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Reader Survey

What's Hot in Shutters?

D&WC readers answer our questions about shutter sales and trends.

by Howard Shingle

Our question should have been, "Just how hot are shutters?" Judging by the responses we received, consumer interest in shutters is very hot. It has been eight years since our last reader survey on shutter trends (see D&WC, November 1992, page 80), and in many areas the current data show marked increases that mean good business for retailers selling them. A significant difference is the addition of vinyl products to our 1999 survey. Nearly one out three respondents say they sell vinyl shutters.

Table 1 How would you describe consumer interest levels for interior shutters?   1992 1999 High 31% 78.9% Average 27 5.3 Low 42 15.8

GOOD FOR BUSINESS Table 1 shows the most striking difference from our 1992 survey. Then, 31 percent of respondents described consumer interest in interior shutters as high. Nearly 80 percent say so today. That trend is followed in Table 2, in which 26 percent of respondents say more than half of their customers express an interest in shutters compared to only nine percent in 1992.

Table 2 Approximately what percent of your customers express interest in shutters?   1992 1999 Up to 25 percent 65% 52.5% 26 to 50 percent 26 21.1 51 to 75 percent 2 5.3 76 to 100 percent 7 21.1

Shutter sales are also making a bigger impact on total sales volume for retailers, as shown in Table 3. While a similar percentage of respondents attributed 81 to 100 percent of sales to shutters in 1992 and 1999, those attributing 61 to 80 percent of total sales to shutters jumped from 2.5 percent to 16.6 percent.

Table 3 Approximately what percent of your total sales volume comes from shutters?   1992 1999 Up to 20 percent 85% 55.6% 21 to 40 percent 5 16.6 41 to 60 percent 2.5 5.6 61 to 80 percent 2.5 16.6 81 to 100 percent 5 5.6

Fewer respondents say they sell only customer shutters (86 percent in 1992 versus 59.3 percent in 1999), but the difference is more than made up by the 29.6 percent in Table 4 who say they sell vinyl shutters, a category not available in our previous survey.

Table 4 Do you sell custom shutters, stock, vinyl or composite foam shutters? Custom only 59.3% Vinyl 29.6 All of the above 7.4 Composite foam 3.7 Stock only 0

Table 5 may indicate retailers who start selling shutters stay with them. In 1992, 42 percent of respondents said they had sold shutters for between one and five years. Eight years later, an almost identical number now say they've sold shutters for 10 years or more.

Table 5 For how long have you sold shutters? Less than one year 5.3% One to five years 26.3 Six to 10 years 26.3 More than 10 years 42.1

APPLICATIONS Table 6 shows a division between where wood and vinyl shutters are installed in customers' homes. The most popular applications for wood shutters (indicated by the lower number values) are dining rooms, master bedrooms, family rooms, living rooms and home offices. The top vinyl applications are in rooms expected to present harsher conditions: bathrooms, children's rooms and kitchens.

Table 6 For what residential rooms do you most often specify shutters?   Wood Vinyl* Bathrooms 6 1 Children's rooms 4 2 Dining rooms 1 4 Family rooms 2 6 Home offices 2 5 Kitchens 3 3 Living rooms 2 6 Lofts 5 6 Master bedrooms 1 4 Other (Guest bedrooms) 7 7 *(including composite foam)

The top commercial applications for shutters (Table 7) are commercial offices and restaurants—the same as in our 1992 survey. Table 8 illustrates shutters' versatility in homes: the top decors in which shutters are specified are traditional and contemporary.

Table 7 For what commercial applications do you specify shutters? Commercial offices 31% Restaurants 20.7 Physician's offices 17.2 Retail 7 Hotels 6.9 Museums 6.9 Nursing homes 6.9 Other 3.4 Table 8 For what types of decor do you most often specify shutters? Traditional 24% Contemporary 17.3 Country 14.7 Formal 14.6 Southwest 12 Eclectic 6.7 Provincial 6.7 Oriental 4

Painted and stained shutters still rank as the top two most popular finishes in Table 9. The big difference from our 1992 survey was the inclusion of vinyl, which now is the third most popular shutter finish.

