February 24, 2025 • 49 mins
If you’re passionate about home trends, kitchen gadgets, and housewares industry insights, this episode of Creative Living is a must-listen! Host Jane Clauss sits down with housewares industry expert Peter Giannetti, the editor-in-chief of HomePage News and Director of Editorial Content and Education for the International Housewares Association, to discuss the top home and kitchen trends for 2025. From replacement cycles for home goods to the rise of at-home entertaining.
Discover the latest in household product innovation, sustainable home products, and must-have appliances. Whether you're shopping for a new air fryer, upgrading your coffee bar, or staying ahead of the curve on home design trends, this conversation is packed with insights to help you make smart, stylish choices.
Tune in now to explore the future of home and housewares and how brands are making everyday tasks easier, smarter, and more beautiful.
If you would like to jump to specific topics, check out the episode log notes below.
[0:00:00 - 0:02:22] Welcome to 2025’s Housewares Trends!
Jane kicks off the episode, introducing Peter Giannetti, Editor-in-Chief of Homepage News, to dive into the latest home & housewares trends and innovations.
[0:02:22 - 0:06:30] Homepage News: The Industry’s Insider Guide
Peter shares how Homepage News is a must-read for trendspotting, market insights, and industry updates.
[0:06:30 - 0:10:33] Housewares Industry Outlook
From pandemic demand surges to economic shifts, Peter breaks down what’s stabilizing and what’s growing in 2025.
[0:10:33 - 0:14:19] Kitchen Gadget Replacement Boom
Appliances and gadgets are cycling out faster than ever. Peter explains how innovation is driving upgrades.
[0:14:19 - 0:16:37] Tariffs & Pricing: What to Expect
Jane and Peter discuss the impact of potential tariffs and how brands are navigating cost, quality, and supply chain challenges.
[0:16:37 - 0:21:17] At-Home Entertaining is Back!
Consumers are hosting more, fueling trends in coffee bars, cocktail stations, and stylish hosting essentials.
[0:21:17 - 0:25:31] Kitchen Gadgets & Tools: 2025 Must-Haves
Peter shares the latest in high-performance gadgets and specialty tools that consumers are loving.
[0:25:31 - 0:29:05] Sustainability: A Growing Consumer Priority
Eco-friendly, repurposed, and sustainable products are no longer niche—they’re the new norm.
[0:29:05 - 0:32:54] Sneak Peek: The Inspired Home Show
Peter previews game-changing innovations set to debut at The Inspired Home Show in March.
[0:32:54 - 0:37:38] The Future of Home: Smart & Connected
From AI to 3D printing, home products are getting smarter, more customizable, and seamlessly integrated.
[0:37:38 - 0:44:17] Creativity in Housewares & Everyday Products
Innovation isn’t just about function—brands are blending creativity with consumer needs for better product experiences.
[0:44:17 - 0:49:00] Wrap-Up: Stay Ahead of the Trends
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
VO (00:00):
Time to tantalize your earbuds with creative makers and
shakers. It's creative living,the podcast with Jane Clauss,
Jane Clauss (00:10):
Welcome to Creative living, where we help you live
better creatively. I'm JaneClauss, and as always, so happy
that you are here with me today.Now, if you're anything like me,
when someone says Home and housewere trends, you get a little
tingly inside. You know what I'mtalking about, right? Not gonna
lie, there's just something soexciting about finding new tools
(00:34):
and new ideas that are going tomake life at home a little
simpler, a little more fun, andprobably a lot more beautiful.
And you know, let's just behonest, if you're a domestic
diva like I am, those friendsare just too good to pass up. So
good news for all of us domesticdivas today, we are diving into
all things home and housewares.We're 2025
(00:58):
we're going to talk about what'shot, what's practical, from air
fryers to can openers, we'regoing to talk about why it is
officially replacement seasonfor so many of our beloved
appliances, kind of sad, butreally exciting. And we're also
going to talk about at homeentertaining and why it's
(01:19):
shaping the way we cook and wecelebrate. So to help us unpack
all of this, we need an expert,and I have invited somebody who
knows the ins and outs of thisindustry better than anyone,
Peter Janet. He is the editor inchief of homepage news and the
(01:39):
director of editorial contentand education for the
International housewaresAssociation. I'm telling you,
Peter knows the industry insideand out. I'm super excited. He
knows what consumers want. Heknows what's next for our
kitchens and what the brands aredoing and what's debuting at the
(02:00):
inspired Home show this March.So whether you are an air fryer
enthusiast, a coffee barconnoisseur, or you're just here
to geek out on the gadgets, kindof like me, stick around because
we're going to ask Petereverything I am excited to
welcome to the show. PeterJanet, Hey, Peter. Hey,
Peter Giannetti (02:23):
Jane how's it going? You're the coolest guy.
Jane Clauss (02:25):
I'm so excited to have you on creative living. I
need a fan girl, just a littlebit. Oh no, yes, I subscribe to
your newsletter. Homepage news.And as someone who is obsessed
with all things home andhousewares, homepage news is
literally my favorite, one of myfavorite reads. I have to say
that. So thank you for joiningme. You're like a celebrity in
(02:47):
my world.
Peter Giannetti (02:48):
I'm a domestic diva too, just so you know, so
you know, I've been driving myfamily crazy every time we've
gone out to eat or we go to arestaurant, I'm the guy lifting
the plate up, looking underneathit, looking at the knives and
forks trying to see what kind ofcoffee makers they're using in
the back. I just can't helpmyself.
Jane Clauss (03:05):
I How do you know so much? So you get this
newsletter, and I want to tellmy friends that are listening,
because they need to subscribe.You get the newsletter every
day. There's it's consistentlypacked with information from
brands to products tobusinesses, retailers, big,
small, everything in between.How do you get all this info to
produce such a thoroughnewsletter? Well, we don't use
Peter Giannetti (03:28):
AI. I can tell you that right now. I'm
fortunate that in the 35 yearsthat I've been following the
housewares industry, I'vedeveloped not only do I have a
kind of a deep reservoir ofknowing what's going on in the
business, but we've got editors.We've got a team at the homepage
(03:48):
News staff. We kind of scour thebusiness and the business
reaches out to us. We're veryproud of the fact that we don't,
we don't just run pressreleases. We really give it a
spin, a unique homepage newsperspective on some of the big
news at retail, big news in theindustry, all the trend
reporting we do and some of thespecial market research that we
(04:11):
do in collaboration with theInternational households
Association. As you know, as youmentioned, I need a big long
business card because of allthat in my title, but IHA owns
and operates homepage news. Werun it as a an independent B to
B newspaper for the industry,but we are supported by IHA, and
(04:32):
that gives us another realm ofaccess to the industry that I
think helps us stay veryrelevant, topical and
newsworthy. So you
Jane Clauss (04:40):
said B to B newsletter, I'm not B to B. I'm
just a person that loves I'm adomestic diva. I love the home
and home stores. But can anyoneand everyone subscribe and get
it? It
Peter Giannetti (04:51):
is written for the industry. So it's really
written to inform the buyers andsellers in the business about
what's going on, and as such, alot of. Content, maybe ahead of
when the consumer will be seeingsome of the products and the
news that you're doing. But thatsaid, while we are directed
toward the retailer and thebrand and manufacturer, if you
(05:17):
want to go on homepagenews.comif you want to click subscribe,
and you want to learn aboutwhat's going on and maybe get a
head start what you might see onshelves and online in the coming
months. Go to homepagenews.comclick subscribe, and you'll
begin receiving our daily digest
Jane Clauss (05:34):
is so good. So here's the thing, a lot of
creative people listening. Theydo all kinds of creative things
and activities. In addition tocooking and hosting and crafting
and painting, they doeverything. I use the your
homepage news as inspiration soI can see what trends are coming
our way, and then maybe Iinclude that in some of the
(05:56):
content that I'm putting outthere that people are watching
and subscribing to so that'skind of how I use it, not only
for my in home, but I think it'sa great way to just add to what
we already do creatively. Yeah,and we
Peter Giannetti (06:09):
know a lot of media influencers you know, are
looking at home page news aswell to get that inspiration.
There's a good chance on a dailybasis, you're going to find
something in our daily digestthat you can take away and apply
to your business, even if youare on the consumer side of the
world, and even if you're again,if you're trying to get a sense
(06:30):
of what's coming down the pike,it's a real good resource for
kind of looking into the futureof what's happening in the home
and elsewhere business. Yeah,
Jane Clauss (06:37):
I know that's right. I really do appreciate
it. So thank you for joining me.I want to start talking about
home and housewares. Let's let'stalk about the big picture. So
let's look at the overalloutlook for the housewares world
in 2025 are we seeing majorshifts, or is this going to be
steady? Eddie, like we've seenin the past? Well, it's actually
Peter Giannetti (07:00):
an important year for the home and households
business. We have to look back alittle bit to get some
perspective. We didn't know andwe're still talking about the
pandemic, but that is aninflection point that we need to
use as we look forward to thefuture of this business. We
didn't know what to expect whenthe pandemic hit, but we learned
soon thereafter about this hugesurge in demand for home and
(07:23):
house source products. Peoplewere a home, people were
cooking, people were cleaning,they were using these products,
and they were gobbling them up,whatever they could get their
hands on. And it was anunprecedented surge in demand
and sales for the business. It'snatural, after such a huge
surge, when things begin to getback to normal, that there's,
(07:47):
there's a time, a period whereyou're seeing sort of year over
year decline. It's hard, it'shard to match that type of
surge, right? And so theindustry went through this huge
surge, then it went through thenatural sort of fallout of a
business that sold so much sopeople weren't buying nearly as
much as they would havenormally. And then you threw in
some of the economic factors.There were supply chain
disruptions. We got hit withthis inflation that became an
(08:10):
issue. So there are lots ofheadwinds that were mitigating
the typical performance of thehome and households business. So
when I say typical, it is abusiness that, historically,
through good times and badtimes, inches its way up. It's
not going to be up 10 15% everyyear. It's not going to be down
10 15% but it may grow at 567,percent, right? So we needed to
(08:34):
kind of clear through all ofthese disruptions that affected
the business over the last threeto four years. And the good news
is, after a fairly good holidayseason, overall for retailing,
retailing was up 3.5% dependingon who you talk to, and home and
House lawyers did very wellduring the season. It was a
challenging year, but home andhousers did well consumer.
(08:55):
Consumer Confidence sort of wasrising throughout the year, but
it picked up after the election,which is not an unusual
occurrence, right? So we enter2025 by all accounts, at a time
when this business has sort offound its new level, and it's
set to maybe resume that steadygrowth that we are used to
seeing from housewares. And Ithink while there are still
(09:19):
disruption, disruptive factorsin the world, and there's still
some uncertainties. And I thinknavigating those uncertainties
of things that everyone inbusiness, not just in the
housewares business, has to dealwith right now, the consumer
feels pretty good. Inflation isstill a concern, and then has to
be sort of resolved, but it'sgetting better. But there is
this expectation thathouseholders is prime for a new
(09:40):
wave of growth, and that's anthat's an exciting time, after
all the disruption in thisbusiness. And might I add one
variable to that that I think isgoing to enhance the
opportunity, and that's that ofreplacement. I think you
mentioned replacement orreplacement earlier. What's your
I mean, do you have somethought? It's about what you
(10:01):
think is going on from areplacement business. Because I
can tell you right now, we're onthe verge of perhaps an
accelerated replacement. Peoplegot their hands on whatever they
could three four years ago. Theyused it a lot. They're still
using a lot. Yep, maybe it'stime to buy a new coffee maker.
