Floorings are a woman’s business

When purchasing flooring, the average German tends to delay the moment, but in turn will appreciate quality and is still most likely to stay true to the specialist trade - at least in comparison to their European neighbours in France and Poland. And possibly the most important detail: In no other country is the purchasing decision made as frequently by women than in Germany. These are the results of the latest market study by the association of European producers of laminate flooring, which examined the purchasing behaviour of consumers in terms of floorings.
The study builds on the previous investigations of 2005 and 2011. The current edition also marks the start of a cooperation with MMFA, Multilayer Modular Flooring Association. The investigation was carried out in Germany, France and Poland with consumers and architects. In each of the three countries, 100 consumers, who had recently purchased floorings or who were close to purchasing, as well as 20 architects and tendering authorities were each questioned about their motives, valuation and decision-making processes.
What triggers the desire to purchase new flooring? In most cases, it is about replacing a defective or worn floor: in Germany, 72 per cent of those surveyed state that this is the main factor (48 per cent) or an important factor (24 per cent). In France, this trigger is confirmed with 65 per cent and in Poland with 51 per cent. The trigger 'worn', thereby, seems to be the same, independent of the product - in the case of laminate it is 64 per cent, for LVT (luxury vinyl tiles) 63 per cent and for other floorings 64 per cent. Other triggers can be replacing a floor that aesthetically was not pleasing, or a comprehensive renovation or remodelling of the flat or the home, but also a construction or purchase of a new flat or a new home can be the reason. Being so "fed up" of a flooring to decide to make a purchasing decision happens mostly for the French (68 per cent), before the Germans (57 per cent) and Poles (50 per cent).
In terms of the decision-making factors for the shopping location, the arguments "inexpensive/good price-performance ratio", "good selection/broad offerings" and "good/competent advice" are most prominent. The cross-national average (51 per cent) shows that there is hardly any difference in the main argument price/performance between the countries. However the Germans appear to appreciate good advice more than other Europeans (30 per cent), while Poles place much more value…