Accent Furniture

Chairs and tables and desks, oh my!

By Dana French -- Home Accents Today, 6/1/2005

Accent furniture is a significant part of the home accents business. No question about it. As first reported in Home Accent Today's 2004 Universe Study (see December 2004), the category accounted for 21% of the market in 2004 and totaled $13.5 billion in retail sales. Accent furniture is projected to grow 5.6% this year reaching $14.2 billion in retail sales.

Chairs, end tables, desks and armoires are the most purchased accent furniture pieces, according to Home Accents Today's exclusive Consumer Buying Trends Survey. For the most part, households plan ahead and shop before buying accent furniture. Four-fifths of households plan before purchasing a new armoire or chair and about three-fourths plan before buying a new desk or end table.

The living room or family room is where about half of accent furniture-buying households place their new chair, end table or desk. A bedroom, whether it's a master, other adult or child's, is where half of households put the new armoire.

Households buying accent furniture are influenced by the same factors when shopping, regardless of specific product purchased. Topping the list:

style and appearance
durability
overall quality
color
price.

Slight differences do exist among buyers of chairs, end tables, desks and armoires:

Armoire buyers are more influenced by a product's style and appearance.
Chair and armoire buyers are more influenced by the product's overall quality.
Desk buyers rate durability higher.
Chair buyers rate color higher.
End table buyers are more influenced by price.

Households rate the accent furniture's brand and the "latest style" as the least important factors when shopping.

Where do households buy accent furniture? Traditional furniture stores are the No. 1 channel for end tables, chairs and armoires. Households spend a median of $200 there for end tables, a median of $500 for chairs and a median of $800 for armoires. Furniture stores are also tops for mid-priced and high-end tables and chairs. Among households spending between $50 and $124 on end tables, 29% bought at a furniture store; of those spending between $125 and $299, 29% did; and, among those that spent $300 or more, 34% bought at a furniture store. Among households spending between $300 and $599 on chairs, 31% bought at a furniture store and of those spending $600 or more on chairs, another 31% bought at a furniture store.

Discount department stores is the No. 1 channel for desks. Households spend a median of $100 at a discounter for desks. Discounters, including Wal-Mart, Target and the like, are also the No. 1 channel for promotionally priced chairs and end tables.

Lifestyle stores, including Restoration Hardware, Pottery Barn, Linens 'N Things and Bed Bath & Beyond, have become significant players in accent furniture. Linens 'N Things expanded its furniture program by 200 stores during fourth quarter of last year, resulting in two-thirds of its units carrying a full furniture assortment. Our exclusive Consumer Buying Trends survey shows 20% of households buying chairs, desks and armoires purchased through a lifestyle store and 15% of households buying end tables purchased there. Households spend a median of $390 on chairs through the channel; a median of $170 on desks; a median of $500 on armoires; and a median of $100 on end tables.

Traditional furniture stores have the highest close ratios for chairs and end tables at 84% and 78% respectively. That means 84 out of every 100 households that shopped for chairs in a traditional furniture store actually purchased one or more there. Apparently consumers are satisfied with the chairs and end tables they're finding in furniture stores.

Discount department stores have the highest close ratios for desks and home improvement centers/warehouse membership clubs have the highest for armoires.

On the other hand, shoppers appear to not be finding what they're looking for at home accent/gift stores when it comes to accent furniture. Close ratios through the channel range from a low of 35% for armoires to a high of 47% for chairs.

The accent furniture consumer

Accent furniture buyers differ according to specific product purchased. For example, higher income households, those earning $75,000 or more, comprise a higher portion of end table buyers. Lower income households, those earning less than $40,000, account for a greater portion of desk and chair buyers. Generations X and Y, currently between the ages of 20 and 40, are likely buyers of desks and armoires. Hispanics are likely buyers for armoires and desks and African-Americans are likely candidates to purchase an armoire or end table.

Married couples are more likely than singles to buy end tables and chairs. Apartment and mobile home dwellers and singles are more likely prospects for desks. As for armoires, likely buyers are those with Internet access, renters and households earning between $40,000 and $74,999.

Who's buying higher-priced chairs and end tables? Consumers age 45 and older make up the lion's share of households buying high-end chairs and end tables. According to the Consumer Buying Trends survey, this age group comprises 71% of the households buying an end table priced $300 or more and 76% of those buying a chair priced $600 or more. As expected, higher income households also comprise a large portion of high-end buyers. Households earning $75,000 or more account for 63% of higher-priced end tables and 54% of higher-priced chairs.

Other characteristics of households spending $300 or more on an end table:

54% are Baby Boomers; 34% belong to the Happy Days Generation; 8% belong to Gen X
25% have incomes between $40,000 and $74,999; 12% have incomes under $40,000
88% are married
80% own or are buying their home
38% are parents with children living at home
81% have Internet access.

