International Housewares Association predicts steady growth in home goods industry for 2025; consumer surveys show increased focus on at-home entertaining, celebration-driven purchases

2025 Occasions and 2025 At-Home Entertaining Reports Compare Consumers’ Home + Housewares Spending and Planned Entertaining for Coming Year

ROSEMONT, Ill. (Dec. 18, 2024)— The home and housewares industry is stepping into 2025 ready to pop the champagne — or at least set the table — for what promises to be a new era of steady growth and celebration, according to the just-released 2025 HomePage News Occasions Report and collaborative 2025 At-Home Entertaining Report.

After years of unpredictable twists and turns, consumers and businesses alike are eager to embrace life’s special moments and year-round celebrations. Results from the 2025 IHA Occasions and At-Home Entertaining Surveys, conducted in partnership with market researcher Morning Consult, highlight the opportunities available for product innovation, strategic marketing and sales in the home and housewares industry by tapping into key life milestones and an increasing trend of hosting at-home gatherings for a variety of occasions.

The reports created from the survey results offer data-driven insights into how retailers and suppliers can position themselves as go-to resources for celebratory moments, including major life events like weddings, new home purchases, welcoming a child, sending kids off to college and retirement. They also emphasize the importance of annual traditions such as birthdays and anniversaries, as well as the growing demand for “just because” celebrations that turn ordinary days into memorable ones. Both reports are published exclusively on HomePageNews.com.

“The pandemic’s lasting impact reshaped traditional gatherings and the way people mark important milestones,” said Derek Miller, IHA president & CEO. “The survey results show consumers have adapted, rescheduled and reimagined key life events, settling into new traditions and rekindling their passion for at-home entertaining — a trend that shows no signs of slowing down. This creates an opportunity for the housewares industry to connect with consumers eager to embrace the joy of celebrating life. The chance to be at the center of these celebrations is the ultimate sweet spot, offering retailers and suppliers the opportunity to help consumers turn everyday moments into lasting memories.”

Inflation has had its own effect recently and has become a factor in making the home a more attractive place for socializing, according to the Occasions Report.

Although they look at consumer behavior across activities and product categories, the Occasions and At-Home Entertaining reports provide relevant insight into how consumers view events, socializing and gift-giving more generally. One interesting area is how consumers spend money on gifts. In the Occasions Report research, 36% of consumers said they would pay as much for products purchased for themselves as they would for family and friends; and although 32% of consumers would spend at least a little more for family and friends’ gifts, 15% said they would pay less. As such, companies may want to think about how to make more of the self-gifting opportunity.

Rising Consumer Confidence Increasing Moments to Celebrate

As they look ahead through 2025, consumers responding to IHA’s At-Home Entertaining Survey remain concerned about the economy and geopolitical climate. But, as more optimism has entered the picture, suggested by recent higher consumer confidence numbers, they also have their own moments to celebrate in the immediate future.

Despite uncertainty and inflation, 47% of survey respondents held casual gatherings involving food and drink—anything from informal parties to sit-down dinners—over the past year. Half of men responding to the survey had hosted a gathering compared to 45% of women. The age of respondents made little difference, although the youngest, at 18-34 years of age, and oldest, at 65+, were slightly ahead of the rest.

Other At-Home Entertaining Survey results include:

• 24% of consumers were more likely to host a gathering in the year ahead, and 51% said they would hold about the same number as last year.
• 48% said they would most likely entertain at home in the October-December timeframe.
• Only 7% of respondents said they always or usually have events catered.
• Buffet/self-serve is the most popular gathering style when serving food at 50% with sit-down meals following at 37%.
• Younger consumers, 18-34 and 35-44, were most likely to offer a full bar at 26% each.

The most challenging aspects of gatherings for survey respondents are cleaning up (34%,) preparing everything at the same time (23%) and preparations in general (13%).

The 2025 IHA Occasions and 2025 IHA At-Home Entertaining surveys were conducted by Morning Consult in September 2024. For each survey, more than 2,200 interviews were conducted online, and the data was weighted to approximate a target of adults based on age, gender, race, educational attainment, region, gender by age and race by educational attainment. Results from the full Occasions Survey have a margin of error of plus or minus two to five percentage points. Data from the At-Home Entertaining Survey was then subset to adults who have hosted a gathering in the past year. Results from the subset have a margin of error of plus or minus two to three percentage points depending on the audience.

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