hospitality, residential-style lighting and environmental graphics. All of these techniques can catch the eye of the shopper. Retailers need to look at how all the parts come together as a whole to make the store a destination, Kong said. Balance, contrast, alignment, positive/negative space, value, weight, position, communication and texture all play a role.

“What is in your visual toolbox?” Kong asked, before sharing examples of techniques and storefronts that illustrate them.

Abstract Mix

Abstract Mix can make some designers uncomfortable, Kong said. It asks the designer or retailer to draw outside the lines a little, but in turn, it will cause a viewer to look twice. In this example from gia Top Window global honoree, Bahne in Denmark, floating merchandise, horizontal lines and an abstract flower “cloud” draw attention but lighting keeps the focus on what is important as far as merchandise.

Color

While it can be seen as a commitment on a selling floor, color can open up tight spaces to expand them naturally and draws shopper to the back of the store, Kong stated, sharing an example of Muma in Brazil.

Monochromatic

Monochromatic looks can be a phenomenon or spectacle for the viewer. It has the power to stop the eye of the viewer to make them search for differences. It can take a lot of time to curate, but the viewer will also spend a lot of time taking in the presentation. Kong noted the use of texture in this example from Buss Wohnen in Germany.

Texture

Texture can be very appealing to viewers, Kong stated, showcasing an example from Fontana in Italy. The strong diagonal line of recycled cans draws the eye to the merchandise, she said.

Call to Action

Retailers can use the call to action technique to raise awareness about a cause that is important to them. In turn, this can connect the retailer to the customer who aligns with their values. In this example from Culinarium in Spain, the lighting focuses attention to the merchandise very clearly, but call to action has a presence.

Museum

Museum refers to using history to showcase the products in the real world while reflecting back in time. In this example from gia Top Window honoree, Habitare – Loja & Atelier in Portugal, salt in the storefront harkens to local history and the salt mines in the town.

Surprise

This technique equates surprise with rewarding the customer visually. Monotonous lines are familiar and help the customer navigate, but the visual monotony is broken up with a surprise like a pop of color, Kong said.

Fantasy

In the fantasy technique, the display is a feast for the eyes, a fantasy that takes away from the real world and makes the windows feel like theater. In this example from Premium Home in Poland, the merchandise is displayed as though in a painting.

Current Events

Current events refers to bringing local or national events into the display in the window. Kong used this example from The Cookshop in the UK, which referenced a recent skit with Queen Elizabeth and Paddington Bear.

Surrealism

Surrealism borders on the abstract, but it is more reminiscent of real life, said Kong, showcasing an example from gia Top Window honoree, Harrods in the UK. Harrods turned the window of the store into a residence that became the framework for merchandise, turning the shopper into a voyeur peeking into the window.

Lifestyle

A lifestyle window uses the products in a way where merchandise feels deliberately placed or curated. This example from Hanson & Co in Norway uses texture and visual followthrough for the eye to travel around the display.

Symmetry

Symmetry refers to the mirroring of a space on both sides of the display. Kong showed an example from Harrods in the UK using symmetrical product displays to surround a colorful stove.

Juxtaposition

This is a visual contrast between objects that we see in the window, said Kong, a juxtaposition of something ordinary with something extraordinary. For example, seeing something that doesn’t belong there. In this example from Du Bruit dans La Maison in France, the cart acts as a prop to grab attention and bring in the viewer.

Tagline

“Don’t underestimate the power of copy and how we can talk directly to the consumer,” asserted Kong. Taglines can be tongue and cheek and provoke in a positive way. For example, in Bloomingdale’s in NYC, a “roll with it” neon sign is a playful way to showcase the rolling pins and other cookware and appliances.

Whimsey

Also in Bloomingdale’s in NYC, a neon sign saying “whisk me away” is a conversational tagline that evokes whimsey and is used to promote whisks.

Graphics

Graphics can set the stage and give off an aura when part of the display, Kong said, showing this example of graphic wallpaper from Minihaus in Brazil.

Nostalgia

This generation of shopper loves the idea of vintage, expressed Kong. A nostalgic display using the contrast of vintage items and modern gadgets can make the consumer stop and reflect for a moment. 

Education

“Sometimes we forget that we have a superpower as visual merchandisers,” Kong said, discussing the education technique. Retailers can talk to their shoppers using many methods, such as informative lists or tips as part of the display.