Additional characteristics of households spending $600 or more on a chair:

58% are Baby Boomers; 18% belong to the Happy Days Generation; 10% belong to Gen X
22% have incomes between $40,000 and $74,999; 24% have incomes under $40,000
96% own or are buying their home
44% are parents with children living at home
88% have Internet access.

The accent furniture consumer

	percent of households buying
BY HOUSEHOLD INCOME	chairs	end tables	desks	armoires
under $30,000	20%	18%	31%	20%
$30,000 to $49,999	25%	24%	20%	25%
$50,000 to $74,999	19%	16%	24%	24%
$75,000 to $99,999	18%	19%	11%	11%
$100,000 or more	18%	23%	14%	20%
BY GENERATION
Generation Y
born 1976–1985	3%	2%	6%	4%
Generation X
born 1965–1975	11%	19%	21%	27%
younger Baby Boomers
born 1956–1964	23%	25%	29%	17%
older Baby Boomers
born 1946–1955	26%	25%	19%	29%
Happy Days Generation
born 1936–1945	21%	21%	21%	14%
senior Seniors
born 1935 or before	16%	8%	4%	9%
BY HOME OWNERSHIP
own or are buying	86%	80%	74%	79%
rent	12%	18%	25%	18%

Chairs

where purchased*		median $ paid
traditional furniture store	34%	$500
lifestyle store	22%	$390
discount department store	17%	$250
direct-to-consumer	14%	$400
home improvement center/warehouse membership club	13%	$350
department store	11%	$499
home accent/gift store	9%	$300

THE BUDGET

percent of households that spent

median	$350
under $50	10%
$50 – $74	12%
$75 – $149	11%
$150 – $299	11%
$300 – $499	18%
$500 – $649	12%
$650 – $899	12%
$900 or more	14%

NUMBER PURCHASED

one	68%
two	22%
three or more	10%

End Tables

where purchased*		median $ paid
traditional furniture store	40%	$200
discount department store	20%	$79
lifestyle store	15%	$100
home improvement center/warehouse membership club	13%	$150
direct-to-consumer	9%	$95
department store	8%	$150
home accent/gift store	7%	$135
off-price retailer	6%	$100

THE BUDGET

percent of households that spent

median	$100
under $25	10%
$25 – $49	13%
$50 – $99	14%
$100 – $124	17%
$125 – $199	11%
$200 – $299	13%
$300 – $499	11%
$500 or more	11%

NUMBER PURCHASED

one	44%
two	49%
three or more	7%

Desks

where purchased*		median $ paid
discount department store	30%	$100
traditional furniture store	23%	$225
lifestyle store	20%	$170
home improvement center/warehouse membership club	17%	$200
direct-to-consumer	14%	$199
department store	9%	$300
off-price retailer	7%	$150
home accent/gift store	6%	$199

THE BUDGET

percent of households that spent

median	$150
under $50	12%
$50 – $99	12%
$100 – $149	22%
$150 – $199	13%
$200 – $299	20%
$300 – $799	11%
$800 or more	10%

NUMBER PURCHASED

one	89%
two	11%

Armoires

where purchased*		median $ paid
traditional furniture store	30%	$800
discount department store	20%	$212
lifestyle store	20%	$500
home improvement center/warehouse membership club	12%	$300
direct-to-consumer	11%	$600
home accent/gift store	8%	$500
department store	6%	$800

THE BUDGET

percent of households that spent

median	$400
under $115	11%
$115 – $199	10%
$200 – $299	17%
$300 – $499	13%
$500 – $799	17%
$800 – $999	15%
$1,000 or more	17%

NUMBER PURCHASED

one	92%
two or more	8%
*Channels where 5% or more of households made a purchase. Each purchase may have included more than one product and each household may have purchased through multiple channels.

About the Survey

This exclusive consumer data originates from the responses of 31,505 households to a survey conducted in December 2002 and January 2003. Home Accents Today had National Family Opinion poll 50,000 U.S. households to examine home furnishings shopping and purchasing patterns in 2002 and buying plans for 2003.

The profile of the responding households closely matches the demographics of all U.S. households. That, coupled with the large sample size (and a response rate of 63%), means the original data can be projected nationally with a margin of error of plus or minus less than 1%.

In September and October 2003, Home Accents Today sent a follow-up survey to those households that purchased in 2002 or planned to purchase in 2003 decorative accessories, including accent furniture.

The demographics of the 1,004 households that responded to the survey (a 59% response rate) again closely match the demographics of all home furnishings buying households in the United States. This means results can be projected nationally with a margin of error of plus or minus 3%.

The research was analyzed by Home Accent Today's research department, led by Senior Research Specialist Dana French and Director of Market Research Kay Anderson.

Households: All those living together in one housing unit, including family members or unrelated individuals.

