Germans Remain Loyal to Laminate & Parquet Flooring, but Textile Floor Coverings Are Under Threat

Those who use textile floor coverings in Germany very often flirt with other options. Overall, almost one in two (45.7%) expresses a willingness for a new floor covering to replace the textile covering. The situation is quite different with laminate & parquet flooring, as shown in a representative survey by Interconnection Consulting.

Willingness to Change Lowest for Ceramics & Tiles

In the Interconnection survey, 1,000 homeowners (flat and house) were questioned in Germany. According to the study, only about one in four is willing to change their laminate or parquet flooring. The lowest willingness to change is in the ceramic/tile segment with only about 20%.

Living Room Is Parquet Land

Depending on the use of the room, different floor coverings are increasingly used. With a share of 85.7%, ceramics or tiles are the most-used floor covering segment in Germany. This can be attributed to the fact that ceramics/tiles are used by far the most in the kitchen, bathroom and hallway. In the living room, parquet or wood flooring dominates with a share of about one third (31.1%). The willingness to change is also limited and is only around 20%. “The main reason for homeowners not to change their parquet is the high-quality material of their floor covering,” explains Dr. Frederik Lehner, Managing Director of Interconnection Consulting. Laminate is the most commonly used floor covering in the study, bedroom and children’s room. When it comes to the image of laminate flooring, it shows that modernity and sustainability can still form a contrasting pair in this day and age. For example, laminate is considered modern by those surveyed, but not particularly sustainable. Overall, over 60 percent of homeowners use laminate as a floor covering.

Brand Potential Is Not Being Exploited

The study shows that two completely contradictory groups of buyers dominate with a total share of over 50%. On the one hand, there are the discount hunters, who can be encouraged to buy with discounts and cheap prices, and on the other hand, the high-price buyers, who don’t want cheap prices at all, but are attracted by quality criteria (innovation, haptics, etc.) and a great shopping experience. Addressing the entire market is therefore impossible for many manufacturers. “Normally, brands that have a good product for high-price buyers are also strong in such markets, but that is not the case in this market. Brand awareness is extremely low and the potential of brands is hardly exploited,” explains Dr. Lehner. Thus, the brand buyer is the smallest buyer segment with 13.5%. If a purchase of floor coverings is pending, Germans mainly look for information on the manufacturers’ websites (52.3%). This is followed by offline media such as manufacturers’ brochures and retail brochures. But social media is also becoming increasingly important. Of those who use it, buyers perceive Facebook as the most important source of information. However, the number of users is still manageable at 11%.

30/06/2021

Copyright: Interconnection, Publication free of charge for coverage regarding the study and InterConnection Consulting.