Kong offered a few last pieces of advice in response to questions. She stated that right now, a more robust display is important to the consumer; if they are coming out of their houses to shop, they want to be entertained. She also said that windows should be changed roughly every two weeks. When it comes to online merchandising changing as often as the windows, Kong said she doesn’t think it is necessary but that seasonal changes should be reflected.

Kong relayed how important it is for retailers to have moments of value. Certain areas in shopping environments have the power to guide the thoughts, behaviors and habits of the customers. “If we have our customers come to our stores, we have to reward them with good service and reward them visually,” she said. 

The final session of Connect FALL 2022 featured an overview of the IHA Occasions Report 2023, offering key findings, conclusions and changes from the 2022 survey. Presenters Leana Salamah, vice president, Marketing at IHA, and Peter Giannetti, editor-in-chief of HomePage News, also previewed results from an IHA consumer survey on at-home entertaining to be released later this year

HomePage News will publish the 2023 IHA Occasions Report in early November. The report showcases analysis and insights into consumer gift preferences and shopping behaviors based on each of eight key special occasions that offer gift-giving opportunities: engagements, bridal showers, weddings, new home ownership, new pet ownership, baby showers, off-to-college and retirement. The occasions survey was conducted Sept. 7-9, 2022, among a sample of 2,211 adults.

Giannetti noted that to some degree adults indicated were unlikely to purchase home and housewares gifts for most of the special occasions. He cautioned, however, not to read into that finding, but to look at all the results which show a large portion of people across all generations are ready to buy gifts or self-gift for special occasions.

Among the key findings from the 2023 survey:

• Adults hold mixed views on how often celebratory occasions will happen in the next year for themselves or their loved ones. Adults were most likely to say new pet ownership or housewarming/new home would happen for themselves or loved ones over the next 12 months. The percentage of adults who say it is likely they or their loved ones will experience housewarming/new home over the next 12 months decreased by 5% since 2021. Nearly half of 18-34-year-olds (45%) say it is likely their friends and family will have new pet ownership over the next 12 months
• While a majority of adults say they are unlikely to purchase a home and housewares gift for the tested occasions in the next year, they are most likely to purchase a gift for a wedding (27%) or new home (30%). Adults are least likely to buy home and housewares gifts for all occasions between January and March, and most likely to make such purchases between July and September.
• Adults are relatively open-minded when it comes to deciding which type of gift to buy for each occasion. Whether they are more likely to buy a gift card or specific gift varies by the type of occasion. Leaving for college and retirement are the top two occasions for which adults are likely to buy gift cards.

Giannetti and Salamah reviewed some of the purchasing behaviors for the tested occasions. Giannetti said that while some numbers have declined over the year, they are still higher than pre-pandemic purchasing for the occasions.

At least one-quarter of adults say it is likely their family and friends will have a wedding (24%), a baby shower (25%), new pet ownership (33%) or housewarming/new home (27%) in the next 12 months.

“Last year we saw an absolute explosion in new pet ownership and in housewarmings and new homes,” Salamah said. “While we’ve seen a decrease in new homes, new pet ownership continues to be strong.” She added that pet association officials are seeing the same trend and even pets who are returned to shelters are being snapped up. This resurgence in new pet ownership offers housewares opportunities in categories such as cleaning and home environment.

Younger adults are more likely than older age groups to experience housewarming/new home or new pet ownership over the next 12 months. Adults aged 18-34 are driving many of the behaviors across all of the tested occasions, Salamah said.

“These are significantly higher percentages,” Giannetti said. “While we’ve zeroed in on pet ownership, you can’t discount the percentages on housewarmings, weddings, baby showers.”  He added that 18 to 34-year-olds figured prominently in other Connect FALL sessions that discussed trends and age groups.

Entertaining at Home

While compiling the Occasions Report, Giannetti said they realized that the 2022 holiday season will be very important in returning to at-home entertaining.  As the U.S. moves past the pandemic from an emotional standpoint, people are really eager to get back into the home entertaining mood, he said.

IHA worked with Morning Consult to ask specific questions about home entertaining for both casual and traditional holiday events.

