Six-webinar series features newly created IHA Market Watch report
The International Housewares Association is presenting a series of six webinars aimed at retailers and developers looking for guidance on where to focus critical resources in the coming months and years.
The six-part series is free and runs Tuesday and Thursdays from 9 to 28 July and will feature the newly created IHA Market Watch report.
The series offers a deep-dive into each of five key consumer lifestyle trends, highlights shifts in light of the Covid-19 pandemic and includes implications for both suppliers and retailers.
In creating the report, IHA collaborated with The NPD Group, Springboard Futures and Cadent Consulting to identify five macro consumer lifestyle trends that are shaping how, what and where home and housewares products are being purchased. The goal was to replace the Association’s annual State of the Industry Report with a new report that helps the industry look to the future in the context of consumers’ changing needs and aspirations.
“Just as with the re-positioning of The Inspired Home Show, the new IHA Market Watch report is about creating an annual industry resource that aligns with consumer needs shifting from functional home design to aspirational lifestyle development,†said Derek Miller, IHA president.
Presenters in each webinar will be: Leana Salamah, IHA vice president, marketing; Joe Derochowski, vice president and home industry advisor for The NPD Group; and Tom Mirabile, principal and founder of Springboard Futures. Peter Giannetti, editor-in-chief of HomeWorld Business, will serve as moderator.
Each of the first five webinars will include a general discussion of one macro trend, examine subtle shifts since the pandemic hit and include potential next steps. The final webinar will wrap up all the trends and look to the future.
The schedule is:
Thursday, July 9, 1 p.m. CDT. Macro trend – Time. Register at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/2815936461527/WN_zIjMNn7VSgya0Bzl07XMjg
Tuesday, July 14, 2:30 p.m. CDT. Macro trend – Space. Register at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/3515936477676/WN_xaolV3FZQ0mjj9vgKof1Wg
Thursday, July 16, 1 p.m. CDT. Macro trend – Experience. Register at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/1515936476433/WN_pxAH28S9TDaDPWk_xsgrGw
Tuesday, July 21, 1 p.m. CDT. Macro trend – Wellness. Register at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/8315936494589/WN_mLmf-PVjR2unJWH2BFEG0Q
Thursday, July 23, 1 p.m. CDT. Macro trend – Responsibility. Register at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/1915936475193/WN_F_fkNVp2TuSS5Mr5SJsZog
Tuesday, July 28, 1 p.m. CDT. Trend Wrap Up and Look Ahead. Register at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/4915936473992/WN_I4H14CFvRNeGYdOM6GJyog
The inaugural IHA Market Watch report was originally slated to be unveiled in a keynote at The Inspired Home Show in March.
“When the pandemic hit, we decided to hold off on doing a big roll-out of the report and take some time to let things play out and see how consumers reacted,†said Salamah. “Now that we have data three months in, we are confident the macro trends themselves have not changed. The difference is in the details.â€
Using a concept developed by Springboard Futures, each trend in the IHA Market Watch report was originally evaluated against six criteria and given a score of 1-10 in each area. The result is a map that depicts the trend’s overall viability and its relative strengths and weaknesses. In the webinar series, presenters will use a visual overlay of a new map that depicts how each trend has shifted three months into the pandemic.
“The benefit of doing a multi-part series is we have some time to really take a deep-dive into each of the five key consumer trends,†Salamah explained. “And most importantly, we can flesh out some specific ways retailers and suppliers can respond to each trend.â€
The webinars are free, but registration is required. Participants are encouraged to attend each one but are welcome to attend as they are able. The webinars will be posted on the Show website, TheInspiredHomeShow.com after each is broadcast.
To download a complimentary copy of the 2020 IHA Market Watch Report, go to https://www.theinspiredhomeshow.com/downloads/marketwatch-2020/