Table 9 Please rank the following types of finish in order of popularity (with 1 being most popular). Painted 1 Stained 2 Vinyl 3 High gloss 4 Sandblasted 5 Crackled 6 Marbleized 7 Speckled 8 Other 9

The overall aesthetics of shutters was the top reason consumers purchased shutters in 1992 and 1999 (Table 10). But in 1999, light control took a big jump to become the second most important reason.

Table 10 Please rank the reason consumers purchase shutters in order of importance (with 1 being most important). Overall aesthetics 1 Light control 2 Appeal of wood 3 Investment in home 4 Maintenance 5 Energy savings 6 Other (Privacy) 7

Bay, bow and arched windows are the top odd-shaped windows on which shutters are installed (Table 11), which isn't surprising considering there probably are many more of these types of windows in homes today.

Table 11 Please rank the following types of odd-shaped windows for which you specify shutters in order of popularity (with 1 being most popular). Bay or bow 1 Arches 2 French doors 3 Double hung 4 Angle tops or sloped 5 Arcadia doors 6

As in 1992, the most popular louver size is 21/2 inches (Table 12), most shutters are installed on standard windows (Table 13) and the majority is inside-mount (Table 14).

Table 12 Please rank the following louver widths in order of popularity (with 1 being the most popular). 2 1/2 inches 1 3 1/2 inches 2 4 1/2 inches 3 Other (Under 2 inches) 4 Table 13 Approximately what percent of the shutters you sell are for standard versus odd-shaped windows? Up to 25 percent standard 11.7% 26 to 50 percent standard 0 51 to 75 percent standard 11.8 76 to 100 percent standard 76.5 Table 14 Are the majority of the shutters you sell inside mount or outside mount? Inside mount 82.4% Outside mount 17.6

PRICING AND PROFITS Retailers these days are slightly more likely to promote sales on shutters. In 1992, 68 percent of respondents said they rarely promote sales, while in 1999 that percentage dropped to 46.6 (Table 15).

Table 15 How often do you promote published sales on shutters? Frequently 6.7% Sometimes 46.7 Rarely 46.6

In Table 16, a custom wood shutter seems to fetch a higher price than vinyl when installed on a three- by five-foot window. Interestingly, in 1992, 29 percent of respondents would price a custom wood shutter of this size between $700 and $800.

Table 16 What is your average retail price for a custom shutter measuring three by five feet?   Wood Vinyl $301 to $400 18.8 55.5 $401 to $500 56.3 22.2 $501 to $600 12.5 11.1 $601 to $700 0 11.2 $701 to $800 6.2 0 $801 to $900 6.2 0 More than $900 0 0

Face frames still are the most popular (Table 17). When it comes to installing shutters most respondents say they do most of the work themselves (Table 18).

Table 17 Please rank the following types of frames in order of popularity (with 1 being most popular). Face frame 1 Z-frame 2 Inside frame 3 Other 0 Table 18 What percentage of the shutters you sell do you install yourself? What percentage is installed by a non-employee professional installer?   Install Yourself Other Professional Up to 25 percent 10.5 5.3 26 to 50 percent 0 0 51 to 75 percent 0 0 76 to 100 percent 52.6 31.6

Table 19 indicates there is a higher profit margin in shutters these days. In both 1992 and 1999 the majority of respondents said 31 to 40 percent of custom retail profits comes from shutters. But in 1999, 23.5 percent of respondents say the profit range is 41 to 50 percent and 11.8 percent said between 51 and 60 percent, which compares to 18 percent and three percent respectively in 1992.

Table 19 Approximately what percent of your custom retail sales price is profit? 11 to 20 percent 11.7% 21 to 30 percent 11.8 31 to 40 percent 41.2 41 to 50 percent 23.5 51 to 60 percent 11.8

Answered Our Survey We asked respondents to tell us a little about themselves. Their responses follow: • Which category best describes your business? Specialty store 58.9% Interior designer 17.6 Decorating center 11.8 Workroom 5.9 Department store 0 • How many years have you been in the window coverings business? One to five years 10.5% Six to 10 years 5.3 More than 10 years 84.2 • What is you annual sales volume in window coverings? Specialty store 58.9% Up to $100,000 31.6% $100,000 to $250,000 15.8 $250,001 to $500,000 21 $500,001 to $1 million 15.8 $1 million to $3 million 15.8