Maybe it's time to step up yourcookware purchase, because you
didn't get quite what you wantedfour years ago. This is an
(10:23):
interesting time. So it's notgoing to just be product
innovation that drives us, butproduct marketing and getting in
front of the consumer to letthem know that there's new
products out there that thatthey're ready for right now,
Jane Clauss (10:33):
and those products can enhance your life. So if you
think of back in the day, likeJune Cleaver, 1950s kitchen,
like she's just using these newappliances. But to us, I mean,
they're antiques, and they haveno they're just used for
function. There's no lifeenrichment or enhancement or
making things easy for you. It'sjust what it is. And you get to
(10:54):
have this. But now there are allkinds of bells and whistles.
There's all kind of cool productdevelopment. And as I said in
the open, it's like, how does mymake my life easier, more
simple, more fun to be in thekitchen or at home, and even
more beautiful. So I think, aswe look back over the last four
years and go, Whoa, the pandemicbeen over for this long, and
(11:15):
I've had this toaster or airfryer or what have you, for this
many years, there's a new oneout there that might be better.
And you know what? Maybe I'veused mine to death, and so I do
need a new one. So do you agreewith that shift, that these
products are not just functionaltools, but yet they are there to
enhance what we're doing? I
Peter Giannetti (11:34):
think if you go before the pandemic, this
industry was was exploring thefact that while basic utility
may be the root of the householdbusiness, and always will be the
root of the households business,differentiation comes from
enhancing life experience andwhether it's a better looking
product, whether it's easy touse, whether it makes something
(11:56):
I do feel a little bit better.So there's always this movement
to add layers of value anddifferentiation to a product. So
that was happening in thisbusiness long before we got hit
with the pandemic. But thatpandemic experience became very
transactional. It was notnecessarily focused on total
experience. It was what could Iget my hands on? And I think as
(12:19):
we move into this next phase,the idea of not just utility,
but utility plus. I want it to Iwant it to be easier. Maybe I
want to be a little bit moreconvenient. Maybe I want it to
be a little bit more elegant.Casual doesn't necessarily mean
cheap. If I'm looking attableware or serve where and I'm
thinking of a more casualexperience, especially when I'm
(12:40):
entertaining, I might want toindulge myself with a little
extra style, with some somefeatures beyond just the pure
utility the product. That's theopportunity for this industry on
a on a development standpoint,product development standpoint,
but all that product developmentgoes for not if the industry
doesn't use all of the resourcesit has at its disposal right now
(13:04):
to convey to the retailer andultimately to the consumer, that
you can get a little bit moreand it doesn't have to cost a
lot more. Back to the issue ofof some of the disruption we're
looking at the concerns over thecost of things right now,
absolutely people, once again,are saying, maybe I'm not going
to eat out as much, which nowthat becomes opportunity in the
(13:26):
home. But if I'm a manufacturer,and I'm confronted with the
possibility of having to raisemy prices to some degree, I want
to engineer that much more valueinto my product. I want it to be
special. I wanted to justify thefew dollars more, or the few
pennies more on my cost. So theconsumer who is looking now to
(13:49):
move from what was verytransactional, utility based
experience to a bit of anindulgent is going to have some
opportunity to find thoseproducts and look for those
products. And I think again,that goes back to why 2025 could
be a new inflection point forthis business, inflection point
that puts us back on the trackof adding tremendous value to
(14:09):
these products. And when I sayvalue, it's not always the
lowest price. Value is not howmuch something costs right.
Value is how much something isworth
Jane Clauss (14:19):
and and also what it brings to your life, like I
value this. So talked about twothings here, and I'm going to go
with the oh, this costs toomuch, and we want to upgrade,
because it's retirement time orreplacing the old. Should
consumers be concerned that withthe new proposed tariffs on
imports coming in, say fromChina on electronics or products
(14:42):
coming in from other countries,will that affect the buying as
we look into this year? You
Peter Giannetti (14:50):
know, I don't have a crystal ball, and if I
did, maybe be doing other thingswith my information right now
the 10. Tariffs are still amatter of uncertainty, but we do
know that there were tariffsimposed back in 2018 2019 that
sort of got absorbed into thesystem. And the reality on any
(15:13):
type of tariff is that it's morelikely that the consumer is
going to end up paying whateverincreases go into the supply
chain from a price standpoint,and that's why, again, I go back
to the opportunity to engineerbetter goods that are kind of
worth maybe the extra dollars.But to go back to your question,
this industry and manyindustries, have been aware of
(15:34):
the potential for tariffs, a newa new wave of tariffs, and there
have been moves made there. Somecompanies have looked to
resource products to areas thataren't necessarily going to be
affected by tariffs. We don'tknow. Some people have looked to
reshore their product. Canfigure out a way to get them
made in the United States.Again, these things take time,
and it doesn't happen overnight.Many retailers have probably
(15:56):
tried to get a head start ongetting goods into the pipeline
sooner than later, heading intothis year, taking a chance on
more retail inventory than theymight normally do in order to
get ahead of the potentialimpact of tariffs. So I don't
know to what extent thesetariffs, when and if they will
(16:20):
add price to potential products.I think the natural outcome is
for that to happen, but therehave been steps being made to
try to mitigate that. Soindustry is very aware of the
fact that it doesn't want to addprice to its goods if it doesn't
need to, yeah. So we'll seewhere. We'll see where that
lands. Yeah.
Jane Clauss (16:37):
And I think business wants to keep doing
business. So the the businesspeople, either here or in
another country, are going tosay, okay, so we have to, these
are the tariffs that are coming.How do we continue the business
growth that we want? And maybewe lower manufacturing costs
like Maybe those were inflatedbecause we needed to make money,
but now let's lower that so thatwe can still get them out and it
(16:59):
then it would, we would see noprice hike. I
Peter Giannetti (17:02):
think manufacturers are always looking
to kind of reverse engineertheir products to see if they
can get get a lower cost ofproduction. But if lower cost of
production translates to lowerquality and lower durability,
your long term impact on themarketplace has a potential be
negative, because if theconsumer is dissatisfied with
the product, if the productbecomes disposable, in their
(17:24):
mind, that's not good for thebusiness as well, too. So it's
just kind of fine. We're allwalking a tight rope right now
in this business. Try to figureout what is you know, whether
it's just about lowering price,whether it's about marketing
better product that can supporta slightly higher price. I think
the goal right now is tocontinue to look for innovative
not just innovative product, butinnovative manufacturing and
(17:47):
supply chain solutions thatallow you to control your cost
through the supply chain to theconsumer without impacting the
quality, the durability, andultimately the satisfaction of
these products.
Jane Clauss (17:59):
So let's talk about fun things, because kind of
hurts my brain. Sometimes I justlike to have fun with my home
and housewares. You know, that'sthe reality of it. I get it, but
you mentioned, let's host athome, and the trend is showing
people are going to be eating inmore often. How is the industry
responding to that trend?
Peter Giannetti (18:20):
Well, I think the industry recognized a couple
years back that one of the waysto kind of rebound, if you will,
was to really dig into this sortof return to at home.
Entertaining. The idea ofentertaining at home is not new.
We've all been doing it, butthis, this society, for two
(18:40):
years, didn't get a chance toshow off at the holidays, Fourth
of July, picnics, Memorial Day,Mother's Day, Father's Day,
Halloween. It was stuck sort ofinside at a time when it wanted,
it wanted to be with people. Sothere was this sort of early,
reluctant, but now this sort ofwave of we're going to get
(19:04):
together and I'm going to showoff my home all over again, like
it's the first time you've seenthat. So what does that mean? It
means that we're going tocelebrate the annual occasions
with a bit more zest. We'regoing to celebrate the the
Christmas holidays and theseasonal holidays. We're going
(19:25):
to, we're going to, we're goingto have a bigger Thanksgiving
feast than we might have had.We're actually going to get
together for Halloween rightafter we're done trick or
treating. We're going to do morebackyard celebrating of holidays
in in the in the warmer months.And I'm going to show off a
little bit. Yeah, I want to seewhat's new. I'm going to get the
latest pizza oven. I'm actuallygoing to find a durable acrylic
(19:48):
beverage wear that has a newdesign on it. I want people to
see my backyard. I want them tosee my dining room. I want them
to see my kitchen for the firsttime, all over again. And so at
the IHA. We have conductedresearch the past few years to
look at the frequency with whichpeople are celebrating, the
zest, you know, with which thesummary, and then to connect
(20:11):
that to the opportunity for thehouseholds industry to tie into
that as a growth catalyst. Andyou're seeing you're seeing all
generations entertain more.You're seeing men with the
intent to entertain more thanwomen, which is kind of a unique
dynamic right now, but it justtells us that we have, we still
(20:31):
have this pent up desire to showoff, and I want to do it year
after year, because I want youto come back next year, because
you had something that you lovedthe year before. But then I want
to surprise you with a newdelight, with a new a cocktail
bar. Oh yeah, accessories, acoffee and tea bar. Don't forget
tea. Everyone talks aboutcoffee. Oh, right. He is really,
(20:55):
really popular right now. Andthere are all sorts of
accessories for that. I want tomake it easier to clean up after
these occasions. I want tocreate solutions for leftovers
so I can give my guests a littlebit something from the party to
take home with them. These areall opportunities to be
exploited by the industry to thedelight of the consumer.
Jane Clauss (21:17):
Yeah, the other thing though, you touched on,
you did it one year, and thenyou're like, I'm going to do it
again next year. But then everyyear. But then everybody saw
what a great job you did, andthen they're like, No, I want to
have the party. And now all of asudden, you're booked every
single night. Everyone's havinga party, which is not a bad
thing, but it's hard to keep itin like it's mine and no, we're
coming back to your house. No,you got to come to mind. Now,
it's a thing, Peter, it's athing,
Peter Giannetti (21:38):
but, but that, but it. But that thing that that
that competition is up, it's, itreeks of opportunity for people
to go out and redecorate theirhome a little bit. And this is
where tableware becomes animportant personification of
(21:59):
what's going on. That's, myexpression of what I'm doing.
