Posted 1/5/2009 - 11:12:56 AM
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What are these?
NEW YORK— This year marks the 20th anniversary of HOMEWORLD BUSINESS®.
The housewares business has been reshaped dramatically during those two decades. Through that change, we’ve worked to keep one thing constant— our commitment to editorial innovation.
Resourceful Content
Actually, it’s a promise kept to the housewares industry to deliver content that transcends the everyday headlines. A promise to be a resource, not just a newspaper.
Research and market statistics have been key components of HomeWorld’s DNA right from the start. Retailers and suppliers tell us often how much they look forward to and how much they rely on our Top 100 Housewares Retailers issue, our annual Housewares Census and our HomeWorld Forecast.
Aside from these annual reports cultivated by our editorial team, we’ve worked— with help from the International Housewares Association and such independent market researchers as NPD, Market Track and Leo J. Shapiro— to infuse HomeWorld with quantitative information on industry sales and promotional activity.
Our commitment to presenting the industry with innovative decision-making information resulted in two intriguing new research initiatives during the past year.
The first, which launched just prior to the March 2008 International Home + Housewares Show, was InFocus/OnLine: a series of directional consumer studies derived from national online focus groups. Developed in partnership with veteran industry marketing firm Albing International, the initial In-Focus/OnLine reports covered topics ranging from hair care appliances and vacuum cleaners to cookware and the Hispanic housewares consumer. The InFocus/Online series will continue this year with reports on a number of topics.
Breakthrough Research
The latest research breakthrough from HomeWorld debuts in this issue. Called HomeWorld Monitor, it is a comprehensive report on current and future home design trends impacting the development and merchandising of everything from furniture to kitchenware.
Featuring research and analysis by trend tracking and forecasting service Home Furnishings Monitor, the HomeWorld Monitor takes you on a design tour of the American home. It examines trends in styles, colors patterns and materials, presenting a vivid picture of the home today and tomorrow.
Less Guesswork
What makes this research unique is that it goes beyond qualitative analysis with a detailed empirical method that attaches hard measurements to design trends and their merchandising potential. The benefit to suppliers and retailers: less guesswork when it comes to the tricky nuances of gauging the current and future popularity of critical home product design elements.
George Little Management, through its New York International Gift Fair and Gourmet Housewares Show, sponsors the HomeWorld Monitor, which will become a regular feature in the months ahead.
Access to quality research and data usually helps separate the winners from the losers in business. Reliable data has never been more critical to the housewares industry and its retailers, all of which depend on the precision aided by such information to cut through this thick economic fog.
We hope you continue to turn to HomeWorld for exclusive, innovative research and in-depth market statistics. With the support of our readership, such content has helped shape the first 20 years of HomeWorld Business. More importantly, we think it has helped shape the housewares business.