Key findings in this report include:

• Adults anticipate hosting more casual gatherings in 2023. Compared to the last 12 months, adults are expecting to host more rather than less casual gatherings, while 47% expect to host the same amount. They are most likely to host these gatherings from October to December 2023.
• Adults prefer to self-prepare food and personally provide the main course for casual gatherings. They are more likely to self-prepare their food (64%) than have it catered (10%) for casual gatherings at their home and are most likely to personally provide the main course (71%) and have their guests provide desserts (12%), salads (11%), alcohol (10%) or side dishes (10%).
• Adults are split between mostly using everyday sets (36%) or disposables (32%) for casual gatherings.
• In an aided and unaided environment, clean-up and timing of prep (specifically a desire for most prep to be ready concurrently) are referenced as the most challenging parts, respectively, of hosting casual gatherings.

Both reports will be published on HomePageNews.com later this year.

Trend forecasters like to talk about things that influence an industry including lifestyle, food & beverage, economy, cohorts and generations, décor and life stage. When these things start to form a pattern, they showcase a trend.

And how does this affect home and housewares? It affects everything, said Leigh Ann Schwarzkopf, principal, Project Partners Network, and Nikki Gondell, founding partner, Trend House, Inc., during their Connect FALL session on Wednesday.

Trend House works with several international trend forecasters, and for this presentation, Gondell chose MoodSign Milan’s Spring 2024 trends. There are four stories they are working on — Harmony, Rebirth, Tropical Lush and Color Me Happy!, she said, and then focused on Harmony and Rebirth, explaining how they incorporate food and flavors and housewares design directions.

Harmony

The consumer mindset behind this story is for those who want a harmonious life for themselves with equilibrium and balance, physical, emotional and spiritual balance. Good health and peace of mind are the two components that create true self-care. “When we slow down, we can allow the beauty and poetry of life to come in,” Gondell said. “When we’re rushing and hurrying and stressing, we shut ourselves out from the present moment.”

This has led to a reawakening to opting out of the hustle culture; quiet quitting and slowing down and taking it easy, getting proper sleep, breathing deeply, and being more relaxed, she said.

Another element, cottagecore, is a movement that came about during the height of the pandemic when consumers were craving safety. It brought a safe, cozy, familiar, friendly environment to one’s home. It allowed consumers to facilitate doing things they never did before because they had more time and were indoors more. For example, if you couldn’t find bread, you learned how to make it and then found you liked making bread, Gondell said. Some of the behaviors developed during the pandemic are the new normal, she added, saying, “We’re not eating out as often, we’re cooking at home more.”

The color palette for Harmony is fresh and clean. It focuses on colors of spring, shades of peach pink, lavender and cherry combine with natural shades of warm and fragrant beige. The colors are easy to live with.

The food and flavors associated with Harmony are fresh, clean and have health-boosting properties. It is a major consumer driver and presents opportunities and challenges. A Deloitte survey showed that 90% of respondents said fresh food makes them happy. They aspire to have food that is clean, organic, natural, less processed and with fewer additives.

Gondell discussed the design inspirations for housewares, which includes how we facilitate welcoming and relaxed experiences for the meal, entertaining, getting dinner to the table and cocktails. One answer – sheet pan meals, which allow you to make the entire meal on one pan are trending up. This type of cooking also gives consumers permission to not be perfect with everything, she said. Design inspiration also comes from the friendly and familiar; sweet, simple and nostalgic; charming and original; easy and versatile; indoor/outdoor; personal and emotional; and conscious and conscientious.

Rebirth

The consumer mindset behind this story is similar to harmony but is a radical reconnection to our lives and wild world. We move away from a screen-centered focus and reconnect with the world, to our shared humanity, our instincts and our mother earth, Gondell said. The décor is a warm comforting style showcasing the beauty of earthy materials, texture and forms, and honoring the traditions and artistry of other cultures.

The color palette is focused on earthy shades and natural dyes. Indigo blue and beetroot are flanked by varying natural shades of brown, and a pear green is an essential key to complete the vegetal mood. Blues and browns are popular. Whenever there has been a very stressful external event, brown comes back because from a color psychology viewpoint it makes us grounded and rooted, and we gravitate toward that, Gondell said. Earth and brown colors are very big right now, she added.

Food and flavors associated with the Rebirth story feature new horizons and new connections, a street flood influence, post-fusion, spice sensations, ancient know-how, 5-star wild, foraged and in season and open fire cooking. Illustrating post-fusion, Gondell, who grew up with an Italian/Catholic mother and a Romanian/Jewish father, remembered how her mother would make a Seder with a pasta course in the middle. “She wasn’t mixing flavor profiles, but we just grew up merging the different cultures at the dinner table,” Gondell said.  