This is where convenience. Youwant it to look sophisticated,
but it can't be hard to puttogether. So I'm going to look
for something that allows me todeliver a sophisticated
experience, dining, beverage,living, cleaning, but I want it
to be easier. I need it to beeasier to clean. I do need to be
(22:22):
a bit more automated. I wantsome control over it, but I need
a good, solid result withouthaving to guess all. A lot
Jane Clauss (22:31):
you talked about having a coffee station or tea
station and bar carts. Are thesethings that people are
implementing into their homes?Yeah,
Peter Giannetti (22:41):
they they tend to implement them more from a
again, at home entertainingstandpoint, but what we're
actually seeing now is a morepermanent coffee station, tea
station in the home, especiallywhere there are a couple of
generations still living in thehome. It's easy access. So if
you're if you're a productdeveloper, you don't want these
(23:03):
things to be bulky. You wantthem to be stylish and elegant.
So they kind of fit in withkitchen decor or your dining
room decor. So the theopportunity is to actually
transition from a product thatgets its oxygen from parties and
entertaining to a product ideathat lasts throughout the year.
So a, you know, we, youmentioned, Leave It to Beaver.
(23:24):
And the 50s, they'd all comehome and then from work, and
they'd go over to the TV set,and on top of the TV set was the
crystal bar where and and thewhiskey that's happening in a in
a new way right now. You know,people live a hybrid life, but
they are still coming home fromwork every now and then, yeah,
and especially, because they'reliving a hybrid life, they want
(23:45):
access to the things they havewhen they're home. So you're
going to see bar carts. You'regoing to see coffee and tea
service areas become sort of thenew kind of toaster oven
stations in the in the kitchens,in the homes. And if you don't
see that. That's an opportunityfor people in those businesses
to start communicating that tothe consumer. Occasions happen
(24:08):
throughout the year. So you haveparties throughout the year,
opportunities throughout theyear. You have celebrations
throughout the year. You havelife moment gatherings
throughout the year. Why notjust leave this stuff out and
enjoy it year round, rather thanputting it in and out when
people are coming over forSunday dinner.
Jane Clauss (24:26):
Yeah, and it's up to those brands to convey the
idea that leaving it out yearround is what you do in 2025
this is the trend, and this ishow we're living these days. So
then you get that in your headand you think, Well, that was
easy to set up, and that'sreally kind of looks cool. I'm
gonna leave it there every day.That's
Peter Giannetti (24:44):
what that balance of utility and maybe
design and style work together.If you're not using it every
day, then it loses its kind ofplace on the space. So you have
to make sure that the product isis very usable and very relevant
and connected, connecting tofood trends. Right now has never
been more important. So makingsure, from a marketing
standpoint, you're not relyingon the consumer to kind of
(25:08):
figure it all out. You got tohelp them along. You got to help
them use the product. That'swhere the satisfaction comes.
And on top of that, if it lookscool, or if it's a talking
point, or if it has something init that's a little fun and
playful. Why not? That gives iteven more reason, and it also
now accelerates the nextreplacement cycle, because
you're using it so darn much,I'm gonna have to get a new one.
(25:31):
When's
Jane Clauss (25:32):
the timeline? Like, how long do these appliances
last? So I want to talk aboutair fryers, and I'm gonna dive
into gadgets, but air fryers,okay,
Peter Giannetti (25:40):
so air fryer is a great example of a product
that was real popular headinginto the pandemic. It started to
become a bit saturated andcrowded, actually, as a
category, and it started to slowdown a little bit. The pandemic
actually picked that category upagain, because again, it was a
household appliance that madesomething that we all kind of
(26:02):
like, and it did it quick andfast and easy. So we saw this
kind of surge in air fryersagain. Here we are, three or
four years later, capacityissues. You might want a bigger
air fryer. You might want an airfryer that has more digital
intelligence, one that'sconnected to Wi Fi. You've
experienced the air fryer, andpresumably had a good experience
(26:23):
with the air fryer. So to answeryour question, I think that
historically, the typicalreplacement cycles in
appliances, small kitchenappliances, for instance, has
been at about around sevenyears. It could be seven to 10
years, maybe a little shorterthan that, well, maybe now it
becomes five years. We don'tknow that yet, but we do know
(26:43):
that some of the growth we'reseeing, some of this in these
categories, like air fryers, isprobably derived from a heavy
use appliance that's reached itsmaturity. And the industry is
has said, well, let's kind ofintroduce the next wave of air
fryers. And consumers aresaying, maybe it's time to do a
little bit more. So if weaccelerate the replacement cycle
(27:05):
in certain products, cookwareproducts, regular stovetop
cookware, because it got so muchuse the last four years, the
idea of cutting two years out ofa replacement cycle has
tremendous potential for anindustry. You can't do it in
every product category. It's notgoing to work in every product
category, but the more we getpeople to use these products,
more that potential is there.And we're actually, like I said,
(27:27):
we're seeing some of that rightnow well,
Jane Clauss (27:29):
and technology is blazing fast, so things are
changing. If you have a touchscreen that you had four years
ago, well, they've updated that,and it works better not to say
that this air fryer or whateverit is that you are ready to
replace doesn't work anymore.Maybe it's, it's it's used and
it's still love. You can use itas a, hand me down to a kid
going to college and moving outinto their first home, and they
(27:52):
just need that, because you'reable to get the, you know, the
advanced version. It's kind oflike blenders. Remember, back in
the day, blenders were all therage because of the whole
fitness kick, which is still athing. Oh,
Peter Giannetti (28:02):
well, blenders are a big deal, not just because
of fitness, but they've becomemore adaptable. You've got
blenders that can make they canmake soup right now, and they
can even cook it right so, sofitness is still a driving force
on the personal blender side,the smaller blender side. And
again, blenders a category thatexploded, and we saw that,
(28:22):
especially on the high end side,this real high end side of
blenders. And it was thiswonderful growth story through
like 2019 and then it just sortof slowed down a little bit. But
now we're seeing, you know,these things are cyclical. Now
we're seeing the blender return,but the story is bigger you if
you narrow a story to fitness,you're going to get that fitness
(28:45):
group, and then maybe a coupleyears later you're going to
wonder what happened to them,because you already got them
right, right? There's always newpeople coming to market. But if
I can take that blender, addversatility to it, make sure
that it does everything it sayswell, because if it does one
thing well, but the other thingnot so well, then the consumer
again loses satisfaction. Sowe're seeing blenders sort of go
(29:06):
through this renewal again, notjust as a fitness appliance, but
as a true food prep appliancethat effectively makes allows
you to do things that youcouldn't and didn't do before.
Jane Clauss (29:17):
Yeah, right, and you need those, and then they're
going to last a little bitlonger than some of the other
things in your kitchen. Let'stalk about little simpler
things, smaller things liketongs and can openers and garlic
presses. So these are thingsthat we keep forever and ever
and ever, but the trend issaying that people are seeking
Peter Giannetti (29:37):
yep. So I was speaking to an independent
them out. Yep,
specialty retailer a coupleweeks back and asking him, so
tell me what was hot during theholidays. I I didn't really know
what to expect, because I'mwe're getting kind of, this is
the first sort of recap of theholidays. Yeah. And he looked at
me, said, gadgets. And I said,What kind of gadgets? He said,
(29:58):
basic gadgets. Specialtygadgets, gadgets. And I think,
to your point, Jane, as we'vebecome more adept at the idea of
cooking, okay, it doesn't meanwe're cooking necessarily a
whole lot more than we were fiveyears ago. We are but, but we
become more skilled, or webelieve we've become more
(30:21):
skilled at it because we havemore experience with it. It
causes us to look for Pro as aconsumer, to look for either
updating the products I havegoing from one material to a
more durable material, perhapsone with a better grip on it. It
causes us to look at specialtygadgets that maybe sort of
(30:44):
narrow in their scope. Buthaving it makes doing something,
you know, a melon baller orwhatever it might be, I don't
want to pick apple core, youknow, Core an apple. So this
idea, and it's a gadgets, don'ttake a lot of space. There are
actually new kitchen storageproducts that have made counter
(31:05):
storage of gadgets easier, moremore accessible, a little less
cluttered, and it's not just amess when you open your jewelry
much. So you I throw that inthere as to say, where are we
putting all these gadgets? Well,there are solutions for that
too, but the idea of being ableto advance your skill with a
better gadget, kitchen gadget,and sometimes a more specialized
kitchen gadget, explains whythat category is doing so well.
(31:29):
It's a basic it's an everydayneed in every kitchen. We've all
got this stuff. Some of us havebeen holding on to our measuring
spoons for the last 20 years.That's right, you know what time
to get new measuring or or
Jane Clauss (31:40):
Peter, like I say more is more and less as a boar,
keep those ones that you gotfrom Granny, but get some new
ones, and it's fine. You couldput them all in the drawer, and
you have this feeling of likenostalgia when you look at the
ones that you're you knowthey're from the family, but
you're going to go use the newones because they're just
better. That is true for agarlic press, because you don't
want to use the old one. Youjust too hard to get the garlic
(32:02):
out of it. Garlic out of it. Ialso think you buy the gadgets.
You're going to buy more andmore gadgets because of this
sense of satisfaction you getwhen you cook the meal, when you
present it to your family, whenyou're hosting, you know? And it
was like, wow, you made this.And you, how did you do that?
Yeah, exactly. And then you go,Oh, look at this, and look at
(32:22):
this. And so it's that feelingyou get, and then all of a
sudden, now you're looking downthe list of like, Oh, I already
have this. What's next on mylist to get so when we talk
about gadgets, and you mentionedair fryers, toasters, you had
mentioned, what else is on thetrend list, or is everything on
the trend?
Peter Giannetti (32:43):
Everything is but, but again, kitchen cutlery,
we it's sort of derivative of ofwhat's happening in gadgets. But
again, when you're involved withyour with food prep and cooking
at home, whether it's foryourself, your family, or for a
gathering, better knivesactually really, really help.
You don't realize how much theyhelp until you start using
(33:07):
better knives. So that is acategory. We will continue to
see new products. There are manymore companies now that are
providing high quality knives,some of them are traditional
suppliers of the of the productsthat are doing some new things,
that have been leaders for along time, and they're sort of
renewing their approach toengaging this new consumer,
(33:27):
often a new generation ofconsumers who are in the kitchen
more than they would have been.It's also invited new brands and
new players in the business thatmaybe have a colorful selection
of knives or do something alittle different, but as long as
the blade is sharp and the bladelasts kitchen color is a
category you're going to have towatch going forward. I mentioned
tea earlier. I think we we oughtcoffee's huge. And you're going
(33:51):
to continue to see coffeeproducts. You're going to see a
combination of appliances thatmake it easier to deliver Cafe
barista style, Yeah, but you'realso going to see better basic
coffee makers that produce abetter home brew, because a the
technology is better. Theconsumers got a got a more
(34:13):
sophisticated palette. But teais one of those things that the
variety of teas that are nowavailable, and the nuances
required to properly preparethose teas, and whether it's the
temperature of the water,whether it's how you steep the
tea, whether it's the shape ofthe cup that you're using for
(34:33):
the kettle. Kettles, if youlived in Canada for 100 years,
electric tea kettles were huge.They didn't really start
becoming popular in the US,until more recently, but now
you're seeing a surge inelectric kettles that are safe
to use, that are automatic, thatcan brew at different
temperatures and make it easierto serve this sort of diverse
taste for tea. So watch teagoing forward. There's, there's,
(34:58):
I like to say, watch. Thisdinnerware, but watch it in a
different way. Okay, the idea ofthe traditional huge set of
dinnerware that's still outthere, but you know what? People
want to express themselves, andthey want to they want to mix
and match. They don't just wantto mix and match colors. They
want to mix and match styles,and they want their table to
(35:20):
sort of be a profile ofthemselves. It's sort of like
you look around the table, andyou should get a good sense of
who your host is at a giventime. It's a real personality
thing. But it's also key thatthe today's dinnerware is more
functional. It's bowls, ratherthan salad plates, deeper bowls
that can be used for more thanjust, you know, cereal and soup,
(35:41):
and then connecting that toserve wear and serving utensils
that also sort of are anexpression. That's the stuff
that doesn't stay in thekitchen, that's the stuff that's
out there for everyone to see.So there's a unique opportunity
in the tableware industry to bemore responsive to this consumer
that wants to sort of expressthemselves, but to do it in a
(36:02):
real, functional and practicalway.
