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Upcoming and Recently Completed Reports

RICKI's always thinking about kitchens.

 

 

 

RICKI’s upcoming research studies, as well as reports from our extensive research compiled since 2006, are listed below. We look to our Members to provide input on research topics for each study to ensure that we are exploring topics that will have a direct impact on their businesses. (Individual reports are available for purchase by non-members after one year through our Research Store.)

 


Upcoming Reports

 

Designers Talk Trends for 2024

Conducted among professional kitchen designers, this study identifies changing trends around the kitchen, including materials, finishes and product preferences, overall kitchen styles and layout, and how designers approach kitchen projects while highlighting year-to-year shifts on previously identified trends. In addition, this research will explore how sustainability fits into their work, if it does, and the ideas and products considered sustainable their clients find appealing.

Report to member in December 2023



 

Recently Completed Reports

 

Kitchen Market Segments: How American Homeowners Differ in their Behaviors & Attitudes - OCTOBER 2023

This study, conducted among 1,048 U.S. adults who own their homes, gathers insights from homeowners of various generations and those with higher incomes (defined as JJI $150,000 or more) about their lifestyles and feelings about cooking and kitchens, technology used in the kitchen, as well  as the influence of sustainability when choosing products for their kitchens.

 

How Homeowners Shop for Kitchen Products Now - JULY 2023

A study conduted among 1,005 U.S. homeowners to determine trends regarding where and how (online vs. in person) homeowners shop for kitchen products, as well as their sources for financing, inspiration and decision-making for kitchen improvements.

 

Remodelers 360 in 2023 - MAY 2023

This study conducted among 1,000 consumers (650 homeowners and 350 renters) tracks how Americans use their kitchens, their remodeling plans and experiences, sources used for remodeling ideas and purchasing, and the use and influence of design professionals on selections for kitchen projects. Tracking back to 2006 for some measures will reveal true trends versus fads.

 

Deeper Insights into the Connected Kitchen - DECEMBER 2022

Conducted among 1,000 U.S. homeowners, this research determines how interest in kitchen product technology has shifted compared to previous years as well as identifies more precisely what consumers want technology to accomplish for them in their homes, products and services they have the most interest in, how smart products and features enhance their lives (if it does), and the roadblocks preventing adoption of new technology in the kitchen.

 

Kitchen Designers POV: Best Practices of Manufacturer - SEPTEMBER 2022

This study explores what makes designers choose one manufacturer over another, the importance of various attributes of preferred manufacturers, and assesses where gaps exist between what's important and how well manufacturers deliver on these attributes to highlight where manufacturers should focus resources to encourage specifying of their products. It also includes designers' interactions with sales reps.

 

Changes Driven by the Pandemic - JULY 2022

Conducted among 1,000 homeowners, this research assesses how the pandemic experience has impacted homes and kitchens (layout, design, purchasing plans), recent changes consumers have made to their homes and kitchens, ways consumer sentiment about these spaces has shifted and what they would like to change in their homes compared to their pre-pandemic thinking.

 

Designer Pain Points & Ideas to Minimize Them - MARCH 2022

A study conducted among designers to identify the most challenging parts of their job and ideas for how manufacturers can help alleviate these pain points, marketing efforts and sales tools design professionals use, and ways manufacturers can help design pros grow their businesses. This study also covers the topic of how designers have dealt with supply chain issues.

 

Designers Talk Trends for 2022 - DECEMBER 2021

Conducted among professional kitchen designers, this study identifies emerging trends around the kitchen, including materials, finishes and product preferences, overall kitchen styles and looks, and how designers approach kitchen projects and the sources designers use to keep up with trends while highlighting year-to-year shifts on previously identified trends. Also included are elements being seen as more ‘on-trend’ by Leading-edge designers (those who do more cutting edge kitchen designs and use different materials on each design).

