Each year the International Housewares Association and Riedel Marketing Group partner together and go to the source to find out what is trending up, down and sideways in the housewares industry. Consumers that make up RMG’s HomeTrend Influentials Panel, or HIPsters, give invaluable insights as to what products/services everyday folks from all different walks of life are buzzing about.
IHA brought the HIPsters together in mid-October to learn about housewares trends for the coming year and this is a breakdown of the hot items they discussed.
Down on the Farm
This year’s panel really focused on the idea of “living off the land”, so to speak. They talked about how gardening and growing your own supply of veggies is becoming more prominent in urban areas. Farmer’s markets and locally grown produce also appear to be on the upswing as consumers put more of an emphasis on freshness, with some going as far as raising their own chickens! Here is the complete list of positive trends for the category:
• Compost bins
• Food dehydrators
• Urban farming/ gardens, small space gardens
• Honeybee hives
• Tools and storage for small space gardens
• Seasonal locally grown vegetables
• Share of organic farm/coop produce
• Farmers markets
• Back to Basics
Canning, gardening, raising chickens
Home Improvement
Refrigerators are much more than food storage units nowadays. The HIPsters singled out French-door, bottom-mount style refrigerators as the hot item in cold food storage. Cabinet-front fridges and glass-door cabinets are trending down when it comes to kitchen decor, while open shelving/storage seems on the rise. Front load, non-agitator washing machines are also finding their way into more homes because of their larger capacity, high efficiency, low energy/water use benefits. Here is the list of upward-trending Home Improvement items:
Shade sail- French door bottom mount refrigerators
- Drawer refrigerators
- Front loading washers
- Non agitator washers-larger capacity
- Pull out drawer inserts for kitchen cabinets for pots and pans
- Open shelving in kitchen instead of cabinets with doors
- Built in plate racks
- Built-in customized pantry storage systems (the California Closet concept for pantries)
For more info on the HIPsters and RMG go to their website http://www.4rmg.com/home.html.
Check back next week for Part 2 of the HIPster trends, regarding kitchen appliances and gadgets and what’s new in housewares when it comes to beverages.