Jane Clauss (36:05):
I love tableware because I love creating a
fabulous table scape. So youtouched on it. Everybody likes
to mix and match. We want toshow our personality. I think
that's great. So there's roomfor multiple table sets, one
two. Sustainability is the trendof going to the thrift store and
(36:26):
getting vintage and then mixingit with some new still something
people are looking at Vintage
Peter Giannetti (36:32):
and repurpose product is a real opportunity in
the business. And it's not asit's not just about going to the
going to the thrift storeanymore. You can now go to major
retailers and find repurposedproduct use, product that's been
reconditioned. Listen, it's ahuge marketplace. There's a lot
of product that otherwise kindof gets thrown into the sort of
(36:54):
close out that, you know, it'salmost, it's almost thrown away.
It is almost. But there's a realmarket now. Part of it is the
sustainability movement, andsustainability Jane is a word
that it's been used so longright now, I sometimes wonder
whether it's lost some of itscore meaning. But there is a
consumer right now that isconcerned about landfills and
(37:16):
waste and where these productsend up. So they are interested
in the sustainable but I thinkto your point, these products
tend to be more affordable. Theytend to be sort of training
wheels for certain sets ofconsumers who might be coming
into the marketplace, younger,home starters, single people
living on their own for thefirst time. So I think this
(37:37):
combination of Thrift,affordability, accessibility,
because you can go to a majorretailer right now and now and
buy refurbished and repurposedgoods. That's a lot different
than having to find it at yourlocal thrift store. And also the
notion of sustainability. Sowhen you add it all together,
there's a real market for that.And to your point, yes, blending
(37:58):
some of this, these goods withnew but hopefully if I buy a
refurbished, I'll use toasteroven again, because we said that
before, at some point, I'm goingto have a good experience with
my refurbished toaster oven, andthat's going to be time for me
to buy a new one, a new one. AndI'm most likely going to do two
(38:18):
things. I'm going to be alignedto the brand that I personally,
I may be aligned to the outlet,whether it's online or in a
store, right? So you're buildinga base of customer, you're
training them that you're goingto have a good experience. You
keep coming back to me, and I'lltake care of you as you go
(38:39):
forward. So this idea ofrefurbish and sustainability, be
careful with sustainabilityconsumers. It used to be a tie
breaker. If everything else wasgreat and it was sustainable, or
if there was a real, legitimatesustainable element to it, I
would buy it. Sustainability, orthe idea of something that's
that's renewable or ecofriendly, has moved into the
lexicon of primaryconsiderations, but not at the
(39:01):
expense of quality, durabilityand in some cases, price
Jane Clauss (39:05):
well, also though, to that point, if it's quality
durability, and maybe theconsumer is not using it the
second time around, it's thatthese companies and these brands
and the retailers will go, Okay,we have a plan for all of these
items that maybe go to alandfill or a thrift store or on
sale. What's our plan? So I feellike sustainability from a
(39:26):
consumer perspective, yes, theword's been around for a really
long time. I feel like noweveryone's sort of putting that
in their mind mix to say, Okay,I want to be a part of that. And
maybe it's not with maybe it'sanother differentiator.
Peter Giannetti (39:40):
And to your point, it's, in some cases, an
exp, a cost of that producthaving a meaningful and I
express meaningful becauseconsumers can look this stuff
up. They will. They want to knowif it's a real, meaningful
benefit to the environment or tothe society. And if you. Don't
deliver on a meaningful benefit.That's a that's a recipe for
(40:04):
losing a consumer and losing anychance of getting them going
forward.
Jane Clauss (40:08):
No question on that. Alright, the inspired Home
Show. It's happening in
Peter Giannetti (40:14):
March, almost March, right now. You gotta be
kidding. I mean, we're it'scoming up soon. Uh, we're
excited at the IHA, as I saidearlier, the industry is sort of
poised for this sort of renewalof steady growth, and I think
the inspired Home Show is reallywell positioned to be sort of a
resource for that growth. I liketo think that the smart
(40:39):
retailers that attend that show,obviously the exhibitors, but
the smart retailers have to maketime, not only to meet with
their existing suppliers andbrands that they currently do
business. You really need to seewhat those companies are doing.
Leave time for discovery,because I guarantee you, I've
gone to 33 used to be called thehome and housewares show the
house where shows three. Yeah, Istarted this business when I was
(41:03):
12 years old. So I've gone to 33shows. I've gone to every show
held since 1991 wow. And Iguarantee you, at every one of
those shows, there was a companyand a product lurking in a
corner, somewhere, down an aislesomewhere that that at the time,
no one had ever heard of, but atsome point in the future, became
(41:26):
a brand and a product thateveryone talked about and most
people owned. And I would loveto be, if I'm a retailer or I'm
shopping at show, I would loveto be the retailer that finds
that product. And so we'reexcited that the inspired Home
show is going to have a lot ofnew and exhibiting companies
this year. It continues to bringin. This is an industry that has
(41:47):
billion dollar companies, but italso has companies that are
starting out from scratch with agreat idea that need an outlet
to get that idea in front of theright people, and the inspired
Home Show delivers that year.What do you love about the
inspired Home Show. I'm curious.I know you go, yeah,
Jane Clauss (42:03):
I go, I've I haven't been to all of them.
I've been to, like six. So firstof all, what people have to
understand is that it is abusiness to business show, so
consumers not allowed in. Soit's up to me, and it's up to
you and your newsletter me onthe radio or a podcast or TV to
tell everybody what the trendsare, what we saw, how great it
is, what to expect in 2025 Ilove to see the innovations. I
(42:28):
love to see the new things thatare happening in the world of
you know, in my little hulahoop. So the things that I
typically use, what's new andinnovative about that. I also
love to learn about new productsand new patterns, and you know
what I could utilize orincorporate into you know what I
already do in my home? Butagain, up to us to tell
(42:52):
everybody what to expect in 2025if
Peter Giannetti (42:56):
you you'll see products that are introduced for
the first time at the show.You'll see them in the
marketplace within a couplemonths soon?
Jane Clauss (43:02):
Yeah, fascinating. I asked you this way at the top
of the conversation, and yousaid, I don't have a crystal
ball. But if you had a crystalball, and this might be too
soon, if you can look beyond2025 what's the next big thing?
I know. You know it. You're theexpert of all things home and
house. Swears,
Peter Giannetti (43:20):
if I had a if I had a nickel? Jane for everyone
who's ever asked me what thenext big thing was, and I'm
talking about my my aunts, myuncles, my nephews, my nieces,
they all want to know. I don'tknow, and I'm not going to
venture a guess now about whatthe next big thing is. I will
tell you, though, that the ideaof a of a connected universe,
(43:45):
and I'm not just talking aboutsmart appliances right now, an
entirely connected universe thatdoesn't just, you know,
automatically set your coffeemaker to go on at seven in the
morning through your phone, butthat truly brings the consumer,
the product, the experience, andother people into the mix about
(44:10):
optimizing experience that'sgoing to continue to grow and
it's going to continue toadvance. We've all been waiting
for the magic, smart solutionthat everyone wants. It's going
to be incremental, it's going tohappen. It's going to happen
fast, but it's going toencompass other things. But that
experience also engages theretailer, the online platform,
(44:32):
this notion of a fluid cycle ofproduct demand, product use and
product replenishment, I thinkthat's the future of this
business. It's happening tosomebody right now. So I think
we're going to see advances inthat digital technology, AI
design working in tandem withreal designers, because you
(44:54):
still need the real human touch.You're going to see that happen.
And the idea of printed product,not every product, but 3d
printed product. Yeah, there aregoing to be more opportunities
in the home in the future for 3dprinted product. I can't pick a
single product or a singlecustomer, but I will tell you
this. I hope I have a chance toshop the entire show, because
(45:18):
that product, or that new thingthat you're talking about, yeah,
it's it might it might be there.It's
Jane Clauss (45:23):
there. Well, you're right. That's the new thing for
next year. I would say, ifyou're a consumer, use what you
have in your home. Use It Up.Use it. Use it. Keep your eyes
open. Keep shopping in thestores and online. Peter, I have
to ask you this, because I askall of my guests, what does
creativity mean to you,especially when it comes to home
(45:46):
and housewares? Well,
Peter Giannetti (45:47):
I think their creativity is nothing if you
don't have a solid idea of whoyou're intending that creativity
to be for. So this is abusiness. Well, while I talk
about the B to B, business tobusiness. Universe of homepage,
news of the inspired home, showof what we do at the
International householdsAssociation, where we're putting
(46:08):
businesses together. At the endof the day, we're putting those
businesses together to reach theend consumer, to reach the home.
