Chairs, no motion
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, February 24, 2003
Occasional chairs, the staid cousins of recliners and gliders, present plenty of opportunity for sales. The 1.6% of U.S. households that are shopping this year for a chair that doesn't recline, rock or glide are planning to spend $1.5 billion, a pretty good sum. And more than two-fifths of them also are in the market for a stationary sofa.
Occasional chair buyers are a little older than those shopping for other furniture products. The highest plan-to-buy indices are for those between the ages of 35 and 64. Household heads between 35 and 44 have budgeted a median of $500, while those between 45 and 64 have budgeted $400.
Others with a high plan-to-buy index are young parents and older parents. Middle parents, on the other hand, are less likely to be shopping for an occasional chair than their numbers would suggest. Condo dwellers are another set of likely shoppers for occasional chairs, with a plan-to-buy index of 150. Their median budget is $300.
Nationally, households plan to spend a median of $400 on a stationary chair this year. This amount holds true in the Northeast, Midwest and West. Households in the South plan to spend a little less, a median of $350.
By lifestage, the biggest budgets — a median of $500 each — are among young couples and young parents. Overall, most households are looking for chairs in the $300 to $599 range.
| Planned budgets for occasional chairs | |
|---|---|
| % of households that plan to spend | |
| Under $200 | 10% |
| $200–$299 | 17 |
| $300–$399 | 17 |
| $400–$499 | 14 |
| $500–$599 | 15 |
| $600–$699 | 7 |
| $700–$999 | 11 |
| $1,000 or more | 9 |
Fabric protection could be a strong selling point in the chair category. Over two-thirds of the households who say they'll shop for occasional chairs this year own a dog, 34% have a cat and 35% have children living at home.
| Percent of households that... | |
|---|---|
| Shopped for a stationary chair in 2002 | 2.4% |
| Bought a stationary chair in 2002 | 1.3% |
| Plan to buy a stationary chair in 2003 | 1.6% |
| Age | % of the 1.3% of households that in 2002 bought | % of the 1.6% of households that in 2003 plan to buy |
| a stationary chair | ||
| Under 25 | 2% | 1% |
| 25 – 34 | 11% | 12% |
| 35 – 44 | 25% | 23% |
| 45 – 54 | 29% | 26% |
| 55 – 64 | 16% | 20% |
| 65 and over | 17% | 18% |
| Income | % of the 1.3% of households that in 2002 bought | % of the 1.6% of households that in 2003 plan to buy |
| a stationary chair | ||
| Under $20,000 | 9% | 14% |
| $20,000 – $29,999 | 8% | 8% |
| $30,000 – $39,999 | 8% | 8% |
| $40,000 – $49,999 | 9% | 10% |
| $50,000 – $59,999 | 9% | 8% |
| $60,000 – $74,999 | 13% | 12% |
| $75,000 – $84,999 | 7% | 8% |
| $85,000 – $99,999 | 11% | 9% |
| $100,000 – $124,999 | 11% | 13% |
| $125,000 or more | 15% | 10% |
| Lifestage | % of the 1.3% of households that bought in 2002 | % of the 1.6% of households that plan to buy in 2003 |
| a stationary chair | ||
| Young singles | 2% | 2% |
| Middle singles | 9% | 12% |
| Older singles | 5% | 5% |
| Young couples | 9% | 8% |
| Working older couples | 23% | 15% |
| Retired older couples | 11% | 12% |
| Young parents | 12% | 14% |
| Middle parents | 9% | 8% |
| Older parents | 17% | 22% |
| Roommates | 3% | 2% |
