Equipment Outranks Furniture In Minds Of Home Office Users

Furniture World Magazine

In terms of brand recall, there's a huge gap between furniture and equipment used in home offices. Consumers are likely to know the brand name of their computer, for instance, but they probably have no idea which company made their desk or chair. That was among the findings in the spring 1998 installment of HOME OFFICE TRENDS TM, a research study conducted by Wirthlin Worldwide that tracks developments affecting home offices. The study is based on telephone interviews with a representative sample of more than 1,000 U.S. households. "Furniture seems to be little more than an afterthought among many home office users," says Richard Kennedy, executive vice president of Wirthlin Worldwide, an international market research company. "Consumers appear to be far more knowledgeable - and demanding - when it comes to the equipment that powers their home office." Here are some of the other findings uncovered by HOME OFFICE TRENDS regarding furniture and equipment used in home offices: Computer use. About 80% of home offices boast a computer. Desktop models are preferred over laptops nearly five to one. Furniture brand recognition. No furniture manufacturer has managed to carve out a significant reputation in the home office market. About 80% of home office workers can't even identify the brand name of their chair or filing cabinets. As for desks, about 70% of home office workers don't know which company made the one they're using. Brands of furniture used. The most popular brand name in any furnishings category was Sauder, identified as the desk of choice by 5 % of respondents. HON led the filing cabinet category with a mere 3% of mentions. When it comes to chairs, however, no manufacturer was identified by more than I % of respondents. Brands of equipment used. Here's an overview of the market share claimed by various equipment manufacturers: Computers. Only two companies - IBM and Packard Bell - are used in at least 10% of home offices. Together, they received only one-fourth of the vote. Printers. Here, Hewlett Packard clearly leads the pack. It's the printer of choice in one third of home offices, twice as many as second-place Canon. Copiers. Hewlett Packard again tops the list, but doesn't hold the commanding lead it enjoys in the printer market. Used by 12 % of home office workers, Hewlett Packard is just a notch above second-place Canon (I I %). Fax Machines. Hewlett Packard, Brother and Sharp are in a three-way race for the favor of home office workers. The three brands equally share about one-third of the market. Number of telephone lines. Slightly more than half of consumers with a home office have more than one phone line in their house. Over-all, about 36% of home offices are equipped with two lines, 14 % have three and 5 % have four or more. Internet access. Among home office users, 45% report having Internet access at home, up from 25 % two years ago. Meanwhile, just 20% of home office users say they have no interest in gaining Internet access, down from 36% in 1996. For more details about the study: Founded in 1969, Wirthlin Worldwide is an opinion research and strategic consulting firm that has conducted research for many of America's largest corporations, including over half of the Fortune 100. The company is based in McLean, Va., and has 13 offices across four continents. For subscription information or further details about HOME OFFICE TRENDS, contact Richard Kennedy at (616) 954-0200, or via e-mail at rkennedy@wirthlin.com.