And creativity today starts withunderstanding what's going on in
the home. It starts with, Imentioned this earlier, what's
going on in the food industry,so I can develop a product that
(46:30):
satisfies the consumer taste.What's going on in the cleaning
industry, on that side of thebusiness. So I can now create a
cleaning product, or anorganization product that
satisfies the consumer better.So true creativity takes into
account the intended end user,and it works backwards from that
(46:51):
to find a real, true solution.We're in a business of basics. I
know we talk about the upsellall the time, but if you don't
get the basics right, thatdoesn't sound very creative, but
sometimes Jane, the hardestthing to do, from a creative
standpoint, is to build a solid,well performing product,
foundational, and then move fromthat foundation into something
(47:15):
expressive, something that'sthat's personal, Something that
can be customized, somethingthat can be sort of mine. They
want. They want a product that'sso darn creative from its
inception that the consumeralmost doesn't realize how
creative it is, because theysomehow feel that it was for
them all along. That's mythought on creativity right
Jane Clauss (47:38):
now, creativity spans at so many levels, in so
many industries, and it's somany people and everywhere,
which is why I talk about it andask everybody about it. By the
way, I do love a very goodcreative vacuum, because that's
one of the things you talkedabout cleaning. And I think
about the vacuums I see at theshow, and I want one of each of
them, because I get a deal whenI get a vacuum,
Peter Giannetti (48:01):
it didn't take a pandemic for for the industry
to realize that winning, winningshare of mind, and ultimately
share of dollars, is aboutappealing, appealing to why a
product makes their livesbetter, easier, more
interesting, fun, whatever,whatever it might be,
Jane Clauss (48:17):
Peter, you're better, interesting and more
fun. You know, everything I'veenjoyed our conversation so
much. I want everyone to alwaysget a little piece of you
through your homepage news. Tellus again how we can get it
Peter Giannetti (48:32):
hope go to homepagenews.com. You'll see
Subscribe buttons throughout thewebsite. Take a look. Go inside,
read stories. Just keep lookingfor that subscribe button. Click
on the Subscribe button, fillout your information that we
require, email address and someother things. It's free to
receive, and you know what?It'll help you see into the
(48:53):
future a little bit. So you
Jane Clauss (48:54):
may not have a crystal ball, but you're giving
us one. Peter, I'm
Peter Giannetti (48:57):
trying to thanks everyone. We'll see you
in Chicago. And of course, if
Jane Clauss (49:00):
anyone wants to dive deeper into all of these
trends, just be sure tosubscribe Home page news, and
you will get all the informationyou need from the one and only
Peter. Janet, Peter, thank youso much for joining us on
creative living. Live better
VO (49:16):
creatively for more inspiration. Visit Jane
clauss.com thank you forlistening. You.
Time to tantalize your earbuds with creative makers and
shakers. It's creative living,the podcast with Jane Clauss,
Jane Clauss (00:10):
Welcome to Creative living, where we help you live
better creatively. I'm JaneClauss, and as always, so happy
that you are here with me today.Now, if you're anything like me,
when someone says Home and housewere trends, you get a little
tingly inside. You know what I'mtalking about, right? Not gonna
lie, there's just something soexciting about finding new tools
(00:34):
and new ideas that are going tomake life at home a little
simpler, a little more fun, andprobably a lot more beautiful.
And you know, let's just behonest, if you're a domestic
diva like I am, those friendsare just too good to pass up. So
good news for all of us domesticdivas today, we are diving into
all things home and housewares.We're 2025
(00:58):
we're going to talk about what'shot, what's practical, from air
fryers to can openers, we'regoing to talk about why it is
officially replacement seasonfor so many of our beloved
appliances, kind of sad, butreally exciting. And we're also
going to talk about at homeentertaining and why it's
(01:19):
shaping the way we cook and wecelebrate. So to help us unpack
all of this, we need an expert,and I have invited somebody who
knows the ins and outs of thisindustry better than anyone,
Peter Janet. He is the editor inchief of homepage news and the
(01:39):
director of editorial contentand education for the
International housewaresAssociation. I'm telling you,
Peter knows the industry insideand out. I'm super excited. He
knows what consumers want. Heknows what's next for our
kitchens and what the brands aredoing and what's debuting at the
(02:00):
inspired Home show this March.So whether you are an air fryer
enthusiast, a coffee barconnoisseur, or you're just here
to geek out on the gadgets, kindof like me, stick around because
we're going to ask Petereverything I am excited to
welcome to the show. PeterJanet, Hey, Peter. Hey,
Peter Giannetti (02:23):
Jane how's it going? You're the coolest guy.
Jane Clauss (02:25):
I'm so excited to have you on creative living. I
need a fan girl, just a littlebit. Oh no, yes, I subscribe to
your newsletter. Homepage news.And as someone who is obsessed
with all things home andhousewares, homepage news is
literally my favorite, one of myfavorite reads. I have to say
that. So thank you for joiningme. You're like a celebrity in
(02:47):
my world.
Peter Giannetti (02:48):
I'm a domestic diva too, just so you know, so
you know, I've been driving myfamily crazy every time we've
gone out to eat or we go to arestaurant, I'm the guy lifting
the plate up, looking underneathit, looking at the knives and
forks trying to see what kind ofcoffee makers they're using in
the back. I just can't helpmyself.
Jane Clauss (03:05):
I How do you know so much? So you get this
newsletter, and I want to tellmy friends that are listening,
because they need to subscribe.You get the newsletter every
day. There's it's consistentlypacked with information from
brands to products tobusinesses, retailers, big,
small, everything in between.How do you get all this info to
produce such a thoroughnewsletter? Well, we don't use
Peter Giannetti (03:28):
AI. I can tell you that right now. I'm
fortunate that in the 35 yearsthat I've been following the
housewares industry, I'vedeveloped not only do I have a
kind of a deep reservoir ofknowing what's going on in the
business, but we've got editors.We've got a team at the homepage
(03:48):
News staff. We kind of scour thebusiness and the business
reaches out to us. We're veryproud of the fact that we don't,
we don't just run pressreleases. We really give it a
spin, a unique homepage newsperspective on some of the big
news at retail, big news in theindustry, all the trend
reporting we do and some of thespecial market research that we
(04:11):
do in collaboration with theInternational households
Association. As you know, as youmentioned, I need a big long
business card because of allthat in my title, but IHA owns
and operates homepage news. Werun it as a an independent B to
B newspaper for the industry,but we are supported by IHA, and
(04:32):
that gives us another realm ofaccess to the industry that I
think helps us stay veryrelevant, topical and
newsworthy. So you
Jane Clauss (04:40):
said B to B newsletter, I'm not B to B. I'm
just a person that loves I'm adomestic diva. I love the home
and home stores. But can anyoneand everyone subscribe and get
it? It
Peter Giannetti (04:51):
is written for the industry. So it's really
written to inform the buyers andsellers in the business about
what's going on, and as such, alot of. Content, maybe ahead of
when the consumer will be seeingsome of the products and the
news that you're doing. But thatsaid, while we are directed
toward the retailer and thebrand and manufacturer, if you
(05:17):
want to go on homepagenews.comif you want to click subscribe,
and you want to learn aboutwhat's going on and maybe get a
head start what you might see onshelves and online in the coming
months. Go to homepagenews.comclick subscribe, and you'll
begin receiving our daily digest
Jane Clauss (05:34):
is so good. So here's the thing, a lot of
creative people listening. Theydo all kinds of creative things
and activities. In addition tocooking and hosting and crafting
and painting, they doeverything. I use the your
homepage news as inspiration soI can see what trends are coming
our way, and then maybe Iinclude that in some of the
(05:56):
content that I'm putting outthere that people are watching
and subscribing to so that'skind of how I use it, not only
for my in home, but I think it'sa great way to just add to what
we already do creatively. Yeah,and we
Peter Giannetti (06:09):
know a lot of media influencers you know, are
looking at home page news aswell to get that inspiration.
There's a good chance on a dailybasis, you're going to find
something in our daily digestthat you can take away and apply
to your business, even if youare on the consumer side of the
world, and even if you're again,if you're trying to get a sense
(06:30):
of what's coming down the pike,it's a real good resource for
kind of looking into the futureof what's happening in the home
and elsewhere business. Yeah,
Jane Clauss (06:37):
I know that's right. I really do appreciate
it. So thank you for joining me.I want to start talking about
home and housewares. Let's let'stalk about the big picture. So
let's look at the overalloutlook for the housewares world
in 2025 are we seeing majorshifts, or is this going to be
steady? Eddie, like we've seenin the past? Well, it's actually
Peter Giannetti (07:00):
an important year for the home and households
business. We have to look back alittle bit to get some
perspective. We didn't know andwe're still talking about the
pandemic, but that is aninflection point that we need to
use as we look forward to thefuture of this business. We
didn't know what to expect whenthe pandemic hit, but we learned
soon thereafter about this hugesurge in demand for home and
(07:23):
house source products. Peoplewere a home, people were
cooking, people were cleaning,they were using these products,
and they were gobbling them up,whatever they could get their
hands on. And it was anunprecedented surge in demand
and sales for the business. It'snatural, after such a huge
surge, when things begin to getback to normal, that there's,
(07:47):
there's a time, a period whereyou're seeing sort of year over
year decline. It's hard, it'shard to match that type of
surge, right? And so theindustry went through this huge
surge, then it went through thenatural sort of fallout of a
business that sold so much sopeople weren't buying nearly as
much as they would havenormally. And then you threw in
some of the economic factors.There were supply chain
disruptions. We got hit withthis inflation that became an
(08:10):
issue. So there are lots ofheadwinds that were mitigating
the typical performance of thehome and households business. So
when I say typical, it is abusiness that, historically,
through good times and badtimes, inches its way up. It's
not going to be up 10 15% everyyear. It's not going to be down
10 15% but it may grow at 567,percent, right? So we needed to
(08:34):
kind of clear through all ofthese disruptions that affected
the business over the last threeto four years. And the good news
is, after a fairly good holidayseason, overall for retailing,
retailing was up 3.5% dependingon who you talk to, and home and
House lawyers did very wellduring the season. It was a
challenging year, but home andhousers did well consumer.
(08:55):
Consumer Confidence sort of wasrising throughout the year, but
it picked up after the election,which is not an unusual
occurrence, right? So we enter2025 by all accounts, at a time
when this business has sort offound its new level, and it's
set to maybe resume that steadygrowth that we are used to
seeing from housewares. And Ithink while there are still
(09:19):
disruption, disruptive factorsin the world, and there's still
some uncertainties. And I thinknavigating those uncertainties
of things that everyone inbusiness, not just in the
housewares business, has to dealwith right now, the consumer
feels pretty good. Inflation isstill a concern, and then has to
be sort of resolved, but it'sgetting better. But there is
this expectation thathouseholders is prime for a new
(09:40):
wave of growth, and that's anthat's an exciting time, after
all the disruption in thisbusiness. And might I add one
variable to that that I think isgoing to enhance the
opportunity, and that's that ofreplacement. I think you
mentioned replacement orreplacement earlier. What's your
I mean, do you have somethought? It's about what you
(10:01):
think is going on from areplacement business. Because I
can tell you right now, we're onthe verge of perhaps an
accelerated replacement. Peoplegot their hands on whatever they
could three four years ago. Theyused it a lot. They're still
using a lot. Yep, maybe it'stime to buy a new coffee maker.
Maybe it's time to step up yourcookware purchase, because you
didn't get quite what you wantedfour years ago. This is an
(10:23):
interesting time. So it's notgoing to just be product
innovation that drives us, butproduct marketing and getting in
front of the consumer to letthem know that there's new
products out there that thatthey're ready for right now,
Jane Clauss (10:33):
and those products can enhance your life. So if you
think of back in the day, likeJune Cleaver, 1950s kitchen,
like she's just using these newappliances. But to us, I mean,
they're antiques, and they haveno they're just used for
function. There's no lifeenrichment or enhancement or
making things easy for you. It'sjust what it is. And you get to
(10:54):
have this. But now there are allkinds of bells and whistles.
