60,000 searches for gold wallpaper, cushions, throws and corner sofas highlights a nation seeking sanctuary in the home, says mydeco.com

60,000 searches for gold wallpaper, cushions, throws and corner sofas highlights a nation seeking sanctuary in the home, says mydeco.com

People are shopping more for their homes, but spending less on each purchase according to interior design e-commerce community site, mydeco.com.

It has reported the number of purchases was up 20% in the third quarter (Q3) over Q2 2010 based on the findings of its quarterly snapshot into consumer shopping habits for the home.

The findings reveal a nation seeking cushions, comfort, inspiration and gold wallpaper, but the trends were not uniform across the UK. The average spend per purchase has fallen 14% this quarter, compared to Q2 2010.

However, the total number of purchases is up by 20% over the same period, showing that consumers were buying more but spending less on each purchase. The number of individual transactions for Q3 was up 140% in 2010 compared to the same period in 2009.

Nesting instinct kicks in

Mydeco.com design director, Pia Munden, commented: “We live in changing times and so a little bit of comfort, even luxury can make all the difference to people. We are seeing an increasing number of people spending and updating the property they are in rather than moving and so some of the trends we are highlighting today will be a result of that nesting behaviour.”

But spending was on very specific items. For example, in the past three months there were 60,000 searches for wallpaper; 5,000 for gold wallpaper and 4,500 for rose flocked wallpaper. Searches for cushions, throws and over 3,500 for chandeliers indicate a nation in search of more luxurious domestic surroundings. Overall, consumers were looking for smaller items rather than large purchases.

Mydeco.com examined more than 10,000 online conversations, 1.6 million internet searches, 2.6 million keywords and 1,500 retailers to create its ‘interiors shopping barometer’.

The research also found the room most people were seeking inspiration for is the living room, among 26% of mydeco.com visitors. Munden said: “As you would expect, we see fluctuations in the most researched rooms in the home driven in part by seasonality. It’s interesting to note that living rooms and bedrooms have been significantly more researched (with 26% and 25% of all mydeco.com visits respectively) than kitchens (12%) and bathrooms (11%).

“To me this indicates that people are keen to improve their homes, but are focusing on the most used rooms in the home; they’re not planning a major overhaul of the kitchen or bathroom – traditionally the rooms that top the makeover wish list – because, while improving these rooms adds value, it requires significant expenditure. We’re seeing people’s desire to nest and improve their home without splashing out on expensive projects.”

Niche brands win in trends stakes

And the brands that saw the biggest surge in interest over the past three months were The White Company, BHS and Barker and Stonehouse. “We see seasonality driving and influencing this, along with the season’s must-have product or bargain,” added Munden. “But similarly we see a long-term trend towards consumers mixing both High Street, high-end and boutique items when it comes to items for the home. It isn’t just High Street giants who appear at the top of the table; we’re seeing niche brands like The White Company and Barker and Stonehouse with massively increased popularity this quarter. We love this trend toward people shopping with established and small retailers, and recently launched the mydeco boutique to offer visitors exactly this choice.”

“This year, due to the looming VAT increase in January, many retailers are going into sale very early, with some even slashing prices on high-ticket pieces as early as November. It's a great opportunity for consumers to make cut price 'expensive' purchases before the usual flurry of January discounts. This will, of course, impact January spending, which will be slower than in previous years,” Munden concluded.