U.S. consumers spend $12B on bedroom
By Kay Anderson and Dan French -- Furniture Today, August 16, 2007
High Point — High Point— U.S. households spent about $12 billion on bedroom furniture last year. That's the finding from an exclusive survey of nearly 1,000 households conducted for Furniture/Today by Greenwich, Conn.-based NFO in November and December 2003.
The survey questioned households identified as ones that were shopping for or had recently purchased bedroom furniture in the large-scale Consumer Buying Trends survey (31,505 households responding) conducted by Furniture/Today in December 2002 and January 2003. (See the Feb. 24, 2003 issue of Furniture/Today for the results of the initial survey.)
The survey found that beds, dressers, nightstands and chests were the most-often purchased bedroom furniture. Bedding, while not covered in this exclusive report, was also a frequent purchase among households buying bedroom furniture. In fact, 44% also purchased a mattress, spending a median of $500.
As with most furniture, furniture stores are the dominant channel. Nearly three-fourths of total bedroom dollars spent last year — more than $8.6 billion — was funneled through furniture stores. Median bedroom spending in furniture stores was $1,185, excluding any mattress purchase.
Though taking a much smaller slice of the bedroom pie, department stores are holding their own when it comes to bedroom. Last year, about $600 million was spent on bedroom in department stores. Significantly, department stores appear to be doing a much better job of attracting the rapidly growing Hispanic market as well as other minority groups.
The results of the survey also answered the long-running debate about whether consumers buy groups or pieces. In terms of the number of households buying, it's a tie. About half of bedroom-buying households bought as part of a collection or group and the other half mixed and matched pieces.
In terms of dollars, however, groups are the hands-down winner. Group buyers are spending twice as much on their total purchase and are buying more pieces. As a result, group-buying households account for nearly three-fourths of the total bedroom dollars spent.
The key criteria for product selection include durability, quality, comfort and price. Consumers are less concerned about a designer's name, point-of-purchase materials and the ability to special order alternative colors and finishes.
Competitive prices, product selection and store reputation top the list of factors impacting the choice of where to shop. The availability of coordinating bed linens, the availability of an interior designer, coordinating accessories and financing options bring the equivalent of a shrug of the shoulders as reasons to shop or buy at a particular store.
The following pages look at what consumers told Furniture/Today about what bedroom pieces they buy, where they buy and the factors that influence their shopping and purchase decision.
| Bedroom purchasing patterns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| % of households | Shopped for in 2002/2003 | Bought in 2002/2003 | Median $ price paid |
| Bed | 59% | 44% | $600 |
| Dresser | 44% | 29% | $500 |
| Nightstand(s) | 41% | 28% | $200 |
| Chest | 38% | 25% | $400 |
| TV/entertainment unit | 22% | 15% | $450 |
| Desk | 14% | 11% | $200 |
| Armoire | 17% | 10% | $450 |