There's all kind of cool productdevelopment. And as I said in
the open, it's like, how does mymake my life easier, more
simple, more fun to be in thekitchen or at home, and even
more beautiful. So I think, aswe look back over the last four
years and go, Whoa, the pandemicbeen over for this long, and
(11:15):
I've had this toaster or airfryer or what have you, for this
many years, there's a new oneout there that might be better.
And you know what? Maybe I'veused mine to death, and so I do
need a new one. So do you agreewith that shift, that these
products are not just functionaltools, but yet they are there to
enhance what we're doing? I
Peter Giannetti (11:34):
think if you go before the pandemic, this
industry was was exploring thefact that while basic utility
may be the root of the householdbusiness, and always will be the
root of the households business,differentiation comes from
enhancing life experience andwhether it's a better looking
product, whether it's easy touse, whether it makes something
(11:56):
I do feel a little bit better.So there's always this movement
to add layers of value anddifferentiation to a product. So
that was happening in thisbusiness long before we got hit
with the pandemic. But thatpandemic experience became very
transactional. It was notnecessarily focused on total
experience. It was what could Iget my hands on? And I think as
(12:19):
we move into this next phase,the idea of not just utility,
but utility plus. I want it to Iwant it to be easier. Maybe I
want to be a little bit moreconvenient. Maybe I want it to
be a little bit more elegant.Casual doesn't necessarily mean
cheap. If I'm looking attableware or serve where and I'm
thinking of a more casualexperience, especially when I'm
(12:40):
entertaining, I might want toindulge myself with a little
extra style, with some somefeatures beyond just the pure
utility the product. That's theopportunity for this industry on
a on a development standpoint,product development standpoint,
but all that product developmentgoes for not if the industry
doesn't use all of the resourcesit has at its disposal right now
(13:04):
to convey to the retailer andultimately to the consumer, that
you can get a little bit moreand it doesn't have to cost a
lot more. Back to the issue ofof some of the disruption we're
looking at the concerns over thecost of things right now,
absolutely people, once again,are saying, maybe I'm not going
to eat out as much, which nowthat becomes opportunity in the
(13:26):
home. But if I'm a manufacturer,and I'm confronted with the
possibility of having to raisemy prices to some degree, I want
to engineer that much more valueinto my product. I want it to be
special. I wanted to justify thefew dollars more, or the few
pennies more on my cost. So theconsumer who is looking now to
(13:49):
move from what was verytransactional, utility based
experience to a bit of anindulgent is going to have some
opportunity to find thoseproducts and look for those
products. And I think again,that goes back to why 2025 could
be a new inflection point forthis business, inflection point
that puts us back on the trackof adding tremendous value to
(14:09):
these products. And when I sayvalue, it's not always the
lowest price. Value is not howmuch something costs right.
Value is how much something isworth
Jane Clauss (14:19):
and and also what it brings to your life, like I
value this. So talked about twothings here, and I'm going to go
with the oh, this costs toomuch, and we want to upgrade,
because it's retirement time orreplacing the old. Should
consumers be concerned that withthe new proposed tariffs on
imports coming in, say fromChina on electronics or products
(14:42):
coming in from other countries,will that affect the buying as
we look into this year? You
Peter Giannetti (14:50):
know, I don't have a crystal ball, and if I
did, maybe be doing other thingswith my information right now
the 10. Tariffs are still amatter of uncertainty, but we do
know that there were tariffsimposed back in 2018 2019 that
sort of got absorbed into thesystem. And the reality on any
(15:13):
type of tariff is that it's morelikely that the consumer is
going to end up paying whateverincreases go into the supply
chain from a price standpoint,and that's why, again, I go back
to the opportunity to engineerbetter goods that are kind of
worth maybe the extra dollars.But to go back to your question,
this industry and manyindustries, have been aware of
(15:34):
the potential for tariffs, a newa new wave of tariffs, and there
have been moves made there. Somecompanies have looked to
resource products to areas thataren't necessarily going to be
affected by tariffs. We don'tknow. Some people have looked to
reshore their product. Canfigure out a way to get them
made in the United States.Again, these things take time,
and it doesn't happen overnight.Many retailers have probably
(15:56):
tried to get a head start ongetting goods into the pipeline
sooner than later, heading intothis year, taking a chance on
more retail inventory than theymight normally do in order to
get ahead of the potentialimpact of tariffs. So I don't
know to what extent thesetariffs, when and if they will
(16:20):
add price to potential products.I think the natural outcome is
for that to happen, but therehave been steps being made to
try to mitigate that. Soindustry is very aware of the
fact that it doesn't want to addprice to its goods if it doesn't
need to, yeah. So we'll seewhere. We'll see where that
lands. Yeah.
Jane Clauss (16:37):
And I think business wants to keep doing
business. So the the businesspeople, either here or in
another country, are going tosay, okay, so we have to, these
are the tariffs that are coming.How do we continue the business
growth that we want? And maybewe lower manufacturing costs
like Maybe those were inflatedbecause we needed to make money,
but now let's lower that so thatwe can still get them out and it
(16:59):
then it would, we would see noprice hike. I
Peter Giannetti (17:02):
think manufacturers are always looking
to kind of reverse engineertheir products to see if they
can get get a lower cost ofproduction. But if lower cost of
production translates to lowerquality and lower durability,
your long term impact on themarketplace has a potential be
negative, because if theconsumer is dissatisfied with
the product, if the productbecomes disposable, in their
(17:24):
mind, that's not good for thebusiness as well, too. So it's
just kind of fine. We're allwalking a tight rope right now
in this business. Try to figureout what is you know, whether
it's just about lowering price,whether it's about marketing
better product that can supporta slightly higher price. I think
the goal right now is tocontinue to look for innovative
not just innovative product, butinnovative manufacturing and
(17:47):
supply chain solutions thatallow you to control your cost
through the supply chain to theconsumer without impacting the
quality, the durability, andultimately the satisfaction of
these products.
Jane Clauss (17:59):
So let's talk about fun things, because kind of
hurts my brain. Sometimes I justlike to have fun with my home
and housewares. You know, that'sthe reality of it. I get it, but
you mentioned, let's host athome, and the trend is showing
people are going to be eating inmore often. How is the industry
responding to that trend?
Peter Giannetti (18:20):
Well, I think the industry recognized a couple
years back that one of the waysto kind of rebound, if you will,
was to really dig into this sortof return to at home.
Entertaining. The idea ofentertaining at home is not new.
We've all been doing it, butthis, this society, for two
(18:40):
years, didn't get a chance toshow off at the holidays, Fourth
of July, picnics, Memorial Day,Mother's Day, Father's Day,
Halloween. It was stuck sort ofinside at a time when it wanted,
it wanted to be with people. Sothere was this sort of early,
reluctant, but now this sort ofwave of we're going to get
(19:04):
together and I'm going to showoff my home all over again, like
it's the first time you've seenthat. So what does that mean? It
means that we're going tocelebrate the annual occasions
with a bit more zest. We'regoing to celebrate the the
Christmas holidays and theseasonal holidays. We're going
(19:25):
to, we're going to, we're goingto have a bigger Thanksgiving
feast than we might have had.We're actually going to get
together for Halloween rightafter we're done trick or
treating. We're going to do morebackyard celebrating of holidays
in in the in the warmer months.And I'm going to show off a
little bit. Yeah, I want to seewhat's new. I'm going to get the
latest pizza oven. I'm actuallygoing to find a durable acrylic
(19:48):
beverage wear that has a newdesign on it. I want people to
see my backyard. I want them tosee my dining room. I want them
to see my kitchen for the firsttime, all over again. And so at
the IHA. We have conductedresearch the past few years to
look at the frequency with whichpeople are celebrating, the
zest, you know, with which thesummary, and then to connect
(20:11):
that to the opportunity for thehouseholds industry to tie into
that as a growth catalyst. Andyou're seeing you're seeing all
generations entertain more.You're seeing men with the
intent to entertain more thanwomen, which is kind of a unique
dynamic right now, but it justtells us that we have, we still
(20:31):
have this pent up desire to showoff, and I want to do it year
after year, because I want youto come back next year, because
you had something that you lovedthe year before. But then I want
to surprise you with a newdelight, with a new a cocktail
bar. Oh yeah, accessories, acoffee and tea bar. Don't forget
tea. Everyone talks aboutcoffee. Oh, right. He is really,
(20:55):
really popular right now. Andthere are all sorts of
accessories for that. I want tomake it easier to clean up after
these occasions. I want tocreate solutions for leftovers
so I can give my guests a littlebit something from the party to
take home with them. These areall opportunities to be
exploited by the industry to thedelight of the consumer.
Jane Clauss (21:17):
Yeah, the other thing though, you touched on,
you did it one year, and thenyou're like, I'm going to do it
again next year. But then everyyear. But then everybody saw
what a great job you did, andthen they're like, No, I want to
have the party. And now all of asudden, you're booked every
single night. Everyone's havinga party, which is not a bad
thing, but it's hard to keep itin like it's mine and no, we're
coming back to your house. No,you got to come to mind. Now,
it's a thing, Peter, it's athing,
Peter Giannetti (21:38):
but, but that, but it. But that thing that that
that competition is up, it's, itreeks of opportunity for people
to go out and redecorate theirhome a little bit. And this is
where tableware becomes animportant personification of
(21:59):
what's going on. That's, myexpression of what I'm doing.
This is where convenience. Youwant it to look sophisticated,
but it can't be hard to puttogether. So I'm going to look
for something that allows me todeliver a sophisticated
experience, dining, beverage,living, cleaning, but I want it
to be easier. I need it to beeasier to clean. I do need to be
(22:22):
a bit more automated. I wantsome control over it, but I need
a good, solid result withouthaving to guess all. A lot
Jane Clauss (22:31):
you talked about having a coffee station or tea
station and bar carts. Are thesethings that people are
implementing into their homes?Yeah,
Peter Giannetti (22:41):
they they tend to implement them more from a
again, at home entertainingstandpoint, but what we're
actually seeing now is a morepermanent coffee station, tea
station in the home, especiallywhere there are a couple of
generations still living in thehome. It's easy access. So if
you're if you're a productdeveloper, you don't want these
(23:03):
things to be bulky. You wantthem to be stylish and elegant.
So they kind of fit in withkitchen decor or your dining
room decor. So the theopportunity is to actually
transition from a product thatgets its oxygen from parties and
entertaining to a product ideathat lasts throughout the year.
So a, you know, we, youmentioned, Leave It to Beaver.
(23:24):
And the 50s, they'd all comehome and then from work, and
they'd go over to the TV set,and on top of the TV set was the
crystal bar where and and thewhiskey that's happening in a in
a new way right now. You know,people live a hybrid life, but
they are still coming home fromwork every now and then, yeah,
and especially, because they'reliving a hybrid life, they want
(23:45):
access to the things they havewhen they're home. So you're
going to see bar carts. You'regoing to see coffee and tea
service areas become sort of thenew kind of toaster oven
stations in the in the kitchens,in the homes. And if you don't
see that. That's an opportunityfor people in those businesses
to start communicating that tothe consumer. Occasions happen
(24:08):
throughout the year. So you haveparties throughout the year,
opportunities throughout theyear. You have celebrations
throughout the year. You havelife moment gatherings
throughout the year. Why notjust leave this stuff out and
enjoy it year round, rather thanputting it in and out when
people are coming over forSunday dinner.
