We had a great time this year at The Inspired Home Show. From cutting-edge product designs to the importance of omnichannel, this year's show offered a wealth of insights for decision-makers in the evolving housewares market.
Our goals at the show were to catch up with our customers in attendance, connect with industry leaders, and dive into what’s top of mind for housewares brands. And of course, we’re here to provide guidance on what the latest trends and challenges mean for your fulfillment and logistics operations. Let's jump in!
What is Top of Mind for Housewares Brands in 2025
The Importance of Omnichannel: Meeting Your Customers Where They Are
Consumers are shopping everywhere - DTC, marketplaces, and retail stores - so brands must ensure a seamless experience across all channels. Housewares brands must also keep in mind that these days, a customer’s journey is rarely linear. For example, a customer may see your product in a store, then purchase it on your website, or vice versa. The takeaway? All your channels are important touchpoints, even if they are not the final point of sale.
What’s Driving Consumer Behavior
One keynote at the show was the presentation of results from The 2025 Home and Living Survey. Tom Mirabile of Springboard Futures walked us through several key findings around questions like:
- In the year ahead, how often do you plan to cook at home compared to last year?
- Where do you purchase home and housewares?
- What are the main pain points hindering your ability to achieve your desired lifestyle.
In a nutshell, economic pressures, lifestyle shifts, and convenience-focused solutions are shaping consumer choices.
From a logistics viewpoint, the data further proves the importance of an omnichannel strategy. Another question included in the survey was: Where do you purchase home and housewares?
The responses were as follows:
- Mass Market (Target, Walmart, etc.) = 60%
- Online = 50%
- Better Grocery = 39%
- Houseware Specialty Stores - 22%
If you are not available where your customers and potential customers prefer to shop, you are missing out in a big way.
The Impact of Tariffs
With new tariffs going into effect, supply chains will be impacted in multiple ways. Housewares brands must be proactive in preparing and executing new strategies to mitigate risks and keep costs under control.
We are already seeing consumer brands take actions such as diversifying their production bases, planning to raise prices, and moving certain production tasks stateside.
The Unboxing Experience Matters
Packaging is more than just a box – it's a critical touchpoint with your customers. As we learned from Kait Stephens at Brij, with Quip as an example, the best brands use the unboxing experience to guide consumers through their hero’s journey. This creates an engaging and memorable experience.
Whether it’s premium packaging, personalized inserts, or a well-crafted brand story, the way a product is presented can enhance your customer’s connection with your brand. Applying this thoughtful tactic to every phase of your packaging, including how it ships with DTC orders, can boost brand loyalty and encourage social sharing.
Sustainability in Housewares
Eco-friendly materials, waste reduction, and circular economy initiatives continue to be at the forefront. Sustainability can go beyond your product – it can extend to your entire supply chain. For example, by reducing packaging waste and optimizing shipping routes. Brands that prioritize sustainability in both product design and logistics are winning customer trust.
Fun!
Bringing fun into the kitchen and turning chores into enjoyable rituals was a recurring theme at the show. Whether through beautifully designed tools, multifunctional gadgets, or a touch of playfulness, brands are looking for ways to lighten and brighten our household routines. We can’t help but should out our customer StoreBound for all the super fun and useful Dash products they have.
What This Means for Your Fulfillment & Logistics Operations
As these trends gain traction and new trends bubble up, having a fulfillment partner that understands the complexities of housewares is more critical than ever. Here’s why:
Omnichannel Success Requires Flexible Fulfillment: Your logistics strategy should support sales across all your channels. Many fulfillment providers are great at retail fulfillment or DTC fulfillment, but rarely both. At Motivational we pride ourselves on our true omnichannel fulfillment excellence. We ship to all major retailers, are experts in vendor compliance, and also provide end-to-end support for all your DTC channels.
Packaging Impacts Your Brand: A well-executed unboxing experience starts with efficient and precise fulfillment operations. Ask your 3PL what kind of value-added services they offer, for example: if they can help you create special or branded packaging that encourages your customers to become more familiar with your brand.
Agility is Key to Managing Tariff Uncertainty: With tariffs constantly shifting, brands need a fulfillment partner that can help them pivot. Navigating change is one of our strengths. We know it’s not easy, but we approach the ever-evolving landscape as an opportunity to continuously innovate and strengthen our logistics processes together with our customers.
Sustainability Goes Beyond Your Product: Optimized fulfillment strategies, smart packaging, and efficient distribution all contribute to your brand’s sustainability efforts.
Fun! Did you know that fun is one of our core values here at Motivational?
Final Thoughts
The Inspired Home Show 2025 was a great reminder of the impressive innovation constantly happening in housewares, and the constant shift in other factors impacting the industry as well. From changing consumer behaviors to non-stop tariff news to continuously evolving trends, brands must stay agile to remain competitive.
When it comes to logistics operations, housewares brands must partner with 3PLs that offer proactive solutions, omnichannel expertise, and flexible technology to weather the new and coming challenges.
If your current fulfillment strategy isn’t built to competitively navigate these shifts, now is the time to rethink your approach. Let’s talk.