Design inspirations include earthy, organic and tactile; cultural exchange; vegetable dyes and pigments; artistry, clay and soul; handmade and hand-forged, ancient techniques; woven, knotted and linked; and share, learn and explore.

Schwarzkopf then shared data points on food, lifestyle and housewares trends.

• Of people who eat at home, 46% watched TV during their most recent meal at home and 68% of people who made all of their meals enjoyed it. When it comes to generations, Boomers led the way in making all of the meals, followed by Gen X and Millennials. Gen Zers were the top group in making some or none of the meals.
• The growth of the resale economy – promotes messages of better value, greater selection and being kind to the planet. Americans sit on 23.6 billion products that are unused.
• Is becoming more acceptable to purchase secondhand products. 36% of consumers have bought secondhand furniture and homewares in the last year.
• Retailers are joining the resale & refurbish market or offering donation programs where gently used products are donated to shelters and or organizations. They include Nordstrom, Williams Sonoma, Walmart and Goodwill.

“If your product comes into contact with food, you’re part of this,” said Fran Groesbeck, managing director of the Cookware and Bakeware Alliance, at the beginning of a panel about PFAS chemicals and housewares on Wednesday. Groesbeck noted that PFAS legislation is an important and growing issue and no longer just focuses on non-stick cookware.

Groesbeck was joined by Tobias Gerfin, CEO of Kuhn Rikon and president, European Association for Cookware, Cutlery and Flatware; and Thomas Lee, partner, Energy, Environment and Infrastructure Practice Group, Bryan, Cave, Leighton and Paisner.

What is PFAS? A group of over 14,000 chemicals, that when used, is intended to enhance or achieve the betterment of that product. As a large family of chemicals, they do not all look the same, said Groesbeck, and each group has different characteristics and risk factors to be considered. 

In light of these risk factors, new legislation is happening, and quickly. With more than 350,000 chemicals used in commerce, Groesbeck said, the regulators currently have limited means of addressing the speed at which chemicals enter the market. The result is to regulate entire classes of chemicals, as is the case in some states with PFAS.

Groesbeck discussed the two types of legislation currently being passed: “right-to-know” laws and outright bans. She believes that right-to-know laws are a good approach to a complex topic and legislation that looks to ban or prohibit PFAS is concerning as it could lead to regrettable substitutions or unintended consequences.

In both types of legislation, the definition of cookware is defined as any product that is used to prepare, dispense or store food, foodstuffs or beverages, Groesbeck stated, and newer legislation is going one step further to simply say products.

The important next steps, Groesbeck said, are:

• Get educated on PFAS. Learn more about where it is used in your products and the manufacturing process and begin planning for the requirements of the enacted laws.
• Remember it is beyond cookware now. This will impact many industries, from electronics to medical, but within the housewares market, any product that comes into contact with food may be included depending on legislation.
• The complete product cycle is impacted. Some laws include where PFAS was intentionally used in the manufacturing processes; and if PFAS was intentionally added, “free” or “free-from” marketing claims are no longer acceptable in marketing the product.
• Do something rather than nothing. Get started, do your research, ask questions, plan packaging and product changes if necessary, connect with resources to get documentation and start preparing for enacted legislation deadlines.

To stay on top of passed and pending legislation, the CBA has created a PFAS legislation tracker by state and status and industry updates offering a summary of legislation and who it impacts, what you need to know and what you need to do, said Groesbeck.

Following Groesbeck, Lee went further into the legislation being enacted. He agreed it is critically important for several industries, including housewares. While there were only two or three states beginning laws a few years ago, there are now many more in this rapidly evolving regulatory space. He noted that among the states, there is more legislation for bans than right-to-know laws.

Current enacted and proposed legislation includes California, Colorado, Washington and Michigan with notice and labeling requirements; and Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Vermont with bans and reformulation requirements.

Some legislation will go into effect as early as January 1, 2023, depending on the state, said Lee. Possible regulations include that company websites must list all intentionally added PFAS, information on labels, or prohibition of juvenile products, or products that are marketed to anyone under 12 years old, that contain “regulated PFAS.” As Groesbeck noted, it is important to know which laws will apply and when they go into effect. For more details about current legislation, see Lee’s presentation.

