Future Trends & Influencing Factors

With outdoor living culture catching up fast, the need for improved and well-furnished outdoor space is also growing. Consumers are demanding a wider range of options to choose from while purchasing gardening & outdoor living products. This trend encouraged manufacturers to bring out new and improved products that, in turn, broadened the existing range of gardening & outdoor living products available.

Over the years, world gardening & outdoor living markets have maintained a healthy growth graph. However, during 2008-2009, the market was jolted by turmoil in the macro economy and recorded a sharp drop in demand for all types of gardening & outdoor living products, including outdoor decoration.

Growth in the gardening & outdoor living market mainly depends upon new housing starts and construction sectors, as well as abundant disposable family income. As these factors reeled under the impact of recession during 2008-2009, demand for gardening & outdoor living products decreased considerably during the same period.

Furthermore, decreased consumer confidence also adversely affected the gardening & outdoor living market. However, the US market displayed signs of recovery in 2010, thanks to the availability of abundant resources and recovery of the US economy.

The outdoor furniture and outdoor decoration segments occupy prominent positions in the gardening & outdoor living market. Demand drivers for outdoor furniture and outdoor decoration include fashions and trends in home decorating and housing sectors, as well as lifestyle trends such as outdoor rooms (i.e. expanding outdoor space by using items such as grills and furniture and cocooning).

Over the years, these factors have contributed significantly to the growth of the market and have dramatically changed the market landscape. Rising concepts of outdoor living, particularly lavish outdoor living spaces with new materials, comfortable seating and elaborate lighting steer the market for outdoor furniture and outdoor decoration. In addition, demographic changes, housing sales, wide spread adoption of the Internet, outdoor renovation, and environmental concerns also boost the outdoor furniture and outdoor decoration markets.

Metal constitutes the largest, as well as fastest growing material type in the outdoor furniture market. The metal outdoor furniture market is portended to continue its dominance in the coming years. Wrought iron, aluminum, and steel represent the most popular metal types used for outdoor furniture globally. Wicker/rattan represents the second largest segment in the global outdoor furniture market, owing to its rustic look and the fact that wicker outdoor furniture is the most popular segment for the emerging outdoor living room trend.

Lifestyles of the average North American and Western European populations saw drastic changes in the last two decades, and of late people are spending more time in their homes than they did earlier. Busy lifestyles and less leisure time encourage the North American and Western European population to enjoy outdoor living culture. This trend led to an increased preference for outdoor living culture that eventually raised the demand for outdoor furniture and outdoor decorations.

Events such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the 7/7 London bombings in 2005 and the kidnapping of 11 European tourists in Egypt in 2008 have played an instrumental role in helping people appreciate the importance of spending time with family and friends. Moreover, the unrest created by global terrorism is leading to an increasing number of people opting to spend their vacations and leisure time in the safety of their homes rather than undertaking expensive and risky tourist trips. The situation has led to the emergence of a new trend called ‘nesting’ and ‘cocooning’, which stimulated the growth of the gardening & outdoor living market.

With outdoor living culture catching up fast, the need for improved and well-furnished outdoor space is also growing. Consumers are demanding a wider range of options to choose from while purchasing gardening & outdoor living products. This trend encouraged manufacturers to bring out new and improved products that, in turn, broadened the existing range of gardening & outdoor living products available.

Innovation in terms of design, style, material and fabric also led to an expansion in the available range of gardening & outdoor living products. Another latest trend in gardening & outdoor living product design is the growing demand for environment friendly materials such as recycled lumber.

Overall, the global gardening & outdoor living market is forecast to keep growing in the five year period 2012-2017. With the expansion of outdoor living culture and the recovery of the global economy and consumer confidence, the outdoor furniture and decorations markets are expecting huge boosts.