Jane Clauss (24:26):
Yeah, and it's up to those brands to convey the
idea that leaving it out yearround is what you do in 2025
this is the trend, and this ishow we're living these days. So
then you get that in your headand you think, Well, that was
easy to set up, and that'sreally kind of looks cool. I'm
gonna leave it there every day.That's
Peter Giannetti (24:44):
what that balance of utility and maybe
design and style work together.If you're not using it every
day, then it loses its kind ofplace on the space. So you have
to make sure that the product isis very usable and very relevant
and connected, connecting tofood trends. Right now has never
been more important. So makingsure, from a marketing
standpoint, you're not relyingon the consumer to kind of
(25:08):
figure it all out. You got tohelp them along. You got to help
them use the product. That'swhere the satisfaction comes.
And on top of that, if it lookscool, or if it's a talking
point, or if it has something init that's a little fun and
playful. Why not? That gives iteven more reason, and it also
now accelerates the nextreplacement cycle, because
you're using it so darn much,I'm gonna have to get a new one.
(25:31):
When's
Jane Clauss (25:32):
the timeline? Like, how long do these appliances
last? So I want to talk aboutair fryers, and I'm gonna dive
into gadgets, but air fryers,okay,
Peter Giannetti (25:40):
so air fryer is a great example of a product
that was real popular headinginto the pandemic. It started to
become a bit saturated andcrowded, actually, as a
category, and it started to slowdown a little bit. The pandemic
actually picked that category upagain, because again, it was a
household appliance that madesomething that we all kind of
(26:02):
like, and it did it quick andfast and easy. So we saw this
kind of surge in air fryersagain. Here we are, three or
four years later, capacityissues. You might want a bigger
air fryer. You might want an airfryer that has more digital
intelligence, one that'sconnected to Wi Fi. You've
experienced the air fryer, andpresumably had a good experience
(26:23):
with the air fryer. So to answeryour question, I think that
historically, the typicalreplacement cycles in
appliances, small kitchenappliances, for instance, has
been at about around sevenyears. It could be seven to 10
years, maybe a little shorterthan that, well, maybe now it
becomes five years. We don'tknow that yet, but we do know
(26:43):
that some of the growth we'reseeing, some of this in these
categories, like air fryers, isprobably derived from a heavy
use appliance that's reached itsmaturity. And the industry is
has said, well, let's kind ofintroduce the next wave of air
fryers. And consumers aresaying, maybe it's time to do a
little bit more. So if weaccelerate the replacement cycle
(27:05):
in certain products, cookwareproducts, regular stovetop
cookware, because it got so muchuse the last four years, the
idea of cutting two years out ofa replacement cycle has
tremendous potential for anindustry. You can't do it in
every product category. It's notgoing to work in every product
category, but the more we getpeople to use these products,
more that potential is there.And we're actually, like I said,
(27:27):
we're seeing some of that rightnow well,
Jane Clauss (27:29):
and technology is blazing fast, so things are
changing. If you have a touchscreen that you had four years
ago, well, they've updated that,and it works better not to say
that this air fryer or whateverit is that you are ready to
replace doesn't work anymore.Maybe it's, it's it's used and
it's still love. You can use itas a, hand me down to a kid
going to college and moving outinto their first home, and they
(27:52):
just need that, because you'reable to get the, you know, the
advanced version. It's kind oflike blenders. Remember, back in
the day, blenders were all therage because of the whole
fitness kick, which is still athing. Oh,
Peter Giannetti (28:02):
well, blenders are a big deal, not just because
of fitness, but they've becomemore adaptable. You've got
blenders that can make they canmake soup right now, and they
can even cook it right so, sofitness is still a driving force
on the personal blender side,the smaller blender side. And
again, blenders a category thatexploded, and we saw that,
(28:22):
especially on the high end side,this real high end side of
blenders. And it was thiswonderful growth story through
like 2019 and then it just sortof slowed down a little bit. But
now we're seeing, you know,these things are cyclical. Now
we're seeing the blender return,but the story is bigger you if
you narrow a story to fitness,you're going to get that fitness
(28:45):
group, and then maybe a coupleyears later you're going to
wonder what happened to them,because you already got them
right, right? There's always newpeople coming to market. But if
I can take that blender, addversatility to it, make sure
that it does everything it sayswell, because if it does one
thing well, but the other thingnot so well, then the consumer
again loses satisfaction. Sowe're seeing blenders sort of go
(29:06):
through this renewal again, notjust as a fitness appliance, but
as a true food prep appliancethat effectively makes allows
you to do things that youcouldn't and didn't do before.
Jane Clauss (29:17):
Yeah, right, and you need those, and then they're
going to last a little bitlonger than some of the other
things in your kitchen. Let'stalk about little simpler
things, smaller things liketongs and can openers and garlic
presses. So these are thingsthat we keep forever and ever
and ever, but the trend issaying that people are seeking
Peter Giannetti (29:37):
yep. So I was speaking to an independent
them out. Yep,
specialty retailer a coupleweeks back and asking him, so
tell me what was hot during theholidays. I I didn't really know
what to expect, because I'mwe're getting kind of, this is
the first sort of recap of theholidays. Yeah. And he looked at
me, said, gadgets. And I said,What kind of gadgets? He said,
(29:58):
basic gadgets. Specialtygadgets, gadgets. And I think,
to your point, Jane, as we'vebecome more adept at the idea of
cooking, okay, it doesn't meanwe're cooking necessarily a
whole lot more than we were fiveyears ago. We are but, but we
become more skilled, or webelieve we've become more
(30:21):
skilled at it because we havemore experience with it. It
causes us to look for Pro as aconsumer, to look for either
updating the products I havegoing from one material to a
more durable material, perhapsone with a better grip on it. It
causes us to look at specialtygadgets that maybe sort of
(30:44):
narrow in their scope. Buthaving it makes doing something,
you know, a melon baller orwhatever it might be, I don't
want to pick apple core, youknow, Core an apple. So this
idea, and it's a gadgets, don'ttake a lot of space. There are
actually new kitchen storageproducts that have made counter
(31:05):
storage of gadgets easier, moremore accessible, a little less
cluttered, and it's not just amess when you open your jewelry
much. So you I throw that inthere as to say, where are we
putting all these gadgets? Well,there are solutions for that
too, but the idea of being ableto advance your skill with a
better gadget, kitchen gadget,and sometimes a more specialized
kitchen gadget, explains whythat category is doing so well.
(31:29):
It's a basic it's an everydayneed in every kitchen. We've all
got this stuff. Some of us havebeen holding on to our measuring
spoons for the last 20 years.That's right, you know what time
to get new measuring or or
Jane Clauss (31:40):
Peter, like I say more is more and less as a boar,
keep those ones that you gotfrom Granny, but get some new
ones, and it's fine. You couldput them all in the drawer, and
you have this feeling of likenostalgia when you look at the
ones that you're you knowthey're from the family, but
you're going to go use the newones because they're just
better. That is true for agarlic press, because you don't
want to use the old one. Youjust too hard to get the garlic
(32:02):
out of it. Garlic out of it. Ialso think you buy the gadgets.
You're going to buy more andmore gadgets because of this
sense of satisfaction you getwhen you cook the meal, when you
present it to your family, whenyou're hosting, you know? And it
was like, wow, you made this.And you, how did you do that?
Yeah, exactly. And then you go,Oh, look at this, and look at
(32:22):
this. And so it's that feelingyou get, and then all of a
sudden, now you're looking downthe list of like, Oh, I already
have this. What's next on mylist to get so when we talk
about gadgets, and you mentionedair fryers, toasters, you had
mentioned, what else is on thetrend list, or is everything on
the trend?
Peter Giannetti (32:43):
Everything is but, but again, kitchen cutlery,
we it's sort of derivative of ofwhat's happening in gadgets. But
again, when you're involved withyour with food prep and cooking
at home, whether it's foryourself, your family, or for a
gathering, better knivesactually really, really help.
You don't realize how much theyhelp until you start using
(33:07):
better knives. So that is acategory. We will continue to
see new products. There are manymore companies now that are
providing high quality knives,some of them are traditional
suppliers of the of the productsthat are doing some new things,
that have been leaders for along time, and they're sort of
renewing their approach toengaging this new consumer,
(33:27):
often a new generation ofconsumers who are in the kitchen
more than they would have been.It's also invited new brands and
new players in the business thatmaybe have a colorful selection
of knives or do something alittle different, but as long as
the blade is sharp and the bladelasts kitchen color is a
category you're going to have towatch going forward. I mentioned
tea earlier. I think we we oughtcoffee's huge. And you're going
(33:51):
to continue to see coffeeproducts. You're going to see a
combination of appliances thatmake it easier to deliver Cafe
barista style, Yeah, but you'realso going to see better basic
coffee makers that produce abetter home brew, because a the
technology is better. Theconsumers got a got a more
(34:13):
sophisticated palette. But teais one of those things that the
variety of teas that are nowavailable, and the nuances
required to properly preparethose teas, and whether it's the
temperature of the water,whether it's how you steep the
tea, whether it's the shape ofthe cup that you're using for
(34:33):
the kettle. Kettles, if youlived in Canada for 100 years,
electric tea kettles were huge.They didn't really start
becoming popular in the US,until more recently, but now
you're seeing a surge inelectric kettles that are safe
to use, that are automatic, thatcan brew at different
temperatures and make it easierto serve this sort of diverse
taste for tea. So watch teagoing forward. There's, there's,
(34:58):
I like to say, watch. Thisdinnerware, but watch it in a
different way. Okay, the idea ofthe traditional huge set of
dinnerware that's still outthere, but you know what? People
want to express themselves, andthey want to they want to mix
and match. They don't just wantto mix and match colors. They
want to mix and match styles,and they want their table to
(35:20):
sort of be a profile ofthemselves. It's sort of like
you look around the table, andyou should get a good sense of
who your host is at a giventime. It's a real personality
thing. But it's also key thatthe today's dinnerware is more
functional. It's bowls, ratherthan salad plates, deeper bowls
that can be used for more thanjust, you know, cereal and soup,
(35:41):
and then connecting that toserve wear and serving utensils
that also sort of are anexpression. That's the stuff
that doesn't stay in thekitchen, that's the stuff that's
out there for everyone to see.So there's a unique opportunity
in the tableware industry to bemore responsive to this consumer
that wants to sort of expressthemselves, but to do it in a
(36:02):
real, functional and practicalway.