Concluding the session, the floor was opened up for questions. When asked a question about a specific product item, Groesbeck noted that it is not just about the regulators, but also the consumers who have been following PFAS. Gerfin added that it is also important to keep retailers in mind and ask when they will no longer accept a product with packaging that must be changed; the sooner it can be taken off the packaging, the better. He continued that retailers are beginning to crack down on PFAS, moving to be the first to show that they are being careful about regulations.

When asked what can be done to ensure the supply chain is regulated during the manufacturing and supplier process, Groesbeck suggested connecting and communicating with the suppliers who deal with chemical management. Lee proposed looking at purchase agreements to see who is responsible within the vendor agreements.

Lee said he wasn’t aware of any grace periods about deadlines and encouraged everyone to be proactive and informed.

A tote bag with the saying “Nobody’s Normal” was the inspiration for Tom Mirabile’s Connect FALL session on Tuesday. “Everyone who saw the bag said, ‘yep, that’s right.’ These are the times we are in and nobody is normal,” said Mirabile, principal of Springboard Futures and IHA’s consumer trends analyst.

An overview of the housewares market segmentation shows age generations are spread across the industry, led by consumers aged 65 and older at 31.8%, followed by those aged 35 to 44 at 20.6%. Middle-aged consumers 45 to 64 account for a combined 26.5% of the market, with younger consumers 25 to 34 at 11.7% and consumers 25 to 34 at 11.4%. Consumers under age 25 account for 7.1% of the housewares market.

Mirabile said housewares “works in generations” and having demand spread across the generations shows a nice diversity, so unlike other businesses the industry isn’t selling into a narrow generation market. On the downside, serving the diverse needs of each generation can present stock balancing and SKU proliferation challenges for both retailers and suppliers. However, it Is a more secure place to be when can you sell to more generations, he added.

Inflation has affected consumers’ consumption behavior. Mirabile cited a Consumer Inflation Sentiment survey by PYMNTS.com that showed 73% of consumers responding will eat more at home and 69.9% will cut down on essential spending. More than half of respondents said they would change to cheaper merchants due to increased prices.

Looking to the future, Mirabile said it’s easy for suppliers to get into the rut of thinking only of their category. He urged them to consider expanding into technologies that “broaden the use and experience your products deliver.” As an example, he cited a cutting board that is also a defrosting board, magnetic knife block, kitchen timer and a scale, all in a prep board. He encouraged partnering with other suppliers or retailers, co-branding or creating private label products.

Aspirations vs. Attributes

The housewares industry primarily thinks about product attributes, what a product does, versus the aspirations of the consumer, the product user. Thinking about what consumers want will help a product get to market faster and make it more durable, Mirabile said. Aspirations don’t change over time; for example, consumers don’t want to spend more time in the kitchen, they don’t want less space.

“Trends come and go, lifestyles change, technologies will advance and move past, but aspirations only shift. They will shift toward the latest technology or shift towards a different income level,” he said. “Aspirations are durable. They form the core of what we want for ourselves and what we want for the people that we love.”

It’s important that suppliers talk to their teams about what their customers’ aspirations are. This is a way to create a profile so that everything a company starts should come from that basic place, he explained.

Mirabile discussed six aspirations consumers have: happiness, health, consciousness, control, trust and social.

Happiness – joy, creativity, engagement and delight

• Consumers want to spend more time being happy and enjoying their life.
• As stressors change, the desire for happiness remains. As the pandemic stress recedes, environmental anxiety and the return of busy lifestyles will place mounting pressure on consumers. Consumers want fun and playfulness, and brands can provide that. Think about ways to show a product in a different, fun way.
• 80% of consumers say if a brand uses humor they are more likely to buy it again, according to “The Happiness Report” from Oracle and author-podcaster Gretchin Rubin.
• The desire for happiness and health is equal across generations.
• According to Taste of Home, home cooks have overcome cooking fatigue and are back in their happy place, the kitchen. Easier prep is also desired.

Health – balance, comfort, strength, resilience, energy, fitness

• Across dimensions, Millennials prioritize health and wellness more than other generations, followed by Gen X and Gen Z.
• Emotional wellness is more important to Gen Z (46%) than Boomers (35%) and physical wellness is more important to Boomers (49%) than Gen Z (32%).
• Some “happy places” can get dangerous—obesity and being overweight have reached epidemic proportions.
• Promoting physical wellness is a product benefit most important to Boomers, Gen X and Millennials while enhancing emotional wellness is most important to Gen Z.