 

The Health & Wellness of the American Kitchen (and Bath) – OCTOBER 2021

A study among homeowners to assess the importance of health and wellness elements in the kitchen, the desire for healthier kitchen products and features, and the factors driving this as well as exploring health and wellness features in baths. The study also includes questions about the desire for outdoor kitchens and products included in that area.

 

How Homeowners Shop for Kitchen Projects Now – JULY 2021

A study conducted among 1,000 homeowners to determine trends in where they are shopping for kitchen products (whether online or in-person), which channels specifically, the prevalence of DIY design vs. use of industry professionals, the role designers play in their remodeling projects and how shopping patterns might have changed recently.

 

Remodelers 360 – MAY 2021

This study among 1,000 consumers tracks how Americans use their kitchens, their remodeling plans and experiences, sources used for remodeling ideas and purchases, and the use of design professionals on selections for kitchen projects. Tracking back to 2006 for some measures will reveal true trends versus fads.

 

The Connected Kitchen – DECEMBER 2020

A multi-phased study conducted among both U.S. homeowners and professional kitchen designers tracking consumers’ use of technology when cooking and interacting with their kitchens and interest in new kitchen innovations as well as understanding the experiences of design pros when designing kitchens that include ‘smart’ products. Shifts in usage are revealed through comparisons to RICKI’s 2016 The Smart Kitchen study.


Changes in Homes that Impact the Kitchen - SEPTEMBER 2020

A study conducted among 1,000+ U.S. homeowners to determine preferred home size and kitchen size, to explore the mindset of those wanting smaller and larger spaces and what is driving their preference, as well as highlight shifts in sentiment over time.

This report also includes the impact of COVID-19 on kitchen-related behaviors and an update on RICKI’s ‘Regret Factor’.


The Thinking of Affluent Homeowners & High-End Designers - JUNE/JULY 2020

This two-tiered study, conducted among homeowners with household incomes of $150K or more and professional kitchen designers who do projects costing $50K or more, determines how upscale consumers differ from others when it comes to attitudes and design preferences, as well as how designers of mostly high-end kitchens approach their work. The Part 1 report covers the affluent homeowner findings; Part 2 covers the high-end designer findings.

 

Four Generations in the Kitchen - APRIL 2020

Focusing in-depth on four generations (Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y and Gen Z), this study among 1,000+ U.S. adults gathers insights about how each generation uses their kitchens.  This report includes data about lifestyles, cooking habits, technology used in the kitchen, kitchen style and finish preferences, and emotional connections to the kitchen and changes they would like to make to their kitchens.

 

Designers Talk Kitchens at KBIS - FEBRUARY 2020

A two-phased study including a focus group with 10 design professionals during the 2020 KBIS at an offsite location to get their reaction to various kitchen products (member-specific topics) and an online survey among 161 professional kitchen designers from RICKI's exclusive Designer Panel to explore the new products, colors, textures seen at KBIS 2020 as well as what they have seen at KBIS that they feel will resonate with clients.

 

Designers Talk Trends - NOVEMBER 2019

Conducted among professional kitchen designers every other year, this study identifies emerging trends around the kitchen, including materials, finishes and product preferences, overall kitchen design and layout, and how designers approach kitchen projects while highlighting year-to-year shifts on previously identified trends. This year's report also includes media usage measures.


The Kitchen Remodeling Experience - JULY 2019

Using a multi-tiered research approach, this is an in-depth study with a group of homeowners in various regions of the country who are in the midst of a full kitchen remodel, to report highlights and lowlights of their projects and how they go about picking professionals to work with for their projects, planning for the remodel, gathering information and their shopping experiences using video, digital diaries and interviews.

 

Understanding the Business of Designers - APRIL 2019

The purpose of this study is to explore the sales and marketing efforts of dealers and designers and to determine how manufacturers can assist them in growing their businesses. The study determined how design professionals approach selling, where they need additional support to make their jobs easier, their use of sales tools and technology, and sales and marketing tactics they deem most successful.

