Furniture Buying Index Drops One to Land at 75 Points

Furniture World Magazine

The Furniture Buying Index is holding steady in the mid 70s this month. This is good news for furniture retailers due to all the negative stories about the housing crisis, this is showing to have no impact on consumer attitudes. Britt Beemer, Chairman of America’s Research Group, said, “it is amazing after all the negative news about housing that the Furniture Buying Index has not dropped lower.” Beemer continued, “so, this single point drop is actually a positive sign.” According to Beemer, “consumers are waiting for a reason, based upon the low shopping levels in 2007.” The Furniture Buying Index is compiled each month by America=s Research Group from interviews with 5,000-8,000 consumers across the country. In a typical month, 80 percent of the consumers interviewed can name a specific furniture item they intend to buy. The Index=s mark signifies what percent of the benchmark 80% actually have a particular item in mind. October 2005 index = 81 October 2006 index = 76 October 2007 index = 75 12 month low = 74 12 month high = 83 Britt Beemer is chairman of America=s Research Group, a full-service consumer behavior research company based in Charleston, SC. ARG provides research and strategic planning services to leading manufacturers and retailers of consumer goods across North America.