3 minute read
Outdoor living news
from HBSD-0221
by ensembleiq
Twist on showrooming: The home-owner’s backyard
A California start-up and maker of outdoor furniture says it plans to expand its footprint to more than 1,000 Neighborhood Showroom locations in 2021.
What’s a Neighborhood Showroom? Essentially, it’s someone’s backyard.
Santa Monica-based Outer is a direct-to-consumer outdoor furniture brand founded in 2019 and best known for its Outer Shell furniture cover. In January, the company announced a $10.5 million financing deal that it says will lead to expanded product lines and Neighborhood Showroom growth.
Perhaps the most interesting feature of the model is the Neighborhood Showroom concept, which allows prospective customers to explore the products in the backyards of existing Outer customers, called “Hosts.”
Outer recruits Hosts by offering 10% discounts on products for those who apply for showroom status. After that, Outer describes benefits such as “payments for virtual tours, payments for in-person customer showings, early access to new products and more.” Currently, there are more than 100 Neighborhood Showrooms listed on the company’s website.
Because of the pandemic, all showroom visits are virtual. But Hosts continue to conduct showings through video or over the phone.
The company’s latest financing was led by Sequoia Capital China. In addition to expanding its Neighborhood Showrooms, Outer intends to expand its product line beyond outdoor sofas and rugs and strengthen its commitment to sustainability.
Outer says it is a committed partner of 1% for the Planet with the goal of advancing environmentally focused non-profits worldwide. In late 2020, Outer
Outer was founded in 2019, and looks to expand with new a round of financing.
introduced its second product line, the eco-frindly 1188 Rug Collection — made from 100% recycled plastic water bottles.
The company predicts sales to exceed $12 million this year. But the founders say it is growing fast, and riding the wave of virus-induced spending on the home and “surprising growth” for the outdoorliving category. The company says its products speak to consumers who have found sanctuaries within their backyards, decks and porches.
“Growing more than 10x in year two of our launch and rapidly increasing word-of-mouth is a testament to our debut product, the Outer Sofa,” said Jiake Liu, Co-Founder and CEO.
Lawn and landscaping sets the pace for service spending
Lawn and landscaping services are among the most affordable services around the house. And the grass is always growing. Therefore, it’s no surprise that a survey of home owners found that the category of lawn & landscaping services is, once again, the most popular home care and maintenance service purchased.
Just under 19% of homeowners reported that they hired a lawn and landscaping professional in 2019. Also, homeowners spend, on average, $590 annually, that spend is spread out over an average of 8.9 purchases, making each purchase just over $66.
That data comes from The 2020 HIRI Product Purchase Track Survey (PPTS). The survey looks at trends in home improvement product and service purchases based on data provided biennially from homeowners across the United States.
The latest report covers 14 product categories, 238 individual products, 18 types of projects and 23 services, all purchased over the course of 2019 and analyzed in 2020.
Of the homeowners surveyed, 58% report making a home improvement service purchase in 2019. The top five categories were:
1) Lawn & landscaping services 2) Pest & insect control 3) HVAC repair & maintenance 4) Plumbing repair 5) Handyman services
Quality and convenience were big factors when making lawn & landscaping purchase decisions. Homeowners hired service providers because they either couldn’t do the work themselves (30%), felt they would get better results (29%) or to avoid the work entirely (22%).
As to how the service was found, recommendations made up the majority of the referrals at 53%, as homeowners relied on suggestions from friends, neighbors and family to help them make their decisions.
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