June 10, 2005—To anticipate the future demand and sales of commercial interior products, a nationwide cross-section of professionals were polled to estimate the rise or fall of products in 11 categories. Respondents were asked to project sales for the next 6 months and then the next 12 months. The Commercial Interiors Market Study, developed by the Industry Research Collective (IRC), was conducted in March 2005.
Overall, the study indicated that demand is expected to increase for all categories with little difference between the 6 month and 12 month periods.
In the next 6 months, the greatest increase in demand, according to respondents, is in Furniture (average 23.4%), Building Products & Services (23.17%, Floorcoverings (22.9%), Seating (21.6%), and Architectural Products (20%).
Looking out 12 months, Sustainable Design Products jumps ahead to 1st place, from 6th place.
Comparing the two time periods, slight decreases were found among the leading categories. Greatest increases between the two time periods were found in Sustainable Design Products, growing 4.4%, and while minimal, second and third were Architectural Products (increase of 1.3%) and Technology (increase of 1%).
Singling out responses from facilities professionals, however, showed greater differences in their projected 6 month and 12 month sales. For instance, the Facilities Professionals expected the largest increase in floorcoverings for the 6 month time period, in first place at 36.2%, followed closely by furniture (33.9%), Buildings Products & Services (33.0%). All categories showed marked differences between the 6 month period and the 12 month period. Typically, Architectural Products, leader of the list, was 30.5% for 6 month and 14.2% in the 12 month projection. The biggest dip occurred in Wallcoverings: 28.1% for 6 month and 3.1% for 12 month.
All respondents ranked five criteria for which product features were most important in making purchase decisions. Quality of products (63.68%) was cited as the most important driver, followed closely by Initial Cost (60.81%). Lifecycle Cost ranked next at 47.71%, and Ergonomic Support at 44.75%. The Facilities Professionals group almost evenly matched the product selection drivers of all survey respondents.
What influences product selection? On a 1 to 5 ranking (1 irrelevant; 5 very important), the Facilities Professionals ranked Samples/Loaners at 4.52. Other influences were, in descending order, Company/Product Literature; Manufacturer’s Catalog, Showroom Display, Manufacturer’s Product Warranty; Dealer Literature; Design Mock-up; Designer Recommendations; Sales Person Recommendations; Trade Show; Trips/Promotions; Magazine Advertising.
Facilities Professionals ranked the importance of Vendor Services on a scale from 1 (irrelevant) to 5 (very important): Installation (3.8); Storage and Inventory (3.625); Refurbishing (3.52); Master Planning (3.32), and Interior Construction (3.32). Replies from all respondents closely match these from the Facilities Professionals.
According to the Industry Research Collective, the primary research survey was fielded to more than 3,000 facilities professionals, architects, designers, and dealers, reflecting the priorities and strategic issues across a range of organizations by role, size, geography, and industry. Categories were Architectural Products; Artwork & Accessories; Building Products & Services; Fabric/Textiles; Floorcoverings; Furniture; Lighting; Seating; Sustainable Design Products; Technology; Wallcoverings.
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