The whys behind the buys
Staff -- Casual Living, 10/1/2007 12:00:00 AM
Consumers buying at specialty stores rated a retailer's merchandise mix, customer service and reputation as their three most important attributes.
More than three-fifths of specialty store buyers were replacing previous outdoor furniture last year and one-fourth were in the process of remodeling or redecorating.
And, about one-third of outdoor furniture buyers used the Internet for research before buying last year. Other research shows that a higher percentage of households — about 40% — go online to research home accents, including outdoor accessories. More than half of all buyers said the online research was important in influencing what they bought.
| Why consumers bought | Bought outdoor furniture at a... | ||
| Multiple response | Specialty store | Discount department store | Home improvement center |
| Replaced previous outdoor furniture | 61% | 52% | 58% |
| Remodeled/redecorated | 25% | 12% | 15% |
| First time I had outdoor space available | 12% | 27% | 24% |
| Furnished a second home | 6% | 5% | 5% |
| Relocated | 4% | 8% | 9% |
| When choosing a retailer, how important is it they.... | Bought outdoor furniture at a... | ||
| Based on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 is "not at all important" and 5 is "very important" | |||
| Average | Specialty store | Discount department store | Home improvement center |
| Have a wide range of product choices | 4.3 | 4.0 | 4.2 |
| Offer good sales help/customer service | 4.2 | 4.0 | 4.1 |
| Have a good reputation in the community | 4.0 | 3.8 | 3.9 |
| Have matching pieces to purchase later | 3.9 | 3.6 | 3.7 |
| Offer delivery | 3.8 | 2.9 | 3.0 |
| Provide after-sale service | 3.8 | 3.4 | 3.5 |
| Have product available to take home day of purchase | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.1 |
| Offer assembly | 3.5 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
| Offer outdoor products I won't see at my friends or neighbors | 3.1 | 2.9 | 3.1 |
| Provide design services | 2.5 | 2.3 | 2.4 |
| Specialty store | Discount department store | Home improvement center | |
| Yes | 36% | 35% | 31% |
| What they researched | Bought outdoor furniture at a... | ||
| Multiple response | Specialty store | Discount department store | Home improvement center |
| Source: Casual Living Consumer Buying Trends Survey, 2007 | |||
| Prices | 84% | 88% | 91% |
| Features/benefits of products | 68% | 65% | 63% |
| Where to buy | 56% | 67% | 67% |
| Availability | 36% | 44% | 41% |
| Warranty information | 24% | 19% | 15% |
We would love your feedback!
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