What New COVID Consumer Trends Can You Expect This Fall?

Pools, spas, and outdoor living generally saw sales spikes this summer, as the COVID-19 pandemic led to canceled vacation plans and increased consumer spending on staycation-oriented home improvement projects. Now we’re heading into August, the pool boom has peaked and quarantine gardens have begun to flower. What will the next big consumer trend be come autumn, as the effects of the pandemic continue to linger? The Freedonia Group has some ideas.

Sheds, Tiny Houses Offer Opportunities on Versatile Uses

Sheds, tiny houses, granny pods: whatever you want to call them, these supplemental structures can provide an option for additional office space, classrooms, and play space, as well as room for guest stays and clean socializing (keeping people out of the main home). The increasingly diverse uses for sheds and prefabricated housing structures (many tiny houses are actually considered manufactured housing) will support demand through the pandemic and beyond.

Space & Outdoor Heaters to Benefit from Outdoor Living Trends

As temperatures drop, consumers will seek ways to make their outdoor living spaces more comfortable. In particular, patio heating products (fire pits, fireplaces, and radiant heaters), already a fast-growing outdoor living product, is expected to see a boost in demand.

Other Possible Growth Areas to Watch This Fall

What other big coronavirus-driven trends do Freedonia Group analysts predict as the weather cools and kids return to school (or not)? Here are some highlights from our working list:

• garage conversion kits, to organize the piles of stuff and turn those space into workout/hobby/office area or extra room for semi-outdoor, physically distant socializing
• indoor gardening and smaller hydroponics kits, as some consumers will carry that gardening urge indoors
• enhanced IT infrastructure, as families will likely need more devices (additional laptops and tablets) and more bandwidth to handle regular remote learning, sometimes for more than one child while one or both parents are also still working remotely
• indoor air cleaners with HEPA filters and UV lights, which are being targeted to improve air quality and possibly slow the spread of the coronavirus

Want to Learn More?

Follow Freedonia’s COVID-19 Economic Impact Tracker for more coronavirus-related market developments.