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UK | 2019
House & Garden Report What’s trending in 2019?
What are First Time Home Buyers & Upsizers looking for?
INTRODUCTION
The latest news on Brexit has seen the UK receive a six-month
extension to leave the EU.
Property and House & Garden businesses are monitoring Brexit’s
ups and downs, and with good reason. The pound has fallen since
2016. Housing prices have stagnated. Retail spending at the end of
2018 stalled for the first time in a decade.
Despite this, the House & Garden industry continues to grow
solidly online. In January to March, House & Garden visits rose
+6.0% year-on-year. Putting that into perspective, this figure is 11X
larger than the retail industry’s average of +0.5%.
On one hand, consumers are concerned. Searches for “Brexit”
AND “Property” were 98% higher in March than last year. On the
other hand, Britons are still looking to upgrade their homes with
the latest furnishings and styles.
In this report, Hitwise has focussed on the industry’s growth
opportunities. We look at trending searches in 2019, and zoom
into key audiences, First Time Home Buyers and Upsizers.
House & Garden Industry Online Visits (millions)
2017/18 2018/19
360
320
280
240Apr May Jan FebNov DecJun AugJul OctSep Mar
Visits have grown +6.0% in Q1 YoY
WHAT’S INSIDE
Top Search Trends What are the trending House & Garden products
and styles in 2019?
Top Audiences What are the industry’s key segments, First Time
Home Buyers and Upsizers, looking for online?
Top Players and Risers Which retailers and brands are winning these
audiences?
UK House & Garden Report | 4
TOP SEARCH TREND
The topic of sustainability has quickly gone from trend to
mainstream in the past couple of years.
The UK now has over 3.5 million vegans, at 7% of the
population. 12.8 million smart meters have also been
installed in UK homes and businesses.
Looking at fast rising searches, Britons are getting more
environmentally conscious in their homes and gardens.
Searches for outdoor plants, like Japanese Maple, and
compost increased by over 30% year-on-year. Searches for
indoor plants, solar panels, and air filters rose by over 10%.
But, we are still treating ourselves. “Hot tub sale” searches
have spiked 57% year-on-year.
Sustainability influences House and Garden choices
Top Rising Search Trends Jan-March 2019 YoY
Garden
Home
“Hot tub sale”
+57%
“Japanese maple”
+52%
“Compost”
+35%
“Bamboo”
+14%
“Indoor/House plants”
+31%
“Solar panel”
+16%
“Air filter”
+13%
“Reclaim
+8%
wood”
UK House & Garden Report | 5
TOP SEARCH TREND
Britons are seeking ergonomics in the home, with searches
for “ergonomic chair” and “standing desk” rising by 13%
and 7%, respectively.
The desire to improve posture and mobility has increased,
but Britons are equally seeking comfort. Searches for
“gaming chair” have spiked 35%. Even “power recliners”,
the ultimate relaxation chair, have grown 9%.
When it comes to décor, simplicity and minimalism
continue to rise. Made famous by the Nordic countries,
searches for “Scandi style” spiked 30%.
But Britons are also looking for statement pieces and
fabrics. Searches for “velvet sofas” spiked 32%, along with
retro and exotic colours, like “umber” and “ochre”.
Contrasting styles are also growing in 2019
Top Rising Search Trends Jan-March 2019 YoY
Furniture
Style
“Gaming chair”
“Velvet sofa”
+35%
+32%
“Ergonomic chair”
“Scandi ..style”
+13%
+30%
“Power recliner”
“Umber”
+9%
+22%
“Standing desk”
“Ochre”
+7%
+18%
UK House & Garden Report | 6
First Time Home Buyers Searches and Traffic Sources
TOP AUDIENCE
Year-on-year searches are effective for quickly identifying macro trends. But to reach new customers, retailers need to look
closer at their target audiences. This is featured below for a key segment, the First Time Home Buyer, which is defined using
socio-economic segments, and searches for related terms, like “help to buy” (refer to Appendix for methodology).
Understandably, First Time Home Buyers are looking for furniture basics, such as “corner sofas”. Equally, they are more
likely to look for small trendy pieces, like “illuminated mirrors”. This segment is highly social, using YouTube, Pinterest, and
Instagram before visiting House & Garden sites.
First Time Buyers are seeking basics and small trendy items
“Corner sofa”
“Floor lamps”
“Bedside tables”
“Ceiling lights”
“Duvet covers”
0.0% 0.1% 0.2% 0.3% 0.0% 0.02% 0.04% 0.0% 1.0% 2.0%
“Trendy coffee tables”
“Illuminated mirror”
“Contemporary bed linen”
“Antique planters”
“Fur cushions”
YouTube
Rightmove
Daily Mail
Searches Traffic Sources
2X * 18X 1.1X
3X 17X 1.2X
3X 13X 1.3X
2X 13X 2.0X
2X 13X 1.1X
* Index for search share or traffic share is compared to the general online population
2x = 2 times more likely than the general online population
UK House & Garden Report | 7
UpsizersSearches and Traffic Sources
TOP AUDIENCE
These searches and traffic sources differ for Upsizers, who are also defined using socio-economic segmentation (refer to
Appendix for methodology). This segment is seeking bigger furniture items and renovations, such as “king size beds”. They are
also investing more in their gardens, and 20X more likely to look for “garden fountains” than the general online population.
Compared to First Time Home Buyers, Upsizers are cross-browsing more House & Garden sites. They see a lower share of traffic
from social media sites. Instead, this segment is more likely to navigate from sites, like Argos and Wayfair, to others within the
House & Garden industry.
