Home and housewares continue to prove resilient at retail, with health, wellness and replacement purchases among the key factors shaping consumer demand, according to new research from the International Housewares Association (IHA)
The findings form part of IHA’s latest State of the Industry Report, with its 2026 MarketOutlook report providing a snapshot of what consumers expect to buy over the next 12 months.
Based on research conducted by Morning Consult among 2,201 US adults, the report covers 15 housewares categories, examining purchase intent, buying motivations, preferred retail channels and the features consumers are prepared to pay more for.
More than half of respondents said they were either “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to purchase products from the majority of core housewares categories.
For retailers and suppliers, replacement remains a key opportunity, with replacing an old or broken product identified as the leading purchase motivation across every category. Purchase intent was also higher among consumers aged 18-44 than among those aged 45 and over.
Within cookware, 40% cited replacing an ageing or broken product as their main reason for purchasing, while 23% were motivated by new features. For kitchen electrics, brand was particularly important, with 75% saying a preferred brand would encourage them to pay more.
Food storage led planned purchases within storage and organisation at 40%, while 40% of consumers intending to buy cleaning tools said they planned to choose products using disposable cloths.
IHA’s 2026 State of the Industry Report is being released in three parts. MarketScope, covering US retail sales, was published in May, while the final instalment, MarketWatch, examining consumer values and trends, is due in early autumn.
The full MarketOutlook report is available free to the housewares industry through HomePageNews.com
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