 

What is Happening in the Kitchen? - DECEMBER 2018

An exploration among homeowners and kitchen designers of activities taking place in the kitchen beyond the usual cooking and cleanup and designers' thoughts on how kitchen products could adapt to meet the needs for these activities.

 

How Homeowners Shop for Kitchen Products: From Social Media to Big Box Stores - SEPTEMBER 2018

A study conducted among U.S. homeowners to determine trends in where they are shopping for kitchen products, which stores, whether online or in-person, where they buy, the use of DIY design vs. use of designers, the role designers play in their remodeling projects, and how shopping patterns might have changed in the past few years.

 

Designers' Tools of the Trade - JULY 2018

A study to identify the specific software and other tools professional kitchen designers use during the design process, and their satisfaction with these tools. This study also examines their sources of design inspiration as well as sources of product information, such as product specs, pricing and photos.

 

Remodelers 360 - APRIL 2018

Conducted every other year since 2006, this study among 1,000+ consumers tracks how Americans use their kitchens, their remodeling plans and experiences, sources used for remodeling ideas and purchasing, and the use and influence of design professionals on product and material choices for kitchen projects

 

Designers Talk Trends - JANUARY 2018

Conducted among professional kitchen designers, this study identifies emerging remodeling trends, including materials, finishes and product preferences, overall kitchen design and layout trends as well as how designers approach kitchen design.

 

Millennial Home Buyers & Their Kitchens - OCTOBER 2017

The goal of this study is to assess the attitudes and thinking of Millennials (Gen Y) who recently bought their first home to more deeply understand the importance of the kitchen in the purchase, their kitchen habits, remodeling thinking and the financial aspects involved. Millennials now represent the largest generation in U.S. history and, as their Baby Boomer counterparts did a half century before them, are profoundly changing the marketplace.

 

Overcoming the ‘Regret Factor’ - JUNE 2017

Almost half of Americans who made a kitchen improvement in the past year say they would spend more if they had it to do again. RICKI will talk with both consumers and design professionals (from RICKI's proprietary Kitchen Designer Panel) to see what we might learn from them to persuade homeowners to spend more up front on kitchen projects. 

 

Upscale Consumers & Their Kitchens - The Thinking of Affluent Homeowners and High-End Designers - MARCH 2017

This study, conducted among affluent homeowners (HHI $150K+) and professional kitchen designers who do projects costing $50K or more, explores how affluent consumers differ from their contemporaries when it comes to attitudes and design preferences as well as how designers of mostly high-end kitchens approach their work.

 

Kitchen Product Features - What Homeowners View as Most Important - DECEMBER 2016

A survey among 1,000+ U.S. homeowners to determine which features are most important relative to other features when it comes to cabinetry, countertops, sinks, faucets, ranges, dishwashers, vent hoods, and refrigerators. Survey participants ranked the top features they want in each of the eight products.

 

Kitchen Stories - OCTOBER 2016

A modified enthographic study where 13 diverse homeowners across the country were recruited to keep a diary of their activities in the kitchen and use their mobile devices to provide digital feedback (photos and videos) over the course of five days. The research was followed by a one-day RICKI insights session, with the primary objective to help manufacturers identify opportunities for innovation and product development around customers' needs, both functional and emotional, articulated and unarticulated.

 

The Smart Kitchen - JULY 2016

A multi-phased study conducted among both U.S. consumers and professional kitchen designers to better understand how consumers are using technology, from apps to recipe sites to smart appliances, when cooking and interacting with their kitchens and how professional kitchen designers specify products to address the needs of a 'smart' kitchen.

 

Remodelers 360 - APRIL 2016

Conducted every other year since 2006, this study among 1,000+ consumers tracks how Americans use their kitchens, their remodeling plans and experiences, sources used for remodeling ideas and purchasing (print, digital, in-store), and the use and influence of design professionals on product and material choices for kitchen projects.

 

Designers Talk Trends - JANUARY 2016

This tracking study, conducted annually among professional kitchen designers on RICKI's proprietary Kitchen Designer Panel, identifies key remodeling trends they see emerging, including materials, finishes and product preferences, overall kitchen design and layout trends, how they approach kitchen design, and what inspires them.