Upsizers are supersizing their furniture and gardens
“Sofa bed”
“Laminate flooring”
“Vinyl flooring”
“King size bed”
“Built in wardrobes”
0.0% 0.1% 0.2% 0.3% 0.0% 0.01% 0.02% 0.03%0.0% 0.4% 0.8% 1.2%
“Wicker garden chairs ”
“Garden fountains”
“Garden paving stones”
“Garden lounge sets”
“Patio edging”
Argos
Wayfair
DFS
Oak Furniture Land
Searches Traffic Sources
1.5X * 27X 1.1X
1.2X 22X 1.1X
2.0X 18X 1.2X
1.2X 19X 1.4X
3.6X 16X 1.3X
* Index for search share or traffic share is compared to the general online population.
2x = 2 times more likely than the general online population
UK House & Garden Report | 8
Top 10 SitesDownstream from Furniture Searches
First Time Buyers Upsizers
Over-indexed sites for Upsizers
Over-indexed sites for First Time Buyers
Amazon WayfairArgos Ikea MadeDunelm DFS Dreams John Lewis
Oak Furniture
Land
TOP PLAYERS
So, which retailers and brands are attracting these audiences? Let’s take a look at furniture-related searches, including beds,
sofas, tables, and chairs.
Amazon and Argos take top spots when it comes to furniture searches. Both multi-category retailers, as well as Oak
Furniture Land, attracted a higher share of search traffic from Upsizers compared to First Time Home Buyers. Whereas, First
Time Home Buyers were more likely to click to specialist House & Garden players, including Ikea, DFS, Made, and Dreams.
Amazon and Argos rank top, but preferences differ by key audiences
UK House & Garden Report | 9
Top Rising Sites Downstream from Furniture Searches YoY
First Time Home Buyers
Upsizers
TOP RISERS
The top 10 sites attract around 40% share of furniture searches. So, there is still substantial opportunity for other players to grow
and find new customers.
Looking at fast risers, discount retailer, Wilko, and sofa and bedding specialists, Sofa Workshop, Emma Mattress, and Loaf,
attracted a larger share of First Time Home Buyers. In particular, Sofa Workshop benefited from the statement piece trend
around velvet, with the retailer seeing a 58% increase in velvet sofa searches year-on-year.
While Screwfix is preparing to consolidate its store network, the DIY retailer is seeing online growth from Upsizers. Their
furniture search share rose 200% year-on-year, along with bedding retailers, Happy Beds, Land of Beds, and Silent Night.
Sofa Workshop and Screwfix see largest leaps year-on-year
137%
205% 165% 98%
95% 89%New
To Top 100 sites
NewTo Top 100 sites
132%
97%
UK House & Garden Report | 10
Brexit will have a ripple effect on the Property and Retail sectors. But with Spring around the corner,
consumers are actively looking to renovate and upgrade their homes and gardens.
Year-on-year searches show that Britons are increasingly looking for sustainable and energy-efficient options
in the home. Simplicity and minimalism, driven by “Scandi style”, mixed with statement colours and fabrics, like
velvet and ochre, are trending.
Life stages are also a key determinant for a consumer’s house and garden needs and interests. First Time
Home Buyers are looking for home basics but seeking small trendy items, like “illuminated mirrors”. Upsizers
are supersizing their furniture and renovating their gardens, with “garden fountains” spiking, for instance.
Amazon and Argos currently take the largest share of furniture-related searches, particularly among Upsizers.
Ikea, DFS, and Sofa Workshop are seeing more success with First Time Home Buyers.
These audience insights are critical for House & Garden retailers and manufacturer brands. Understand
what your target audience is searching for, and identify who are in their consideration set, which are key to
attracting and growing your online customers.
What does this data tell us?SUMMARY
UK House & Garden Report | 11
Hitwise is a global online consumer insights provider, that helps brands and agencies, like Walt Disney, Ikea, Boots,
Barclays, Conde Nast and Group M, segment, reach and engage with online audiences.
For over 20 years, we’ve delivered long-lasting improvements to our clients’ marketing and sales performance.
Powered by leading data transformation technologies, Hitwise data is audience-first, actionable, globally-compliant,
and unmatched in terms of granularity and frequency. This allows us to provide a 360° view into how online consumers
behave - from search to purchase, at any moment in time, across any device.
Hitwise is headquartered in Los Angeles and operates in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and Australia.
The company is owned by Connexity, Inc., a technology and data-driven marketing solutions business, which owns and
manages other retail listing and digital platform companies, including: Connexity Commerce and Shop Your Likes.
DiscoverConsumer
Insights
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Performance
MeasureCompetit ive
Benchmarking
OptimiseSearch & Channel
Optimisation
Want to reach and grow your
online customers? can help you target strategic audience segments
and optimise ROI from your marketing channels.
CONTACT US HERE
APPENDIX
Page 4-5: Hitwise, UK. Search term variations. 12 weeks to 6 April, 2019 YoY.
Page 6: Hitwise, UK. Audience = Mosaic Groups in first time home buying
life stage (such as: Penthouse Chic and Metro High Flyers) AND visited/
searched for “help to buy” and “first time mortgage” (plus related terms).
Over-indexed searches and traffic sources to the House & Garden industry
are compared to the general online population. 12 weeks to 6 April, 2019.
2x = 2 times more likely than the general online population.
Back to Introduction
Page 7: Hitwise, UK. Audience = Mosaic Groups in upsizing life stage (such
as: Contemporary Starts and Primary Ambitions) AND visited the Property
industry. Over-indexed searches and traffic sources to the House & Garden
industry are compared to the general online population. 12 weeks to 6 April,
2019. 2x = 2 times more likely than the general online population.
Page 8-9: Hitwise, UK. Downstream search share from a portfolio of 900+
furniture-related terms, by First Time Home Buyers and Upsizers. 12 weeks
to 6 April 2019 YoY.
