GfK research shows that overall size and outdoor area also rank high on Canadians’ home “to do” lists
A new GfK study reveals that storage space ranks as the #1 home improvement priority for Canadians, cited by more than one third (35%) of households. Other renovations that also show up frequently on Canadians’ home “to-do” lists include overall size or layout (32%), garden or other outdoor area (32%), level of cleanliness (31%), home organization (30%), and interior décor (30%).
According to a survey of 22 countries, when it comes to home improvements, the highest priorities globally among the online population are interior décor (39 percent), overall size or layout (38 percent), and furniture (35 percent).
The desire to improve the home’s overall size and layout is most prevalent in Hong Kong (50%), Russia (49%), and Argentina (49%); home furniture is also a top priority in Russia (54%), Turkey (49%), and Mexico (48%).
Download an infographic of full country results.
Gender has strong impact on home improvement choices
Both Canadian women and men cite storage space as their top home improvement priority (chosen by 38% of women and 32% of men). For Canadian women, other top home improvement picks are interior décor (36%), home organization (35%), overall size or layout (34%), and garden or outdoor area (34%).
Among women internationally, interior décor ranks highest, with 43% selecting this as one of the areas they would most like to improve. Their next choices are furniture (40%) and overall size and layout (39%).
In addition to storage space, roughly one-third (30%) of Canadian men select overall size or layout and garden or outdoor area as the aspects of their homes they would most like to improve. The overall size or layout is also highly favored internationally by men, with (37%) picking this as their top home priority.
Age impacts most home improvement choices
Among the different age groups in Canada, people in the 15-to-19 (40%) and 40-to-49 (37%) age groups show the strongest interest in improving the level of cleanliness of their homes. For those in their thirties (30 to 39 years old), the overall size or layout of their homes holds the greatest importance, with 39 percent selecting this priority.
Canadians who would most like to improve the storage space in their homes belong to the 20-to-29 (36%) and 60+ (35%) age groups. People who are most focused on improving their gardens, yards, patios or other outdoor areas are in the 50-to-59 (39%) age group.
GfK’s findings form a valuable foundation for major DIY, home furnishing and home improvement retailers, in understanding how consumer aspirations for their homes differ across countries, age groups and gender. By combining these data with its continuous point of sales tracking, GfK gives its clients a detailed picture of the current and future demands within each target market.
Please visit GfK’s global studies, to download full findings for each of the 22 countries.
About the study
The survey question asked, “Which of these aspects of your home would you most like to change or improve, if you could? Select all that apply.”
GfK conducted the online survey with 27,000 consumers aged 15 or older across 22 countries. Fieldwork was completed in June 2015 and data are weighted to reflect the demographic composition of the online population age 15+ in each market. The countries included are Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, UK and USA.
About GfK
GfK is the trusted source of relevant market and consumer information that enables its clients to make smarter decisions. More than 13,000 market research experts combine their passion with GfK’s long-standing data science experience. This allows GfK to deliver vital global insights matched with local market intelligence from more than 100 countries. By using innovative technologies and data sciences, GfK turns big data into smart data, enabling its clients to improve their competitive edge and enrich consumers’ experiences and choices.
For more information, please visit www.gfk.com or follow GfK on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GfK
