Lighting Rises in Rank Among Consumer Purchases This Year

When it comes to furnishing a new home or renovating an existing one, a new sofa typically tops homeowners’ lists of primary purchases. The second most popular category is area rugs, followed by portable lamps.   

These findings are detailed in the second installment of our exclusive Consumer Insights Now (CIN) research – sponsored by Bread Financial – where 1,200 U.S. consumers who either purchased home furnishings from January to mid-August 2025 or planned to purchase in late-August to December reveal the factors that motivate them to buy.

For the CIN survey, the “Lamps” category is defined as floor,  table, task, and desk lamps; “Lighting” is comprised of chandeliers, pendants, sconces/wall-mounted fixtures, and flush/semi-flush ceiling fixtures.

With the exception of purchasing a new home, fall is historically the time of year when homeowners are most apt to freshen up their décor ahead of holiday entertaining and hosting houseguests. Given the squeeze of inflation, many consumers have been putting off larger renovations and instead are spending on purchases that will aesthetically revitalize their living spaces for comparatively less. Sofas, area rugs and portable lamps are prime examples of reasonably priced investments that offer maximum visual impact to each room’s ambiance when a renovation isn’t doable — and the CIN survey results bear this out.

Lighting fixtures, on the other hand, were ranked further down the list of potential purchases — possible factors could be that many statement lighting fixtures cost more than a sofa, plus it often requires the additional expense of hiring an electrician for installation.  

Where are they buying lighting?

There is good news and not-so-good news when it comes to discerning where consumers are buying their lighting. First the good news: 6 out of 10 purchases were made in-store versus online (which is counter to what many lighting showroom owners may think is happening). The not-so-good part: big box stores are still the number one choice (at 29%), followed by Amazon (26%), lighting showrooms (13%), and national furniture chains (11%).

With home centers such as The Home Depot and Lowe’s announcing on their summer shareholder calls that they will be making a concentrated effort to sell more premium products, lighting showrooms will likely have to level up their marketing outreach to capture that highly coveted higher-end consumer that many retailers are after.

What are they buying?

Across each generation surveyed, portable lamps accounted for 24% to 33% of purchases with Gen Z (ages 18-28) at 33%; Older Millennials (ages 37-44) and Baby Boomers (age 61+) at 28% each; Younger Millennials (ages 29-36) at 26%; and Gen X (ages 45-60) at 24%.

The purchase of lighting fixtures was more even across those demographics with Older Millennials at 12% and Gen  Z, Younger Millennials, Baby Boomers all at 11%. Gen X, at 10%, reported the lowest percentage of lighting fixture purchases.  

Why are they buying it?

When it came to lighting fixture purchases, “better quality” was listed as the primary motivation (48%) among all of the age groups. This finding bodes well for showrooms that are shifting their emphasis away from builder-grade (as interest rates and materials costs have slowed momentum for some builders) and toward more higher-end product to differentiate their assortment from home centers and Amazon.

Interestingly, the demographic looking to upgrade their home’s lighting the most this year are the Younger Millennials (ages 29-36). In fact, Millennials are doing better than other generations at amassing wealth. According to Federal Reserve data, and reported by CNBC, millennials are collectively worth about $15.95 trillion, up from $3.94 trillion five years earlier.  As you plan your showroom’s lighting purchases in the months ahead, keep this customer in mind when selecting product that will meet their needs aspirationally as well as functionally.  

To read the complete edition of this week’s CIN report, click here.

Stay tuned next week for the next installment of Consumer Insights Now, which will cover needs and driving factors in consumers’ home furnishings shopping journey.