A survey by European design Brand, MADE.COM, reveals that as people spend more time at home, they are naturally looking at investing more in their surroundings, with more than two-thirds of UK adults having shopped online for their homes at least once a month in 2020.
MADE polled 1,000 adults across the UK and found that 8% shopped online for homewares at least once a month last year, while almost 1 in 5 (19%) did so multiple times per week. 40% of respondents claimed to have bought new home accessories throughout lockdown and the same number rearranged their furniture, in search of a fresh perspective.
This resulted in MADE witnessing a notable interest from consumers for multiple products from art (+117%) to bedding (+122%) and bathroom accessories (+177%).
The survey also reflected the sudden shift to working from home as demand for office furniture boomed with MADE witnessing a 600% increase in orders of compact desks and search impressions.
As people spent more time indoors, respondents also took upon themselves to soak up as much greenery as possible with 40% of respondents renovating their gardens. MADE also saw planters sales surging by 125% at the start of lockdown, while the brand also reports that “plant stand” and “plant pot” saw huge increases in impressions – 273% and 363% respectively – on its site last year, compared to 2019.
Commenting on the survey MADE’s Design Director, Ruth Wassermann, says: “This past year has made a big difference to the way we view our homes. No longer are they solely a place to lay our heads at night but they’re our work out space, our office space, our local pub, and even school classrooms! Our research has shown that we care more about our homes than ever before and it’s great to see people turning their hand, some for the first time, to decorating and designing their happy place.”
According to Wasserman, the survey reflects how “we have all adapted and spent our time at home in 2020. We have seen a spike in demand on key items, spanning from our office furniture range to increasing demand in our outdoor range, portraying how we are all re-evaluating our spaces at home. The newfound value in our homes has also been reflected by the rapid acceleration in the shift to online shopping”.
Renovations were popular with most respondents paying special attention to their gardens. A shift reflected by MADE seeing its outdoor offering selling much earlier than historically, and up 110% on the previous year. Adding to this, half of those polled painted a wall last year, and 26% of 18-34 year olds who did so commented that it was the first time they had held a paintbrush. Online home decor brand Lick has witnessed this first hand, selling a can of paint every 14 minutes since the UK went into lockdown last March. That’s enough to decorate the Empire State Building 99 times over.
At the end of 2020, the survey also asked what emotion respondents most associated with their homes. Over half (55%) stated that they felt happy or safe while 36% responded that they valued their homes more than they did before. In the new year MADE found that 1 in 4 of the respondents plans to undertake home renovations this year while 1 in 5 plans to spend their money on a new home.