 

Changes in Homes that Impact the Kitchen - OCTOBER 2015

A study conducted among U.S. homeowners about changes in home designs and preferences that impact the kitchen, including size, layout, and features. This report will highlight shifts in consumer sentiment using RICKI research conducted in 2011 as a baseline, as well as explore the mindset of those wanting smaller homes.

 

The Culture Code for 'Kitchen' in America - JUNE 2015

An three-hour exploratory session with each of three groups of American-born consumers (Gen Y, Gen X and young Boomers) to uncover deep emotional connections to the kitchen, identifying their most powerful kitchen memories as well as recent memories revealing 'imprints' that will help manufacturers better understand what drives kitchen activities and purchase decisions on a deeper level and the words and imagery that resonate with consumers today.

 

How Homeowners (& Designers) Shop for Kitchen Products: From Social Media to the Big Box Stores - APRIL 2015

This study was conducted among 1,000 U.S. homeowners and 104 professional kitchen designers to determine how they are using big box stores (Lowe's, Home Depot) and IKEA for kitchen product purchases, exploring DIY design vs. use of in-store designers, and use of installation services and workshops for kitchen remodeling projects. Phase I report provides quantitative, statistically reliable feedback from homeowners about their use of big box stores and other major sources for purchase decisions for kitchen products. Phase II report explores the homeowner's experience with designers, installers and contractors and also how professional kitchen designers use and opinions of big box stores.


Designers Talk Trends - JANUARY 2015

RICKI regularly conducts this tracking study among design professionals on our proprietary Kitchen Designer Panel (2,100+ design pros strong) to identify shifts in style, layout, materials and product trends; how they approach their work and kitchen design; what inspires them most now versus a few years ago; and their business plans and outlook for the year ahead.


Upscale Consumers & Their Kitchens - SEPTEMBER 2014

This report examines the attitudes, kitchen activities and remodeling plans of upscale consumers (HHI $150K+) as well as explore how professional designers who do mostly high-end kitchens (using RICKI's proprietary Kitchen Designer Panel of 2,100+ design pros) approach their work, the products they specify, and the styles, materials and finishes they see trending up.


Gen Y in the Kitchen - JUNE 2014

Generation Y (age 18 to 32), sometimes referred to as Millennials or Echo Boomers, represents the biggest generation in U.S. history and as such, like their Baby Boomer counterparts, could profoundly change the landscape and the way we envision future kitchens. This report explores the attitudes and thinking of younger consumers around the kitchen, including a subset who have experienced a kitchen remodel.


Remodelers 360 - APRIL 2014

Conducted every other year since 2006, this study among 1,000+ consumers tracks how Americans use their kitchens, their remodeling plans and experiences, sources used for remodeling ideas and purchasing (print, digital, in-store), and the use and influence of design professionals on product and material choices for kitchen projects.


The Kitchen of the Future - JANUARY 2014

In a well-honed process sometimes described as ‘brainstorming on steroids’ this process will result in a report revealing insights gathered through a 1½ day idea-generation session held at RICKI's creative meeting facility in Charlotte, NC with a group of professional kitchen designers doing business in different regions of the country with the overall goal of discovering ways to make kitchens work better for their clients (new products, new services) and making the lives of designers easier (technology, business practices).


Today's Buying Process for Kitchen Remodeling - OCTOBER 2013

Using a multi-tiered research approach, this is an in-depth study with 10 to 12 consumers in various regions of the country who are planning a kitchen remodel about which RICKI will report the highlights and lowlights by observing how they go about planning for the remodel, gathering information and their shopping experiences using video, diaries and in-person interviews.
 

Supplier Services Survey - JULY 2013 

A study that identifies key needs of designers and dealers to determine importance of specific characteristics of suppliers, evaluate supplier services, explore interactions of manufacturers’ sales reps with designers and dealers as well as reasons for making changes or replacing product lines.

