New exclusive Consumer Insights Now research shows this is a need-driven generation that likes to…
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What Drives Gen Z to Shop for Home Furnishings?
New exclusive Consumer Insights Now research shows this is a need-driven generation that likes to shop for furniture and home accessories, but is feeling financial pressure — so price matters. Style Editor Julie A. Palm dives deeper into the latest round of research, sponsored by Bread Financial.
By Julie A. Palm
The youngest generation of home furnishings shoppers – Generation Z – is driven more by needs than wants. They need new furniture and accessories when they make a major life change such as going to college, getting married, moving, or when existing items wear out. And they need a good value because they’re feeling financially squeezed.
But this generation has wants, too. For one, they want to be able to afford to buy a home — although they worry that they can’t. And, whether they purchase a home or not, many want to change their living situation within the next one to five years, for instance, moving out of their parents’ home or into a larger apartment.
When Gen Z consumers do shop for home furnishings, the vast majority (86%) say they enjoy it. And they are well-educated, research-focused consumers: More than three-quarters know what they want to buy before they start shopping.
These are among the findings of new exclusive Consumer Insights Now research that dives into Generation Z’s feelings about their finances and homeownership, their plans for purchasing home furnishings, their shopping preferences and habits, and more. (CIN surveyed only Gen Z adults ages 18-29; the youngest of Gen Z are age 14).
CIN research is conducted twice a year on behalf of Lighting News Now and its sister publications Home News Now, Casual News Now, Design News Now and Bedding News Now. This fall’s round of research is sponsored by Bread Financial.
Tight budgets
Some findings of the new research are tied to the age of the consumers surveyed and might apply to any generation at this stage of life. Our late teens and 20s are a time of establishing ourselves: earning degrees, moving into bigger and better housing, getting married, having children. Twentysomethings rarely have big nest eggs and the ability to spend lavishly on their homes.
But this generation – facing higher mortgage interest rates and persistent higher inflation than we’d seen for decades before the pandemic – feels deeply constrained by their finances.
Half of Generation Z consumers say they are worried about food and gas prices. Other top economic concerns are: paying monthly bills (36%), not saving money (33%) and health care costs (33%). More than half (55%) say have delayed a major life decision such as getting married or buying a home because of their finances, according to the CIN survey.
Only four out of 10 call their personal financial situation “good” or “excellent,” with 39% deeming it “fair” and 15% saying it’s “poor.”
Buying home furnishings
Given all this, it is not surprising that 74% of Gen Z consumers say they purchase home furnishings only when they absolutely must. Sometimes that’s prompted by a life change; sometimes it’s prompted by needing to replace worn-out items.
New home furnishings are No. 5 on a list of Generation Z spending priorities after health care expenses, family expenses (college, wedding, etc.), new clothes/shoes and saving for retirement. (A reminder that everyone in the survey said they were in the market for home furnishings in 2026.)
In the first half of this year, Gen Z focused those home furnishings purchases on sofas, furniture for their primary bedroom, occasional tables, a mattress for their primary bedroom and area rugs, in that order. In the second half of 2026, they are again prioritizing sofas (No. 1), primary bedroom furniture (No. 2), area rugs (No. 4) and occasional tables (No. 5), however, lamps climbed up in rank to No. 3 on that shopping list.
Nearly six out of 10 seek low prices when they shop, and 61% believe that furniture sold online is less expensive. But 66% say they actually prefer to shop for furniture in-store rather than online. (I’ll admit I found this result surprising among a generation raised with the internet and the convenience of shopping on ecommerce and social media sites.)
Renters for now
Although the majority of Generation Z consumers may buy furniture and home accessories only when they feel they must, as I noted, this is a generation that often needs home furnishings because of frequent life changes. Some 65% bought items because they moved into a new apartment or house, went to college, got married or had a baby. For retailers, that may mean more opportunities to catch this generation along its relatively frequent buying journeys.
Only two out 10 Gen Z adults are currently homeowners and 55% say they can’t afford to buy a house right now, but they remain hopeful about homeownership. Some 38% say they plan to buy a home in the next three to five years. Nearly another quarter (23%) has a timeline of just one to two years, and a similar percentage (22%) has a longer horizon: six to nine years.
A significant percentage of Gen Z also remains optimistic about their ability to trade up to better furnishings. More than four out of 10 say they’ll be positioned to buy better-quality items in one to two years, and another four out of 10 think they’ll be ready in three to five years.
Our shopping and buying habits, as well as our home design preferences, are often shaped during our late teens and early 20s — and Generation Z will, in turn, help shape the future of home furnishings retailing.
We’ll have more results from the CIN research in the weeks ahead: Results you can use to meet these consumers’ needs now and in the coming years.
About the research
This fall’s CIN research surveyed 1,000 adult Generation Z consumers (ages 18-29) who have purchased or plan to purchase home furnishings in 2026. The survey was fielded in August.
Veteran consumer researcher Dana French conducts the CIN surveys, and compiles and analyzes the results. This fall, results are being released every Monday from September 14 through October 12.
The fall CIN research is sponsored by Bread Financial.
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