Bath & Kitchen Trends

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I have been on the road, and it seems that showrooms not solely focused on the ultra-high-end market have experienced a decline in business. Generally, I am hearing statements like, "We are busy but down by 10% to 15%."

Every day, we receive promotional emails attempting to entice us to visit, shop and purchase branded products. Countless companies employ a "pushing, pushing, pushing" product approach, emphasizing style and price, hoping that one will motivate us to delve deeper. But, is that rare brand dive really enough? What are these mega brands are trying to “teach” us? The answer, my friends, lies at the bottom of email and on their home page. "Please visit our elegant store and let our talented design team help you create.”

The plumbing supply industry and our showrooms, as well as many re-distribution businesses, are run ERP systems that are based on the IBM AS/400 or DOS. Both originated in the 1980s. We are an industry that looks to shave pennies to scale and limit our operational invest. We live by “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” and so we have gone for a millennia. But, the possibility of having a knowledgable consultant in our pocket might just change the way we employ computers in all facets of business.

In the 1980s, homeowners, builders and designers would walk into these new-fangled decorative plumbing showrooms and be wowed by all the sparkle and style. And as pretty as it all looked, these design leaders had no idea exactly what they were looking at. Sure, they saw fancy faucets but they had no idea how to layout, buy and install a “decorative bathroom”. Prior to decorative showrooms all that was only handled by the plumber. Who was going to help them navigate this new world.

COVID-19 may remain in the news but it did not stop people from attending the 2023 KBIS/IDS show in Las Vegas. In fact, early estimates set the attendance in excess of 100,000 enthusiasts. Now that’s a show!

Prior to the 1980s, all restroom fixtures required manual operation —  an aspect that we have since learned coincides with a high exposure to germs and bacteria. In fact, manual faucet and toilet handles harbor anywhere between 107 to 17,976 germs per 10 square centimeters.

But more than 40 years later, touch-free products are now the norm in commercial restrooms, and since the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, the public has greater awareness regarding the importance of hand hygiene.

The most recent National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) Market Outlook Report projects 2023 bath and kitchen revenue will reach $162.4 billion, a 14% decrease when compared to the previous year. With potential recessionary pressure, high mortgage rates and a cooling residential housing market, Supply House Times chatted with a few showroom professionals from around the country to gauge what’s expected in the 2023 showroom sector.

When I open the ballroom door and enter the 2022 DPHA conference, the booths catch my eye but I am looking for familiar industry wide faces and those new personalities that i do not know.  The DPHA conference is all about the decorative plumbing and hardware, period. It presents me with the opportunity to see new products from decorative plumbing and hardware focused vendors, industry relevant education sessions and opportunities to interact with the people that manage and own DPHA businesses.

The programs include the first NKBA International Buyer’s Tour, the NKBA Global Connect Pavilion, and the NKBA Global Connect Delegation Program.  All will take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center, January 31 - Feb 2, 2023, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

As an owner or manager, your laser focus is on each vendor’s profit and, mistakenly, assume that your salespeople share your bottom-line focus. I suggest you are focusing on the deliverables, and they are involved in the process, the sales process. In most cases, you will not be able to move your salespeople to your side of this question by simply showing them the money. The way to move them is to show them how these HVVs will fuel their desire to be a great showroom salesperson.