 

What's Hot & What's Not: Kitchen Design Preferences - JUNE 2013

This two-phased report will first focus on uncovering insights from those operating on the front line of the industry – professional designers – to uncover trends emerging in kitchen design. This report also will reveal kitchen attitudes as well as preferences for colors and finishes for cabinetry, appliances, countertops and other kitchen products among 1,000 U.S. homeowners, including a look at differences among demographic segments such as affluent homeowners and the various generations of homeowners.

 

Consumer Trends: From Remodeling Rates to Technology Trends - APRIL 2013

A report based on a survey conducted among 1,000+ U.S. homeowners to measure planned kitchen product purchases, including cabinetry, appliances, countertops, plumbing fixtures, lighting and several other product categories, as well as store shopping and sources they use to shop or get information. This study explores what tasks technology in the kitchen helps them do now, what might help their kitchen experience in the future, and what technology they might value most in the kitchen (tablet integrated into appliances, integrated charging station, etc.).

 

Upscale Consumers & Their Kitchens: What Affluent Consumers are Demanding and High-End Designers are Thinking - DECEMBER 2012

This report provides insights about how high income consumers differ from their contemporaries when it comes to attitudes and design preferences for their kitchens and how designers of mostly high-end kitchens approach their work.

 

The Smart Kitchen: How Consumers Use Digital Media and Other Technologies in the Kitchen - OCTOBER 2012

A report to understand how U.S. consumers are using the web, social media sites, smartphones, apps, and other technology (tablets, laptops, etc.) to interact with their kitchen and cooking activities.

 

2012 Remodelers 360 - AUGUST 2012

A tracking study, conducted every other year since 2006, explores how Americans are using their kitchens and their remodeling experiences as well as kitchen product preferences.

 

Technology Usage Study – JUNE 2012 

This report was designed to help industry leaders understand how kitchen and bath designers and dealers use technology in their businesses – identify use of specific social media sites for business purposes, predicted future use of social media (by what means and for what business purposes, e.g., post videos to Facebook to promote business), and to gauge current and future use of specific devices and technology for business purposes (smart phones, tablets, kitchen- or bath-related apps, CAD software, and so on).

 

Designers Talk Trends - APRIL 2012

A report conducted annually among professional kitchen designers to identify the key remodeling trends they see emerging, how they approach kitchen designs, and what inspires them.

 

Designer Business Practices - MARCH 2012

A report about understanding the state of the kitchen design business, how designers and showrooms are marketing their businesses, and identify the support they would like from manufacturers.

 

Changes in Homes that Impact the Kitchen - DECEMBER 2011

A report about changes in home designs that impact the home kitchen, including size, layout, and features. Conducted among U.S. homeowners, this research explores shifts happening in home design and consumer sentiment that are impacting the home and what might be in the mindset of those purchasing smaller homes.

 

Designing Kitchens for an Aging America - OCTOBER 2011

A report conducted among professional kitchen designers who have current experience designing kitchens for older clients with concerns about diminishing abilities to identify how kitchen designs are being altered to meet the needs of aging Americans.

 

Dream Kitchens - Today and Tomorrow - SEPTEMBER 2011

A social media analysis of online conversations about the 'dream kitchens' of consumers using RICKI's exclusive Contextual Theme Analysis process to identify what is most desired in kitchens today and in kitchens of the future. Reports focus on nine major kitchen product categories or areas including: cabinets and islands, countertops and backsplashes, flooring, major appliances, sinks-faucets-plumbing, lighting, storage and organization, size-layout-style of a dream kitchen, and other kitchen aspects of ventilation, small appliances, hardware, and cookware.

 

How Four Generations Use Their Kitchens - AUGUST 2011

A report of four generations (Matures, Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y) about technology used in the kitchen, cooking habits, activities that happen in the kitchen, emotional connections to the kitchen, and modifications they have made to their kitchens to make it work better for them.

 
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