Jane Clauss (36:05):
I love tableware because I love creating a
fabulous table scape. So youtouched on it. Everybody likes
to mix and match. We want toshow our personality. I think
that's great. So there's roomfor multiple table sets, one
two. Sustainability is the trendof going to the thrift store and
(36:26):
getting vintage and then mixingit with some new still something
people are looking at Vintage
Peter Giannetti (36:32):
and repurpose product is a real opportunity in
the business. And it's not asit's not just about going to the
going to the thrift storeanymore. You can now go to major
retailers and find repurposedproduct use, product that's been
reconditioned. Listen, it's ahuge marketplace. There's a lot
of product that otherwise kindof gets thrown into the sort of
(36:54):
close out that, you know, it'salmost, it's almost thrown away.
It is almost. But there's a realmarket now. Part of it is the
sustainability movement, andsustainability Jane is a word
that it's been used so longright now, I sometimes wonder
whether it's lost some of itscore meaning. But there is a
consumer right now that isconcerned about landfills and
(37:16):
waste and where these productsend up. So they are interested
in the sustainable but I thinkto your point, these products
tend to be more affordable. Theytend to be sort of training
wheels for certain sets ofconsumers who might be coming
into the marketplace, younger,home starters, single people
living on their own for thefirst time. So I think this
(37:37):
combination of Thrift,affordability, accessibility,
because you can go to a majorretailer right now and now and
buy refurbished and repurposedgoods. That's a lot different
than having to find it at yourlocal thrift store. And also the
notion of sustainability. Sowhen you add it all together,
there's a real market for that.And to your point, yes, blending
(37:58):
some of this, these goods withnew but hopefully if I buy a
refurbished, I'll use toasteroven again, because we said that
before, at some point, I'm goingto have a good experience with
my refurbished toaster oven, andthat's going to be time for me
to buy a new one, a new one. AndI'm most likely going to do two
(38:18):
things. I'm going to be alignedto the brand that I personally,
I may be aligned to the outlet,whether it's online or in a
store, right? So you're buildinga base of customer, you're
training them that you're goingto have a good experience. You
keep coming back to me, and I'lltake care of you as you go
(38:39):
forward. So this idea ofrefurbish and sustainability, be
careful with sustainabilityconsumers. It used to be a tie
breaker. If everything else wasgreat and it was sustainable, or
if there was a real, legitimatesustainable element to it, I
would buy it. Sustainability, orthe idea of something that's
that's renewable or ecofriendly, has moved into the
lexicon of primaryconsiderations, but not at the
(39:01):
expense of quality, durabilityand in some cases, price
Jane Clauss (39:05):
well, also though, to that point, if it's quality
durability, and maybe theconsumer is not using it the
second time around, it's thatthese companies and these brands
and the retailers will go, Okay,we have a plan for all of these
items that maybe go to alandfill or a thrift store or on
sale. What's our plan? So I feellike sustainability from a
(39:26):
consumer perspective, yes, theword's been around for a really
long time. I feel like noweveryone's sort of putting that
in their mind mix to say, Okay,I want to be a part of that. And
maybe it's not with maybe it'sanother differentiator.
Peter Giannetti (39:40):
And to your point, it's, in some cases, an
exp, a cost of that producthaving a meaningful and I
express meaningful becauseconsumers can look this stuff
up. They will. They want to knowif it's a real, meaningful
benefit to the environment or tothe society. And if you. Don't
deliver on a meaningful benefit.That's a that's a recipe for
(40:04):
losing a consumer and losing anychance of getting them going
forward.
Jane Clauss (40:08):
No question on that. Alright, the inspired Home
Show. It's happening in
Peter Giannetti (40:14):
March, almost March, right now. You gotta be
kidding. I mean, we're it'scoming up soon. Uh, we're
excited at the IHA, as I saidearlier, the industry is sort of
poised for this sort of renewalof steady growth, and I think
the inspired Home Show is reallywell positioned to be sort of a
resource for that growth. I liketo think that the smart
(40:39):
retailers that attend that show,obviously the exhibitors, but
the smart retailers have to maketime, not only to meet with
their existing suppliers andbrands that they currently do
business. You really need to seewhat those companies are doing.
Leave time for discovery,because I guarantee you, I've
gone to 33 used to be called thehome and housewares show the
house where shows three. Yeah, Istarted this business when I was
(41:03):
12 years old. So I've gone to 33shows. I've gone to every show
held since 1991 wow. And Iguarantee you, at every one of
those shows, there was a companyand a product lurking in a
corner, somewhere, down an aislesomewhere that that at the time,
no one had ever heard of, but atsome point in the future, became
(41:26):
a brand and a product thateveryone talked about and most
people owned. And I would loveto be, if I'm a retailer or I'm
shopping at show, I would loveto be the retailer that finds
that product. And so we'reexcited that the inspired Home
show is going to have a lot ofnew and exhibiting companies
this year. It continues to bringin. This is an industry that has
(41:47):
billion dollar companies, but italso has companies that are
starting out from scratch with agreat idea that need an outlet
to get that idea in front of theright people, and the inspired
Home Show delivers that year.What do you love about the
inspired Home Show. I'm curious.I know you go, yeah,
Jane Clauss (42:03):
I go, I've I haven't been to all of them.
I've been to, like six. So firstof all, what people have to
understand is that it is abusiness to business show, so
consumers not allowed in. Soit's up to me, and it's up to
you and your newsletter me onthe radio or a podcast or TV to
tell everybody what the trendsare, what we saw, how great it
is, what to expect in 2025 Ilove to see the innovations. I
(42:28):
love to see the new things thatare happening in the world of
you know, in my little hulahoop. So the things that I
typically use, what's new andinnovative about that. I also
love to learn about new productsand new patterns, and you know
what I could utilize orincorporate into you know what I
already do in my home? Butagain, up to us to tell
(42:52):
everybody what to expect in 2025if
Peter Giannetti (42:56):
you you'll see products that are introduced for
the first time at the show.You'll see them in the
marketplace within a couplemonths soon?
Jane Clauss (43:02):
Yeah, fascinating. I asked you this way at the top
of the conversation, and yousaid, I don't have a crystal
ball. But if you had a crystalball, and this might be too
soon, if you can look beyond2025 what's the next big thing?
I know. You know it. You're theexpert of all things home and
house. Swears,
Peter Giannetti (43:20):
if I had a if I had a nickel? Jane for everyone
who's ever asked me what thenext big thing was, and I'm
talking about my my aunts, myuncles, my nephews, my nieces,
they all want to know. I don'tknow, and I'm not going to
venture a guess now about whatthe next big thing is. I will
tell you, though, that the ideaof a of a connected universe,
(43:45):
and I'm not just talking aboutsmart appliances right now, an
entirely connected universe thatdoesn't just, you know,
automatically set your coffeemaker to go on at seven in the
morning through your phone, butthat truly brings the consumer,
the product, the experience, andother people into the mix about
(44:10):
optimizing experience that'sgoing to continue to grow and
it's going to continue toadvance. We've all been waiting
for the magic, smart solutionthat everyone wants. It's going
to be incremental, it's going tohappen. It's going to happen
fast, but it's going toencompass other things. But that
experience also engages theretailer, the online platform,
(44:32):
this notion of a fluid cycle ofproduct demand, product use and
product replenishment, I thinkthat's the future of this
business. It's happening tosomebody right now. So I think
we're going to see advances inthat digital technology, AI
design working in tandem withreal designers, because you
(44:54):
still need the real human touch.You're going to see that happen.
And the idea of printed product,not every product, but 3d
printed product. Yeah, there aregoing to be more opportunities
in the home in the future for 3dprinted product. I can't pick a
single product or a singlecustomer, but I will tell you
this. I hope I have a chance toshop the entire show, because
(45:18):
that product, or that new thingthat you're talking about, yeah,
it's it might it might be there.It's
Jane Clauss (45:23):
there. Well, you're right. That's the new thing for
next year. I would say, ifyou're a consumer, use what you
have in your home. Use It Up.Use it. Use it. Keep your eyes
open. Keep shopping in thestores and online. Peter, I have
to ask you this, because I askall of my guests, what does
creativity mean to you,especially when it comes to home
(45:46):
and housewares? Well,
Peter Giannetti (45:47):
I think their creativity is nothing if you
don't have a solid idea of whoyou're intending that creativity
to be for. So this is abusiness. Well, while I talk
about the B to B, business tobusiness. Universe of homepage,
news of the inspired home, showof what we do at the
International householdsAssociation, where we're putting
(46:08):
businesses together. At the endof the day, we're putting those
businesses together to reach theend consumer, to reach the home.
And creativity today starts withunderstanding what's going on in
the home. It starts with, Imentioned this earlier, what's
going on in the food industry,so I can develop a product that
(46:30):
satisfies the consumer taste.What's going on in the cleaning
industry, on that side of thebusiness. So I can now create a
cleaning product, or anorganization product that
satisfies the consumer better.So true creativity takes into
account the intended end user,and it works backwards from that
(46:51):
to find a real, true solution.We're in a business of basics. I
know we talk about the upsellall the time, but if you don't
get the basics right, thatdoesn't sound very creative, but
sometimes Jane, the hardestthing to do, from a creative
standpoint, is to build a solid,well performing product,
foundational, and then move fromthat foundation into something
(47:15):
expressive, something that'sthat's personal, Something that
can be customized, somethingthat can be sort of mine. They
want. They want a product that'sso darn creative from its
inception that the consumeralmost doesn't realize how
creative it is, because theysomehow feel that it was for
them all along. That's mythought on creativity right
Jane Clauss (47:38):
now, creativity spans at so many levels, in so
many industries, and it's somany people and everywhere,
which is why I talk about it andask everybody about it. By the
way, I do love a very goodcreative vacuum, because that's
one of the things you talkedabout cleaning. And I think
about the vacuums I see at theshow, and I want one of each of
them, because I get a deal whenI get a vacuum,
Peter Giannetti (48:01):
it didn't take a pandemic for for the industry
to realize that winning, winningshare of mind, and ultimately
share of dollars, is aboutappealing, appealing to why a
product makes their livesbetter, easier, more
interesting, fun, whatever,whatever it might be,
Jane Clauss (48:17):
Peter, you're better, interesting and more
fun. You know, everything I'veenjoyed our conversation so
much. I want everyone to alwaysget a little piece of you
through your homepage news. Tellus again how we can get it
Peter Giannetti (48:32):
hope go to homepagenews.com. You'll see
Subscribe buttons throughout thewebsite. Take a look. Go inside,
read stories. Just keep lookingfor that subscribe button. Click
on the Subscribe button, fillout your information that we
require, email address and someother things. It's free to
receive, and you know what?It'll help you see into the
(48:53):
future a little bit. So you
Jane Clauss (48:54):
may not have a crystal ball, but you're giving
us one. Peter, I'm
Peter Giannetti (48:57):
trying to thanks everyone. We'll see you
in Chicago. And of course, if
Jane Clauss (49:00):
anyone wants to dive deeper into all of these
trends, just be sure tosubscribe Home page news, and
you will get all the informationyou need from the one and only
Peter. Janet, Peter, thank youso much for joining us on
creative living. Live better
VO (49:16):
creatively for more inspiration. Visit Jane
clauss.com thank you forlistening. You.
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