Cocktail/end/sofa/coffee tables
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, February 24, 2003
Coffee tables, end tables, sofa tables and cocktail tables are on the furniture shopping lists of 4% of American households this year. If they follow through with their buying plans, it will mean nearly $3 billion in retail sales.
Consumers are shopping for a wide range of price points, with 10% planning to pay less than $100 and 9% planning to spend $1,000 or more.
| Planned spending for occasional tables | |
|---|---|
| % of households planning to spend | |
| Under $100 | 10% |
| $100–$199 | 20 |
| $200–$299 | 21 |
| $300–$399 | 14 |
| $400–$599 | 19 |
| $600–$999 | 7 |
| $1,000 or more | 9 |
The deepest pockets are in the Northeast and West, where households plan to spend a median of $275 for their occasional table purchase, compared with a median of $250 in the Midwest and South.
High-income households, those with incomes of $75,000 or more, make up nearly two-fifths of the households planning to buy occasional tables and one-half of the dollars allocated to the category.
Other important groups that are buying at a rate in excess of their numbers in the population include Hispanics, African-Americans, condo and apartment dwellers, young couples and young singles.
Occasional tables are on the shopping lists of households planning to make other purchases as well, offering excellent opportunities for add-on sales. About 28% of households planning to buy stationary chairs are also planning to purchase an occasional table, for example. Others with plans to make an occasional table purchase include 20% of those shopping for motion sofas and 18% that are shopping for either stationary sofas or glider rockers.
| Lifestage | % of the 3.7% of households that bought in 2002 | % of the 4.0% of households that plan to buy in 2003 |
| a cocktail/end/sofa/coffee table | ||
| Young singles | 6% | 5% |
| Middle singles | 10% | 12% |
| Older singles | 4% | 3% |
| Young couples | 12% | 11% |
| Working older couples | 16% | 12% |
| Retired older couples | 8% | 7% |
| Young parents | 14% | 18% |
| Middle parents | 13% | 11% |
| Older parents | 16% | 18% |
| Roommates | 1% | 3% |
| Percent of households that... | |
|---|---|
| Shopped for an occasional table in 2002 | 6.5% |
| Bought an occasional table in 2002 | 3.7% |
| Plan to buy an occasional table in 2003 | 4.0% |
| Age | % of the 3.7% of households that in 2002 bought | % of the 4.0% of households that in 2003 plan to buy |
| a cocktail/end/sofa/coffee table | ||
| Under 25 | 4% | 4% |
| 25 – 34 | 21% | 22% |
| 35 – 44 | 26% | 26% |
| 45 – 54 | 25% | 25% |
| 55 – 64 | 13% | 14% |
| 65 and over | 11% | 9% |
| Income | % of the 3.7% of households that in 2002 bought | % of the 4.0% of households that in 2003 plan to buy |
| a cocktail/end/sofa/coffee table | ||
| Under $20,000 | 11% | 13% |
| $20,000 – $29,999 | 8% | 9% |
| $30,000 – $39,999 | 10% | 10% |
| $40,000 – $49,999 | 8% | 9% |
| $50,000 – $59,999 | 10% | 9% |
| $60,000 – $74,999 | 14% | 13% |
| $75,000 – $84,999 | 7% | 7% |
| $85,000 – $99,999 | 9% | 9% |
| $100,000 – $124,999 | 11% | 10% |
| $125,000 or more | 12% | 11% |