Consciousness – aware, proactive, transparent, informed, ethical, responsible

• Consumers want everyone to be more conscious about what’s going on in the world…and be more responsible.
• Consumers’ expectations of brands are evolving, and they want to see progress against ethical initiatives. They are less likely than ever to take brands at their word when they say they’re doing the right thing.
• Sustainability expectations stretch beyond a brand to how a company behaves as a whole.
• 88% of Americans are likely to purchase secondhand in the next 12 months. Restored & refurbished product is gaining in popularity for environmental and social reasons.
• When it comes to corporate social responsibility, companies’ priorities should be: improving labor/work policies; protecting consumer data privacy; offering services/products to those in need; and reducing carbon footprints.

Control – empowered, convenience, choice, personalized

• In times of uncertainty, consumers crave a sense of control over their lives. They want clarity, transparency, flexibility and options.
• 85% of people have shifted their purchase behavior towards being more sustainable in the past 5 years.
• The future of the customer experience will be driven not by the brand but by empowered consumers.
• 61% of online shoppers feel more personally connected to brands that offer personalized content or deals.
• Consumers are expecting more interactive and engaging shopping experiences, even online.

Social – engaged, connect, community, collective, reunion

• 36% of consumers surveyed by The Harris Poll said social media has changed how they cook at home.
• TikTok is becoming a trend and lifestyle barometer. TikTok Kitchen will launch in about 300 US locations in 2022.
• Instacart is teaming up with TikTok on shoppable recipes for cooking videos.
• 81% of retail shoppers conduct online research before buying; 77% of shoppers use a mobile device.

Safety – privacy, security, trust, non-toxic, untainted

• Data privacy, safety and security are extremely important to 45% of surveyed consumers.
• Ransomware costs are projected to reach $265 billion by 2031. Very important to keep customers’ data safe.
• Consumers will be looking for humanized shopping experiences, even while shopping digitally.
• 55% of online shoppers surveyed in the US say their mobile device is quickly becoming their most important shopping tool.

With a recession and inflation looming on the minds of many companies and consumers, Joe Derochowski, home industry advisor for The NPD Group, discussed during IHA’s 2022 Connect FALL virtual event where consumers are likely to spend during the next year and how companies can be ready to meet their needs. 

Derochowski began by stating prices across all industries have risen not only this year, but last year as well. However, inflationary times have not always impacted consumer behavior, and there are growth opportunities and money to be made in 2023.

Derochowski’s advice for companies navigating the current state of the marketplace included five opportunities to understand consumers and generate growth:

Leverage growing consumer needs.

During a recession, consumers (especially lower-income households) eat at home more often, which opens the door for home-centric items, Derochowski said. Among other burgeoning consumer needs, the return to office has created a space for convenience-based products, which includes products for quick and easy meals at home, portable beverageware and food storage containers. Additionally, pandemic-related concerns about sharing food have begun to dissipate, and it can be expected that shared appetizers, foods and desserts will once again find their way onto tables this holiday season. This opens the door for different types of serveware, entertaining items and specialty food storage.

Expand new audiences.

Derochowski challenged listeners to ask themselves if they are satisfying the needs of all of their markets and audiences. As an example, he noted the Hispanic population is one of the fastest-growing segments of the population and makes up a higher share of the wallet when it comes to such products as traditional blenders and single-serve blending/processing appliances. He asked, “Are you marketing in a way that connects to them?” Companies need to be fully leveraging new audiences, he said.

Refine execution.

Discussing execution, Derochowski said kitchen appliances beat out home environment, kitchen electrics, personal care and housewares. While the number of units on promotion increased because of more promotions, the depth of the discount lessened, said Derochowski. He stressed how important it is to win at the execution and to re-evaluate pricing and promotion strategies to gain profit. 

Increase Nimbleness.

“Can we be more nimble?” Derochowski asked, stressing that companies need to adjust more quickly to the needs of consumers. In fans, for example, companies should be aware of changing weather patterns  to adjust to purchasing habits.

Continue innovation.

The adjustment in consumer behavior that is happening now means there is money to be made, Derochowski continued. However, it’s not just about products, he said. It’s also about marketing,  continuing to speak to the consumer and inspiring them. He cited such examples as the creation of themed nights, including Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday and Pizza Friday on social media.

Despite inflationary times, there are growth opportunities if you know where to look, Derochowski concluded.