by Some 33% of those surveyed said they work from home 5 days a week, followed by 23% who said 3 to 4 days per week
HIGH POINT — During the pandemic, one of the most popular furniture categories was home office, thanks to the number of people who worked from home.
Based on our latest Consumer Insights Now research, which includes insights into how people live — and work —at home, interest in the category should remain strong, thanks largely to the number of people still working out of their residences.
Earlier this summer, the survey polled nearly 1,900 people across both sexes and a wide mix of age groups, ethnicities and income levels that are planning to buy one or more furniture products in the second half. Based on the results, some 37% of respondents work out of their home, including some 44% of younger millennials ages 27-34. This was followed by 39% of Gen Z consumers ages 18-26, and 38% of older millennials ages 35-42.
Some 34% of Gen X consumers ages 43-58 and 25% of baby boomers from 59-75 also reported working from home.
Thirty-three percent of those surveyed said they work from home five days a week, followed by 23% who said three or four days and 24% who said one or two days. Another 20% said they work from home more than five days per week.
Other key takeaways from the survey:
+ 33% of those surveyed work out of a dedicated home office
+ 31% said they work out of their living room
+ 28% said they work out of their bedroom
+ 8% respectively said the guest bedroom and kitchen
+ The dining room, the porch or patio, and the basement were the preferred space for 6%, 4% and 3%, respectively.
And the key issues they identified in working from home were: an uncomfortable chair (31%); a lack of space for paperwork (27%); noise from other rooms in the house and the lack of a proper desk (26% respectively); technical issues with the internet, computer and Zoom (22%); and lack of separate space away from others and no room for multiple computer screens (18% and 15%, respectively).
And only 25% said they are very satisfied with their work area, with another 40% saying they were only somewhat satisfied.
Some of the solutions they said they’d like to see include:
+ “I would like to have a standup desk and a desk with storage space, including drawers
+ “A bigger desk and filing cabinet”
+ “I need a desk that can be dual purpose and look good in the space.”
In the chair department, respondents are seeking a comfortable ergonomic office chair and a more comfortable or better chair in general.
In summary, 19% of those surveyed said they plan to buy some type of office furniture — ranging from desks and desk chairs to bookcases and storage units — in the second half, with 54% saying they plan to buy in a physical store and 46% planning to buy online. While a huge number — 28% — said they plan to buy these types of products on Amazon, 24% said they plan to buy at a big-box retailer or a national furniture chain; 8% said a local or regional furniture store; and 7% said they weren’t sure. Another 4% said they plan to buy from Wayfair and 1% said a local designer.
Thus, the interest in home office products remains high and will likely increase.
As always, we hope this data provides some insight into how consumers live and work at home and the types of products they need in the near future. We also hope it helps guide some of your buying decisions as we enter the busy fall market cycle. While some of this product is still likely in the development and production pipeline, there also continues to be plenty of viable inline goods in the category that we are sure resources are still eager to promote in the marketplace. The winner? That’s ultimately the many consumers still looking for beautiful and functional office products for their homes.
Below is a list of what we’ve published so far and what’s coming up in our next installments of Consumer Insights Now.
+ Sept. 11 — Purchase Plan Overview July 2023 to December 2023
+ Sept. 18 — Consumers Living at Home (a look at how and where people spend the most time at home)
+ Sept. 25 — Dining and Entertaining at Home (a look at where people dine in the home and to what extent they entertain at home)
+ Oct. 2 — Furniture Shopping and Buying Influences (what is driving consumers’ desire to buy furniture and how retail plays a role in that process)
+ Oct. 9 — Home Design Report (a detailed look at consumers’ preferred style preferences)
