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The birth of babies is one of the most celebrated life events, and welcoming little ones into the world has always been done with great fanfare and exultation.
It is, after all, the miracle of life. A representation of the communion of two people who soon become three. Even in today’s society of split families, single-parent families and unique families, babies are cause for celebration.
Through good times and bad, war and peace, and depression and prosperity, babies and children have continually been shining examples that life is precious, and parents, grandparents and families provide the necessities for little people. Cribs, beds, chest of drawers, desks and dressers for kids tend to be seen as such — necessities — and while many consumers may put off purchasing a new bedroom suite or dining group, when Small Fry needs a bed, Small Fry needs a bed.
As we move into 2002 and leave 2001, which has been a challenge to the home furnishings industry, there are glimmers of hope out there, including that fact that most youth furnishings purchases are necessary. Not to say that the youth category is not completely insulated from the ebb and flow of consumer spending, but it tends to be a bit safer than other categories that are often postponed.
The National Retail Federation recently released its 2001 Consumer Holiday Outlook Survey that revealed that consumers were dedicated to celebrating the holiday season with spending on gifts, decorations and greeting cards. The telephone survey of 1,000 consumers across the United States was conducted one week in late October.
More than 600 of the respondents were planning to indulge their own wish lists for household items by taking advantage of holiday sales.
Not surprisingly, clothing and fashion accessories topped the wish lists of those surveyed. Guess what the second most requested category was? Signaling a refocusing on the comforts of home, 10% of consumers wanted home décor or home-related furnishings for the holidays.
While that whole 10% certainly won’t be furniture and only a slice of it will feed the youth category, it’s a great starting point.
Teamed with the celebratory nature of having children and the fact that the number of births continues to increase year after year, this bodes well for this category.
The number of births rose 3% between 1999 and 2000 to 4.1 million babies. In 1999, 3.9 million babies were born. The birth rate — the number of births per 1,000 population — for 2000 was 14.8. In 1999, the rate was 14.5.
What is your store doing to insure that displays are creative and imaginative enough to entice these consumers to buy the products they see as necessary? That is your challenge in 2002.
