Beefing Up Basics

摘要

The array of souped-up sheets, towels and utility bedding products introduced at the New York Home Fashions Market in March were so loaded with benefit features it seems unfair to refer to them as "basic" goods. It's also challenging to place them in a single benefit category since so many offer a mash-up of attributes: wellness plus sustainability plus easy care, for example. Health & wellness is a huge overarching theme, and no wonder. Consumer research on the subject by WSL Strategic Retail and the GDI Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute found that among US consumers looking to improve their health, 60% are focused on getting enough sleep and 80% said they wanted more energy to better meet the challenges of everyday life. The study found the demand for well-being products falls into three brackets: vitality, mental health and physical appearance. As it happens, there are new home textiles products waiting in the wings to address all three: bedding that employs infrared technologies to improve blood flow and foster deeper sleep (vitality), aromatherapy-infused products to soothe the soul (mental health) and basics that provide benefits to the skin (physical appearance). The trick for marketers will be explaining all the new benefits to consumers in ways that are easy to grasp. During market week, several suppliers referenced QVC as the ideal launch pad en route to bricks & mortar. Video explainers for both online and in-store promotion are also likely to be in the mix. Nobody expects enhanced benefits basics to replace promotional goods. But they do elevate the concept of "performance" to a new plane.