U.S. Consumers Continue to Spend on Their Stay-At-Home Lifestyle in 2021, Reports NPD
Aided by the economic stimulus payments and with the pandemic still in full swing, consumers continued to spend on categories that make their life at home more comfortable in the first six weeks of 2021, reports The NPD Group. Consumer spending on general merchandise categories, like housewares, consumer electronic, and small appliances, realized double-digit year-over-year dollar gains in January and the first week of February. Throughout the pandemic, consumers purchased products that make staying at home easier and more palatable. Spending at retail on these and other types of categories, like sports equipment, reached $706 billion in 2020, which was a 1% increase over 2019.[1]
PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y., Feb. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Aided by the economic stimulus payments and with the pandemic still in full swing, consumers continued to spend on categories that make their life at home more comfortable in the first six weeks of 2021, reports The NPD Group. Consumer spending on general merchandise categories, like housewares, consumer electronic, and small appliances, realized double-digit year-over-year dollar gains in January and the first week of February. Throughout the pandemic, consumers purchased products that make staying at home easier and more palatable. Spending at retail on these and other types of categories, like sports equipment, reached $706 billion in 2020, which was a 1% increase over 2019.[1]
"The COVID-19 pandemic forced consumers to adapt, and they did so quickly, shifting their discretionary spending from travel and other experiences towards the here and now of a new homebound lifestyle," said Marshal Cohen, NPD's chief industry advisor, retail. "Though there was some struggle to keep pace and align retail marketing and merchandising, this rapid shift in consumer buying behavior propelled several industries, like consumer technology and housewares forward, and digital was at the forefront."
Online dollar sales of discretionary general merchandise grew 34% in 2020.[2] Small appliances, video games, housewares, consumer electronics, and toys were the industries with the strongest overall growth for the year and led the e-commerce charge with online gains greater than 50% each.
So far, every week in 2021 has posted double-digit growth in terms of discretionary retail spending in the general merchandise categories NPD tracks— a trend that has continued into early February. In the week ending February 6, 2021, discretionary retail dollar sales increased +13% versus the same week last year, NPD's retail early indicator data shows.[3] Even some industries that have struggled due to COVID-19's impact, like fashion, are now showing signs of improvement. NPD's Checkout information shows purchasing in the online channel continues to outperform year-ago results by more than 30%.
"The robust nature of this continued spending, albeit helped by the stimulus payments, is impressive in that the consumer demand and desire for products to enhance their lives at home is clearly there," added Cohen. "But with many products being one-and-done purchases by nature, future retail momentum will require product and marketing innovation that creates new consumer intrigue."
[1] Source: The NPD Group / Consumer Tracking Service (U.S. toys, apparel, accessories, footwear), Checkout (U.S. small appliances, housewares, consumer electronics), Retail Tracking Service (U.S. auto, beauty, office supplies, juvenile, sports equipment), Market Dynamics Report (video games), DEG estimates (media entertainment)
[2] Source: The NPD Group / Consumer Tracking Service (U.S. toys, apparel, accessories, footwear), Checkout (U.S. small appliances, housewares, consumer electronics), Retail Tracking Service (U.S. auto, beauty, office supplies)
[3] Source: The NPD Group/Point-of-Sale Early Indicator Report, NPD Universe, WE February 6, 2021 Source: The NPD Group/Point-of-Sale Early Indicator Report, NPD Universe, WE February 6, 2021 (accessories, apparel, auto parts, beauty, consumer technology, DVD/Blu-ray, footwear, housewares, juvenile, office supplies, small appliances, sports equipment, toys, video games)
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About The NPD Group, Inc.
NPD offers data, industry expertise, and prescriptive analytics to help our clients grow their businesses in a changing world. Over 2,000 companies worldwide rely on us to help them measure, predict, and improve performance across all channels, including brick-and-mortar, e-commerce, and B2B. We have services in 19 countries worldwide, with operations spanning the Americas, Europe, and APAC. Practice areas include apparel, appliances, automotive, beauty, books, B2B technology, consumer technology, e-commerce, fashion accessories, food consumption, foodservice, footwear, home, home improvement, juvenile products, media entertainment, mobile, office supplies, retail, sports, toys, and video games. For more information, visit npd.com. Follow us on Twitter: @npdgroup.
NPD's Checkout service offers robust data for tracking and improving performance across all channels plus buyer analytics to help businesses keep current customers and win new ones. Over 130,000 consumers, the largest omnichannel panel focused on general merchandise and foodservice, provide us with receipt-based information on their in-store and e-commerce purchases. With comprehensive data from the same consumers over time, Checkout illuminates trends in behavior including migration to shopping online by category and consumer demographics. Buyer analytics deliver insight into most valuable customers, brand loyalty, brand leakage / lift, brand launches, and more.
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SOURCE The NPD Group
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