consumer trends

Trends: Organic Remains Strong Force

Face it Luke, the organic label remains strong with consumers in our galaxy, at least in the United States. This despite recent publicity about pesticide levels in organically grown foods being equal to that of conventionally grown foods. Researchers tracking what people eat at the marketing firm The NPD Group say shoppers are “not likely” to switch back to conventionally…

Trends: The Current Food Trend? No Food

If everyone you know seems to be on a diet, that’s because most of them are. It’s a trend that is likely to continue to boost sales of Spiralizers and other diet-friendly gadgets, retailers say. In fact, 36 percent of American adults are dieting, more than double from 14 percent a year ago, according to the annual Food & Health Survey, released recently by the International…

Trends: Consumer Daily Coffee Drinking on the Rise

There is a reason coffee bean sales are solid for many specialty retailers in the U.S.: the number of consumers getting in at least one cup of Joe has reached the highest level in the past six years. And home brewing remained the method of choice for most Americans, over even gourmet coffee shops and the office coffee pot. That’s the latest from the U.S. National Coffee…

Trends: Looking Inside America’s Kitchen

Consumers, time strapped as they are, still want to make fresh meals at home. In fact, U.S. consumers have a renewed interest in cooking freshly prepared meals, according to a recent survey by the NPD Group, which also found that those same consumers don’t want to spend more time at the stove. It is a conundrum that NPD says influences how people set up their home kitchens…

Merchandising to the Future of Cooking: It Starts Now!

IHA checked in with Steve Katz, creator of Man the Kitchen, about his latest research on the behavior of male cooks in the kitchen and their preferences for products and environments at retail that he will discuss at the at the 2018 International Home + Housewares Show. At the Show, the Innovation Theater will feature 21 presentations over four days. Topics discussed will…

Grow with Urgency: Maximize Opportunities Now and Anticipate the Future

IHA checked in with Joe Derochowski, home industry advisor at NPD Group to learn about his latest research into how consumers are shopping for food and cooking at home, which he will address at the 2018 International Home + Housewares Show. At the Show, the Innovation Theater will feature 21 presentations over four days. Topics discussed will include smart home, consumer…

Stats: Back-to-School All Year Long

Every day is back-to-school shopping day. Almost. Back to school shopping, (which includes household items like kitchenware, tableware and home decor among those college-aged folks) has become hard to pin down, according to a new study from The NPD Group. While U.S. students usually go back to school around Labor Day and traditional back-to-school shopping also had a…

Staying Relevant

Pauline Herbst speaks to IHA’s lifestyle trend forecaster Tom Mirabile, Senior Vice President of Global Trend & Design, Lifetime Brands, Inc., about top consumer trends for 2013-2014 and what manufacturers and retailers alike must do to stay relevant. Mirabile says, “The big message is that sometimes we lose perspective on who the consumer really is and what is important…