What are the hottest consumer trends today? Home cooking or eating out? Giant McMansions or downsizing? High-tech shower systems or simple soaking tubs?

The answer to all these questions is yes…and yes. Such is the paradox of understanding today’s consumer.

For every trend, there is a counter trend – and both are equally valid. This new duality marks a significant change in consumer behavior from just a decade ago, when easily identifiable, overarching trends dominated the marketplace.

So writes experienced trend watcher Robyn Waters in her new book, The Hummer and the Mini. Waters, who spoke at this year’s Kitchen/Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas, is the former v.p. of trend, design and product development at mega-retailer Target.

“What’s the next big thing? There is no one trend anymore,” she explains. Instead there are many different ‘next big things.’
“Now we need to look at opposites to spot what’s really going on with consumers. We need to think in terms of paradoxes and be willing to embrace contradictions,” she says.

Contradictions

So, what kind of contradictions are defining consumers in the kitchen and bath market today? Consider the growing number of kitchens with Ikea cabinets and luxury professional-style appliances. Or the women who buy organic foods to stay healthy, yet undergo injections of Botox, a poisonous substance, to acquire a more youthful appearance.

“It is the challenge of each marketer to wrestle with his or her own paradoxes – to ponder what matters most to the specific target audience,” she advises.

This means you, as a kitchen and bath dealer or designer, have to understand your customers on a deeper level today, getting to know them better, and delving more into their psyches. You’ll need to understand their philosophies, values and points of view, not just the size of their family, their tastes and how they use their kitchens or baths.

Waters identifies several paradoxes that are relevant for our industry today.

Old is New Again. “Nostalgia is not just for the elderly anymore,” Waters observes. “Everyone – from kids through baby boomers – has a new-found fondness for ‘the good old days.’”