The 5 ways technology will impact the UK homewares market Today, when it comes to shopping for homewares, many consumers are reaching for their gadgets over the car keys. Indeed, high levels of smartphone ownership, together with confidence about the security of shopping online have led to spectacular growth in the online channel. With Mintel’s Homewares UK 2015 report revealing that nearly three in five consumers bought something online last year, we look ahead at the trends that will affect the way people buy homewares. With retailers increasingly investing in online and multi-channel retailers for homewares, we predict five key trends that will change the retail landscape. 1. Beacon technology will become increasingly important, enabling retailers to communicate directly with customers whilst they are in-store. 2. The days of fumbling around your pockets for change could be coming to an end – we expect mobile payments to speed up the transaction process and increase the percentage of ‘frictionless’ transactions. 3. 4. 5.
Rubelli | Armani/Casa Ten years from its launch, the Armani/Casa division of the Giorgio Armani Group has established itself as a global leader in the luxury interiors market. Synonymous with an elegant and contemporary lifestyle, Armani/Casa is the expression of Giorgio Armani’s own vision of the home as an intimate but sophisticated setting with an atmosphere of comfort and harmony. Collection VII The collection is composed of refined cannetés and decorative details that draw inspiration for antique armour, reinterpreted using geometric shapes to create a contemporary take on the motifs. Following thorough archival research, the geometric patterns and textures have been deconstructed, both, magnified and minimised to create new and interesting patterns. Research into antique armoury revealed many fascinating details, such as Japanese Katana sword’s hand guards, ‘Tsubas’, offering a unique source of inspiration for the patterns in the collection. All the fabrics of the 2015 collection. Collection VI Collection V
20+ Instagram stats marketers need to know It is my intention to write a few posts focusing on brands doing great work on Instagram, but first I feel it’s worth rounding up a few stats to show why it's such an important social network. There are a huge number of stats out there on Instagram usage, most of which are now inaccurate as the app’s audience is growing so quickly. As such I’ve tried to weed out the old and irrelevant numbers to bring you the freshest and most up-to-date facts and figures. For more on this topic read our posts on how ecommerce sites can use Instagram and a roundup of some great Instagram videos. But let’s begin with some official data from Instagram’s press page... Official user stats Instagram has 300m monthly active users.70% of these people are outside the US.Overall there have been 30bn photos shared through the app.On an average day Instagram users post 70m photos and hit the ‘like’ button 2.5bn times. Daily usage The average Instagram user spends 21 minutes per day using the app. Demographics
30 Budget Home Buys That Look Like They’ve Come Straight Off Pinterest For those of you who don’t know – I get paid quarterly, which means by the time that pay day rolls around I’m basically smothered in open tabs of wish lists and saved items and bursting digital shopping baskets. It also means I tend to mentally roll around in my lump sum of money like I’m a bazillionaire or small child playing with Monopoly money and then there’s a flurry of prosecco, shoes and spontaneous trips booked and then whaddya know, Hannah ain’t got no money left. It’s a fun little cycle of online banking self-destruction. This little edit is some of my favourite home-y pieces taking up my saved items on the interweb right now, inspired by the classic home Pinterest boards we’re all busy making when we should be at the gym/at work/doing summin’. The ones that are littered with white walls and neat monochrome accessories and gold touches and then cute little prints and pops of colour. Although tbh if Chris comes home to anymore print deliveries he might throw me out of the house.
The New George Homeware Range You Need To Know About I am ALL about the budget homeware. Like, I could happily run a blog that just revolved around under £50 home essentials, except like, no-one would read it because you guys seems to like lists and things about quarter life crisises and over the knee boots and Primark. So yup, there’s that. Anyway I managed to take some photos of my front room with some new pieces from the AW15 range at George and they make my soul feel happy. Like, THIS is where I live. Sounds lame, I know, but sometimes stopping to acknowledge your progress is the only thing that’ll snap you out of a weird WHERE IS MY LIFE GOING mood, and today, these photos did just that. They made me happy with my lot and made me stop constantly going BUT WHAT’S GOING TO BE YOUR NEXT ACHIEVEMENT, HANNAH? Hands up, I was sent these pieces to review, but as soon as I saw ’em I knew I would have added them to my online basket anyway, so there’s that. And also, the star light. Anyway, just thought I’d give y’all the heads up.
Your First Look At New Look’s Sassy New Homeware Range Yeah you heard that right. New Look aka the queens of high street shoes because seriously omg how do they manage to get footwear so on point every damn season? Are launching their first ever homeware collection. Watch ya back H&M home, you got serious competition. I headed into London earlier this week to get a sneak peek of the first few bits of the range (which will be dropping into stores at the end of September) and to y’know, drink tea, perve on the seriously sexy river view from the Mondrian hotel, and customise my own photo frame. Now a whizz at gold leaf in case anyone was wondering and have just used said customised frame to put a picture of a cat on my bedroom wall. Anyway, back to New Look. The collection is everything you’d want and expect from the high street brand – it’s crammed full of cute copper pieces from tea light holders to photo frames, as well as pastel pink crockery, fairy lights and the current creme de la creme of the interior world – novelty shaped lights.
22 Just-In Pieces Of Homeware You Absolutely Need Having been shortlisted for ‘Bets For Home blog’ at the Cosmo Awards this year (seriously you guys, what the?) I thought I better whip up a home post so I can be like uh huh, I totally DO have home stuff on this blog. Yuh huh. Turns out there’s a shit tonnes of seriously sassy new stuff on the high street for AW15 and it’s not all faux fur and moose heads and tartan because hello, don’t actually live in a Canadian lodge. Although there is a lot of Christmas-themed homeware to wade through to get to the good, Instagram-worthy stuff. Like, do people actually spend like £300 on new beddings and sofa and bed cushions just for December, like, DO THEY? I totes would if like there was a money tree planted in the garden, but sadly my rumbling belly has to come before my tender sweet love of Christmas. Anyway yeah, here’s some cute things I found. Fuck I sound old. Crockery. Crockery, Hannah. You need to get out more. Anyway, peace out kids. (Visited 927 times, 77 visits today)
John Lewis to “revolutionise home retail” with £14m investment to dominate sector British retailer John Lewis has made a big play to dominate the homeware market with a £14m makeover to the home department of its flagship store on Oxford Street, which will be unveiled in September. John Lewis will have “the largest range of home products of any store in the UK” The bricks and mortar revamp from John Lewis is in contrast to Matalan, which has launched an online-only Matalan Direct venture that will tap into the bathroom furniture market. Meanwhile, homeware retailer DuneIm is eyeing further growth following a sales uptick and appointed a new CFO to keep expansion on the right track. In addition to revamping its online channels, it is also continuing to open new stores. Will Adderley, DuneIm CEO, said: "With a newly strengthened senior team, a recently upgraded website, a sound pipeline of new stores and an ongoing programme of capital and revenue investments in place, I am confident that we will continue to deliver further growth across all our channels going forward."