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| Tony Ramos - Publisher |
Staycation
Faith Popcorn, consumer-trend author and marketing futurist, coined the term cocooning in the 1980s. Now, Popcorn has given us the new term, staycation: taking a vacation at home. For retailers and manufacturers of patio, hearth, outdoor-kitchen and outdoor-living products, staycationers can only mean more business—now and in the future—for our industry. With consumers focusing more of their attention on their homes and, in particular, their patios and outdoor rooms, greater amounts of disposable income will be invested in fixing up and enhancing the outdoor-living area.
Further evidence of this trend toward staycationing comes from a recent newsletter from Country Home magazine, with outdoor spaces being the focus of the newsletter. Here are some of the most interesting statistics reported there.
- According to the American Institute of Architects’ Home Design Trends Survey, in 2007, architects reported a 17-percent increase (from 47 percent to 64 percent) in demand for outdoor-living spaces.
- The latest trend is to create a seamless flow between indoor and outdoor spaces.
- Deck size has increased 40 percent over the past five years.
- Homeowners want to replicate what they have indoors, including LCD televisions, surround-sound systems, fireplaces, hot tubs and patio lamps, in their outdoor spaces.
- A key to changing an outdoor space from simple to more luxurious is to add outdoor fireplaces and outdoor kitchens.
- Outdoor kitchens are being equipped with all of the amenities located inside the home. The idea is to have a fully functional outdoor kitchen.
- The latest trend in outdoor kitchens favors prefabricated islands that come fully equipped and ready to use.
At the recent Casual Pre-Market in Chicago, the new collections of outdoor furniture that were on display were, by far, some of the best to date. The new designs, fabric selections and options were well received by the attendees at Pre-Market. Lately, it’s getting hard to tell the difference between indoor and outdoor furniture. With the latest trend being to create a seamless flow between indoor and outdoor spaces (as Country Home reported), this is positive news for specialty casual-furniture stores and retailers of outdoor furniture.
One of the other factors contributing to the long-term growth of the outdoor-living industry is the concept of using the real estate by converting the areas outside the house into more usable space. Most homeowners are probably more adept at designing and furnishing the inside, where fragmentation helps people envision the layout and design of a room.
That makes offering consulting services to help consumers map out and furnish an outdoor room an area where specialty stores and retailers of patio, hearth and outdoor-living products can distinguish themselves in the marketplace. By positioning yourself as an outdoor-room expert and employing a consultant’s approach to the process, you will find yourself selling more products.
This issue marks the two-year anniversary of Patio & Hearth Products Report. We are thankful to our readers for their continued support and loyalty, and to those readers who have participated, over the years, in our feature articles and departments. We are especially thankful to our advertisers for their business and continued advertising support. We are blessed to be part of an exciting, growing and meaningful industry.
Tony Ramos
Publisher
tramos@peninsula-media.com
PHPR July/August 2008 |
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