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RANGE REVIEW: OUTDOOR LIVING


To create night-time ambience in our gardens (and to allow the party to go on for longer), homeowners are also investing in string lights (34%), fire pits (25%) and patio heaters (14%) to illuminate those summer evenings and crank up the heat on chillier nights.


The results are in


UK homeowners love to take the party outside, with three in five homeowners reporting that they spend more time entertaining outside after completing landscaping projects. The survey showed that people definitely have the space for it, with one in seven homeowners surveyed reporting that their usable outdoor area is significantly larger than that of their home.


While the majority of outdoor


projects take place in the back garden (86%), nearly a quarter of landscaping homeowners reported updating their front garden, and more than one in 10 worked on side returns. Homeowners adding or updating the front of their home reported that the most important features contributing to kerb appeal are flowers and plants, with beds and borders featuring high on the priority list (39%). Brits also like their front gardens to be relatively low-maintenance and, therefore, invest in sturdy shrubs (24%) and repeat-flowering perennials (18%) to add fuss-free foliage and colour. Houzz UK managing director


Marcus Hartwall says: “The landscape report has shown that the outdoor space is crucial. For many people, the garden is actually their biggest area for entertaining, with 14% saying that their usable outdoor area is significantly larger than that of their home.” He continues: “According to our landscape survey 22% of landscaping homeowners updated their front garden, and 14% worked on side returns. This means that there will be gardens of all sizes that are need of a wide range of furniture, plants and accessories. Indeed, on Houzz Shop the outdoor category has seen steady growth over the past year.” Marcus says Houzz has observed a number of trends from both professionals and homeowners going into the summer season: “The first is that homeowners like to keep their outdoor areas well-presented and arranged,” he says.


“On Houzz shop we have seen


strong sales in storage, planters, pots and outdoor rugs, demonstrating a desire for a neat and tidy garden. “There has also been an increase in outdoor dining,” he continues.


26 DIY WEEK 20 JULY 2018


“The Houzz landscape survey shows that 43% of homeowners have invested in dining furniture, with a further 38% purchasing outdoor grills. Furthermore, dining equipment makes up 10% of all outdoor purchases on Houzz Shop.” Swedish retailer, Ikea has seen similar buying patterns. Ikea UK & IE sales leader for outdoor furniture Marcos Tredjor agrees outdoor dining is taking prevalence and says: “There is something memorable about being outdoors whilst cooking a meal, having a drink or spending time with friends and family. At Ikea, we want people to embrace their outdoor space and celebrate the beauty of ‘staycations’; with spontaneous alfresco dining and family parties on a warm summer evening. “We have seen an increasing trend in bringing the outdoors in, using greenery and natural materials to increase wellbeing in the home.” He adds that the home retailer has also seen this trend in reverse, with consumers wanting products and furniture that have the flexibility to bee used indoors and outdoors. Smart Garden Products managing


director Jonathan Stobart, says: “The garden has become firmly established as an extension of the home; not only for cooking and


eating but also for entertaining, with outdoor music, BBQS, firepits and sunken seating areas on the rise. Outdoor entertaining and cooking areas are ideal for anyone who also lacks space in their kitchen or dining room, and increasingly, these spaces are comfortably furnished and thoughtfully lit.”


Technology leads the way The Houzz survey also found that technology is playing an increasing role when it comes to consumers making their garden entertainment-ready.


Houzz UK managing director Marcus Hartwall notes that “Tech has started to find its way outdoors as our survey shows of the one in 10 homeowners who added or upgraded entertainment systems during their landscaping projects, over four out of five added speakers.” Results from the survey also show that consumers want to have a more seamless look within their garden, as Marcus says “half of homeowners are choosing solar or wireless speakers.” Not only is the interest in technology-led products taking hold but the use of online channels and social media when selling outdoor products has also steadily increased in the UK market.


Marcos says: “We know that customers love to be inspired and get new ideas on how to make the most of their living spaces, and we have seen a growing trend in those using our social channels and website. The importance of reaching our customers in this way is something we are focused on, and have great pages, such as the ‘Ideas’ section, bringing wonderful inspiration covering every aspect of the home, from hosting the perfect summer BBQ to a festive party.” “The influence of television and social media play a bigger part than ever before in the way that we present and interact within our home and garden spaces,” says Smart Garden’s Jonathan Stobart. “We have increasingly become a ‘visual’ society, with the huge popularity of Instagram and Snapchat. Interior design has extended to exterior design, and this can apply to all types of garden, which can be spruced up to create an area which makes the most of your outdoor space.” Even with the growing use of online and internet shopping, Jonathan still believes the lure of a physical store plays a huge part in driving sales. He says: “Although many consumers will do their research or browsing online, nothing beats having a product in your hands. Also the whole shopping experience in-store contributes to this and offers impulse purchase opportunities, as well as the lure of coffee shops and restaurants.” He also believes the use of in-store displays can work both physically and across online channels. “In-store displays lend themselves to a creative, impactful message which can inspire consumers to replicate what they have seen in their own garden,” he explains. “Using props and imagery can


really bring a display to life and make it easy to capture for posting on social media, from where many consumers get their inspiration. As so many garden centres are building their online audience, this is a quick and easy way to interact with consumers to show what is happening in store. These stories can then be backed up with blogs or news articles online.


“Consumers love stories and a sense of theatre,” he continues. “And retailers should aim to inspire and bring ready-made or easy-to-recreate solutions to the consumer in a very visual way. Making the most of your outdoor space’ could vary between having a wide ranging display to grand outdoor structures to grow-your- own balcony planters.”


www.diyweek.net


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