Household income: Combined income of all household members.

Age: Of the household head.

Median: Divides the responses into two equal portions, half above and half below the median amount.

Share of purchases: The percentage of the total number of purchases at each channel, not the percentage of total dollars spent. More than one may be bought during a single purchase.

Distribution Channels

Department stores: Full-line operations carrying a variety of merchandise, including national and regional stores. Examples include JCPenney, Macy's, Bloomingdale's and Sears.

Discount department stores: General merchandise retailers, including national, regional and local stores. Examples include Wal-Mart, Target, Kmart, ShopKo, Meijer and Fred Meyer.

Direct-to-consumer: Retailers who sell primarily through catalogs, television, the Internet and/or home parties. Examples include QVC, Lillian Vernon, PartyLite, Red Envelope and Longaberger Baskets.

Home accent/gift stores: Home accents and/or gifts are the total business or single largest category. Most are local or regional companies.

Home improvement centers/warehouse membership clubs: Includes home improvement centers of Home Depot and Lowe's and the warehouse membership clubs of Sam's Club, Costco and BJ's Wholesale. Also includes EXPO Design Center and Sears' The Great Indoors.

Lifestyle stores: Retailers that carry accent furniture, portable lamps, area rugs, wall decor, other decorative accessories and soft goods at full price and some combination of housewares, small appliances, gourmet foods, apparel, jewelry and/or personal care items. Examples include Anthropologie, Bed Bath & Beyond, Crate & Barrel, IKEA, Kirkland's, Linens 'N Things, Pier 1 and Pottery Barn.

Off-price retailers: General merchandise retailers selling at prices below department store and specialty retailers. Examples include Stein Mart, T.J. Maxx, Tuesday Morning and Big Lots, as well as dollar stores such as Dollar General and Family Dollar.

Traditional furniture stores: Furniture is the total business or single largest product category. Includes local, regional and national furniture stores. Examples include Ashley Furniture HomeStores, Ethan Allen, Havertys, Rooms To Go and Thomasville Home Furnishings Stores.

Close ratios

For example, 84 of every 100 households that shopped for a chair in a traditional furniture store actually purchased one there.

	chairs	end tables	desks	armoires
traditional furniture store	84%	78%	69%	70%
lifestyle store	61%	40%	71%	49%
home improvement center/warehouse membership club	60%	65%	74%	80%
department store	61%	36%	60%	50%
discount department store	57%	69%	77%	71%
home accent/gift store	47%	39%	43%	35%
direct-to-consumer	52%	36%	70%	46%
off-price retailer	40%	43%	64%	50%

In what room will the furniture go? percent of households that bought

	chairs	end tables	desks	armoires
living room	31%	35%	28%	24%
family room/den	23%	18%	18%	13%
bedroom (not master)	12%	13%	18%	17%
master bedroom	11%	14%	14%	26%
kitchen	7%	7%	7%	8%
dining room	7%	6%	6%	5%
patio, porch, garden	7%	6%	7%	3%
nursery	2%	1%	2%	4%

Share of purchases by price points*

*The percentage of the total number of chairs and end tables purchased through each channel, NOT the percentage of total dollars spent.

CHAIRS

	under $75	$75 – $299	$300 – $599	$600 or more
traditional furniture store	9%	15%	31%	31%
discount department store/off-price retailer	17%	15%	15%	11%
lifestyle store	9%	21%	12%	12%
direct-to-consumer	8%	13%	11%	6%
home improvement center/warehouse membership club	9%	9%	8%	6%
department store	6%	6%	7%	10%
home accent/gift store	6%	6%	4%	5%
other**	36%	15%	12%	19%

END TABLES

	under $50	$50 – $124	$125 – $299	$300 or more
traditional furniture store	9%	29%	39%	34%
discount department store/off-price retailer	30%	17%	14%	7%
lifestyle store	5%	20%	6%	7%
home improvement center/warehouse membership club	7%	7%	11%	10%
department store	2%	7%	3%	10%
direct-to-consumer	11%	2%	3%	5%
home accent/gift store	5%	<1%	8%	5%
other**	31%	18%	16%	22%
**Other includes interior designers, craft/fabric stores, antique shops, variety stores, art shows, mall kiosks, trade shows, custom-made, home textile specialists, garden centers, lamp and lighting stores, supermarkets and drug stores, among others.

Talkback

We would love your feedback!

Accent Furniture

Chairs and tables and desks, oh my!

By Dana French -- Home Accents Today, 6/1/2005

The accent furniture consumer

About the Survey

Talkback

Related Content

Related Content

By This Author

Sponsored Links

More Content

Blogs

Photos

Please visit these other Reed Business sites

	Home Accents Today eWeekly (Weekly)
	Home Accents Today Product Line (Bi-Weekly)
	Home Accents Today Green (Occasional)