24% of French people want to move
Throughout 2020, housing has had to adapt to cope with an unprecedented change in lifestyles. 23% of French households believe that confinement has changed the image they had of their habitat and 42% believe that they missed something, with an exterior (garden, balcony or terrace) at the top of the list . The first confinement even convinced 24% of the households questioned that a move was necessary.
The kitchen at the center
Due to the closure of restaurants, the kitchen has once again become an important place of life for many families. Thus, a quarter of households not equipped with a fitted kitchen declare that confinement made them want to equip themselves, while 14% of equipped households wish to change it. These purchases or renewals would be made through a credit in 41% of cases.
Housing mostly unsuitable for teleworking
The implementation of confinement in spring 2020 resulted in a significant increase in the number of teleworkers, in often unsuitable spaces. 37% of working people were concerned, and 23% are still teleworking at least one day a week today. However, 80% state that they do not have a furnished workspace at home.
The home entertainment boom
The French have been numerous to devote themselves to their leisure activities at home. Many households have thus equipped themselves with sports equipment or musical instruments. The sale of swimming pools has also surfed on the Covid-19 crisis, knowing that France is the second largest park in the world behind the United States.
DIY and gardening on the rise
2020 was the year of DIY for the French, whose market is growing by nearly 5% (source: Federation of DIY Stores). Garden centers are not to be outdone, up by 2,2% in the garden activity, which remains the most coveted place by the French in 2020: 59% say they have practiced gardening last year.
Housing that consumes too much energy
Another awareness: the energy balance of French houses. A third of French people find that their home costs them too much in gas and electricity, which are the dominant energies for heating. 7,5% of home owners thus declare themselves ready to change the system, and 43% of them would opt for a heat pump, with recourse to credit in 54% of cases. Photovoltaic panels only represent 8% of equipment, and 3,4% of households would like to be equipped mainly for economic reasons. 6,4% of homeowners also intend to change the windows in their home to improve insulation.
A change in purchasing behavior?
The past year could have led to believe that online sales were going to take precedence over physical sales. However, it is the opposite that emerges from the study since, depending on the consumer universe, more than two in three French people will make their purchase in store. However, the digitalization of the purchasing journey is well underway since the majority of consumers (up to 70% for kitchen fittings) prepare their purchases of home equipment online. This phenomenon could be explained by a health situation which is struggling to improve and which pushes consumers to prepare their purchases more in order to spend as little time as possible in the store.
Consumer credit facilitates the realization of purchasing projects
In 2020, 24,9% of households repay a consumer loan, and 21,3% of these households use it to finance the equipment of their home. In addition, the average basket financed on credit is 30% higher than the average basket without financing. An essential element of household equipment, consumer credit thus contributes directly to the economy.
What projects for the French in 2021?
This unprecedented year 2020, when consumers saw their habits disrupted, will have allowed the French to make an inventory of their homes to adapt to a new way of life, combining professional and personal. Comfort, energy performance, the development of spaces dedicated to work and leisure remain strong trends in 2021, with priority spending for redevelopment work, purchases of household appliances and investments in computer equipment or of telephony.
"The house is once again becoming a real place of life for the whole family, with more respect for the environment, more equipment, more comfort, more well-being and also more leisure", concludes Evelyne Haond, Director of the Development of Home Equipment at Sofinco.
* Study conducted online from October 25 to November 4, 2020 with a representative sample of 6.000 French people on criteria of age, profession, region of residence, type of accommodation and occupancy status of this accommodation according to the quota method.
Find the entire study at this address.