What’s Selling and Who’s Buying?

Now that we know that furniture sales are increasing, it is important to know who is actually buying and what styles they are looking for.

Although millennials and younger consumers are generating buzz and talking about brands and trends on social media pages and through blogs, they aren’t necessarily the ones making the purchases. Baby Boomers and Gen-Xers are the ones buying furniture, and they are buying blues and grays, turquoise and spring green. More trends at retail include blonde woods with interesting grains, and consumers are steering clear of the old and tired espresso finish.

Photo by Holly Marder. See more contemporary entry designs

Photo by TruexCullins Architecture + Interior Design. See more farmhouse dining room designs

Most trends introduced by retailers come from trade shows like the High Point Market. Market is a platform for manufacturers to use to introduce new colors and trends. Retailers are able to visit their best and favorite vendors and talk with them about the new things they are doing, and the things they are going to be discontinuing, which gives retailers a heads up as to what will be in stores in the next 6 months to a year. Edward Massood, President, Home Furnishings of New Jersey, explains, “By far, High Point gives us the direction for stories, inspiration and merchandising. We come back big-eyed from seeing how presentations are created to wow a retailer, and we take it back to wow our customers. If we can create an environment that we get excited about, we get our sales staff excited about it, and the excitement grows as our customers get excited about the possibilities for their homes.”

To read the full story, click here. 

xx Meg