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| Tile of Spain's Vogue |
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Our exclusive survey finds: Solid
majority say they actively pitch the category; market evenly split between
foreign and domestic; residential sales still dominate; 40% of sales for
non-floor areas.
At a time when flooring
shoppers are being tempted with a growing assortment of hard surface options
designed to mimic genuine tile and stone products, consumers still seem to want
the real thing. Retailers report that it is an area of flooring that remains
rock solid. They predict it will continue to grow over the next year.
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| Marazzi's Square Mosaic stone |
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NFT’s exclusive survey on
tile and stone reflects a clear sense of enthusiasm for this well-entrenched
area of flooring. When asked to rate the importance of the category on a scale
of one to five, (with five meaning “very important.”) more than 60% rated it a
four or a five. Asked how frequently they recommend tile/stone products to
customers, nearly 90% said “always” or “often.” The results also indicate that
sales, overall, are evenly divided between tile products and stone products.
Still while the survey indicates there is
consensus on a number of big picture issues, other areas—like the preferred
tile size—are not as easily gleaned. But when asked about their expectations
for tile sales in 2008, more than 60% of respondents predicted an increase
while a small minority—5%—said sales will dip. Expectations for stone flooring
were not quite as rosy but still upbeat: About 55% said it will increase next year
while about 7% said sales next year will be off.
Another area of agreement could be
seen in the ranking of manufacturers in the category. Far more than any other
band, Dal-Tile was identified as the No. 1 seller by retailers in both the tile
and stone segments. Nearly 40% of those responding said Dal-Tile was their No.
1 stone brand and about 25% said it was the top brand in tile. Still there is
no shortage of brands vying for attention. All told, the more than 400
participants in the survey collectively identified about 50 companies in each
segment as their No. 1 seller.
Survey respondents also said
that price is now the No.1 factor that determines if a ceramic tile
manufacturer or brand makes it to their showroom. Design and style, which
ranked as the top consideration a year ago, slipped to second on the list this
year. Other factors prominently mentioned were: quality of the distributor,
quality and durability of the product and customer request. Far less important were ease of
installation, marketing support and such manufacturer incentives as rebates.
There also appears to be a modest
amount of interest in tile and stone products that are touted as environmental
friendly. Nearly 90% of the respondents said that requests for “green” products
(including installation products) came from fewer than 25% of their customers.
Also, while large formats flooring tiles are becoming more widely available,
they still account for only a small segment of the market. More that half those
participating in the survey said 12” by 12” tiles remained most popular among
their customer base. The slightly larger 13” by 13” tile was the No. 1 request
for about one-quarter of the responses. Only 2% of those surveyed said the
large size 20” by 20” tile was their top seller and 12% said it was 18”by 18.”
Other
highlights of our exclusive survey:
• One-third
of respondents said they averaged more than $25,000 in tile sales each month.
About the same number of participants said their monthly tile take was below
$5,000.
• About 65%
said ceramic tile occupies no more than 25% of their merchandising area; about
34% said it accounted for less than 10% of their display area.
• Although
the survey was sent to stores (and contractors) specializing in flooring, it is
clear that many are reaching beyond their core area to generate ceramic tile
sales. Respondents said that nearly 40% of ceramic tiles sales were destined
for walls, countertops and other non-floor areas.
• While
imported tile product held a slight edge over domestic product in the survey
conducted a year ago, the more recent poll indicated a 50/50 split between the
two.
• The tile market is
overwhelmingly skewed toward residential consumers. Respondents said that 80%
of their sales came from homeowners and 20% was for the commercial market. The
finding represents a slight fluctuation from last year’s survey when
participants said it was 82% residential and 18% commercial.
