Kitchen and bath specialists have spent the better part of their
careers, in most cases, mastering the art and science of design,
construction, sales, marketing and business management.
But it’s next to impossible to get any real traction in the
kitchen and bath market these days unless another important science
is mastered.
That science, of course, is psychology.
Understanding what’s going on the mind of today’s kitchen and
bath consumer is essential to gauging precisely what’s driving, and
shaping, current and emerging market trends.
And responding in a sensitive and skillful manner to that
consumer mindset is even more critical in determining success in
this industry.
Fact is, it’s not enough any more to simply consult surveys that
pinpoint consumer buying patterns for products, designs and
services. Such surveys like the jointly sponsored NKBA/NAHB
consumer poll reported on in this month’s issue of Kitchen &
Bath Design News’ are certainly useful in identifying
preferences for cabinets, appliances, countertop materials,
plumbing fixtures and other products.
However, kitchen and bath professionals need to go beyond mere
surveys when trying to figure out ways to best serve their
customers and drive new revenues.
This message about understanding and responding to today’s
consumers is seemingly everywhere these days.
In this month’s issue of K&BDN, for example contributor Dan
Chinitz, discusses the need for the kitchen and bath industry to
upgrade its professional image in response to public need. At the
same time, contributor Leslie Hart (Page 34) addresses the
importance to dealers and designers of selling an intangible, a
reputation, a sense of familiarity, a relationship, a set of
feelings, instead of simply a series of features and
benefits.
Similar messages about understanding the mindset of today’s
consumers have been resonating throughout the industry for
months.
We’ve heard a lot about the post-9/11 consumer, and how that
consumer, more than ever, is seeking to transform the interior of
the home into a retreat from life’s daily stress.
We’ve heard about the trend toward “opuluxe,” the burgeoning
sense of entitlement to branded objects, increasingly pervasive
among young, well-off homeowners.
And there’s more.
We’ve heard how kitchens and baths have replaced other areas of
the home as symbols of luxury, and about how the power of private
indulgence is driving the trend toward luxury bathroom design.
We’ve also heard about the growing importance of the male as a
consumer of luxury
products, and as someone striving to reward himself with elaborate
outdoor barbecues, luxury wine units and similar upscale
products.
Lastly, we’ve heard about how the kitchen and bath designer’s
greatest competition is no longer the business around the corner,
or even other discretionary purchases, but the consumer’s own
uncertainty and fear about the wisdom of undertaking a major
remodeling project.
All these consumer-related issues are very real today and very
powerful.
They’re also critical for kitchen and bath designers to get
their arms around in order to deliver genuine client
satisfaction.
Kitchen and bath specialists can’t afford to go into the
marketplace these days with a preconceived notion of what the
consumer wants, needs and prefers. Consumers are changing. Society
is changing. The American home is changing. The kitchen and bath
marketplace is changing.
And kitchen and bath pros need to change, as well especially in
the way they think about, and react to, today’s consumer.
The most important steps in that process of change are getting
inside the consumer’s head and communicating a compelling response
to how that consumer thinks and feels.
It’s a question not just of mastering design skills, amassing
product expertise and learning to sell. Instead, more than ever,
it’s a question of psychology.