"Thank you VERY much for pulling together the summary for my new Home Décor business. The information provided was very detailed and insightful. Your efforts on our behalf will certainly help us as we enter a new business category.”
ARE YOUR PRODUCTS AND DISTRIBUTION KEEPING UP?
We see statistics purporting to measure the percentage of sales that occur online every day. Estimates vary considerably by season, product category and, of course, data source. Since online sales occur through so many retail channels from department stores to Amazon to manufacturers’ websites, we believe the best measurement system is via the only common denominator that unifies the data: THE CONSUMER.
That’s why HomeStats™ asks consumers directly - where they bought the item(s) they purchased and whether the purchase was online. We know of no other resource that covers all channels of distribution without bias.
In the first holiday selling season of HomeStats™ - 4th Qtr 2014, consumers reported 17.5% of purchases occurred online across all categories of housewares goods tracked. Since that time just two short years ago, consumers, in fast growing numbers, have learned to rely on the ease and convenience of holiday shopping on-line. Online sales have grown from 17.5% 4th Qtr 2014 to 47.2% 4th Qtr 2016 -- a 2.7 fold increase in just two years! This is true in total and the trend is supported by the individual categories tracked by HomeStats™. A few examples…
% of Sales Online – Selected HomeStats™ Categories*
| 4th Qtr 2014 | 4th Qtr 2015 | 4th Qtr 2016 | |
| BBQ Tools | 22.4% | 27.2% | 57.1% |
| Food Storage | 7.9% | 14.0% | 34.1% |
| Personal Portable Beverageware Containers | 19.3% | 24.3% | 42.4% |
| 7 Other HomeStats Categories | not shown | not shown | not shown |
| TOTAL OF ALL HomeStats CATEGORIES | 17.5% | 25.3% | 47.2% |
*Note: HomeStats product categories have evolved and expanded over time, but all goods tracked in 2014 are included in 2016 statistics. To see current categories tracked click here.
This train is not going to stop. The data reveals the rate of online sales in the 4th quarter is increasing -- +45% 2015/2014 and +87% 2016/2015! As more stores and malls close and as online leaders such as Amazon make delivery faster, easier and cheaper, consumer behavior will adapt to this new purchase mechanism. While it is most widely seen in the 4th quarter holiday selling season right now, online sales are also trending throughout the course of the year. Is your brand ready for the online world? Can you tell your retail partners that you’ve proven your new products through online consumer testing? As online retailers become more adept at analyzing their sales, they are becoming more adept at recognizing their branded partners’ new product success rates. Will your brand be driving the engine having done your homework testing with CONSUMERS, or will you end up at the back of the train?