And that’s a wrap! The Inspired Home Show 2023 at Chicago’s McCormick Place concluded yesterday, but the opportunities, relationships and ideas that were generated here will live on in the year ahead.
If you couldn’t make it—or were too busy discovering new products and meeting suppliers on the Show floor—we’ve compiled a list of inspiration and insights overheard in some of our education sessions.
“Positioning is a huge piece of responding to consumer values. It doesn’t have to just be about new products. Sometimes taking something that already exists and repositioning it or thinking about how it addresses wellness, time, space, experience or responsibility can be just as effective as wholesale new product development.”
—Leana Salamah, vice president, marketing, International Housewares Association
“Consumers are done with shopping as a chore. 2 out of 3 Millennials and Generation Z say it’s important to have fun while shopping.”
—Anita Desai, head of US home & living, TikTok
As the number of people renting—by choice or by necessity—increases, there will be opportunities to “deliver solutions for long-term renters who are prioritizing personalization and semi-permanent style.”
—Kate Usher, senior trend consultant, Trend Bible
88% of consumers say brand is an important part of trust. For newer companies or even legacy brands looking to mix things up a bit, brand partnerships and licensing agreements—which are somewhat under-utilized in the home and housewares industry—are an opportunity to constantly reinvent yourself.
—Tom Mirabile, principal, Springboard Futures
“There will not be a recession in eating…only winners and losers.”
—Harry Balzer in The NPD Group’s Eating Patterns in America, 2008. (Quoted by Joe Derochowski, vice president and home industry advisor, The NPD Group)
“This industry is at a unique inflection point where it needs to speak a little louder and where it needs to try to win share. It can do so by understanding the consumer and driving innovation in product, marketing and merchandising.”
—Peter Giannetti, editor-in-chief, HomePage News
“Being alive is an apt metaphor in a time when we are still, and we really are, emerging from the anxiety that has engulfed us in the last few years. We can’t ignore that. We know that no matter where we are in this ongoing process, it’s left an indelible and emotional mark on our lives that seeks relief, renewed optimism and rejuvenation.”
—Lee Eiseman, director of the Eiseman Center for Color Information and Training and executive director of the Pantone Color Institute
There are many opportunities the home + housewares industry can capitalize on despite of—or in light of—economic headwinds: helping consumers save money by eating at home; helping them save time and establish routines associated with hybrid work and the return of busy lifestyles; and helping them make inexpensive upgrades to home décor or their home environments.
—Joe Derochowski, vice president and home industry advisor, The NPD Group
“An object unseen is an object unsold.”
—Lee Eiseman, director of the Eiseman Center for Color Information and Training and executive director of the Pantone Color Institute
Stay tuned: Video or audio recordings of many sessions will be posted online in the next week or two.